Condenado a la seriedad y a la impostura, Julio, el silencioso protagonista de este libro, acaba convenciéndose de que es mejor encerrarse en su cu...
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reviews
Nov 27, 2008
Stephen
rated it: 
More of a short story than a novella, but who would spend $13 on a short story? I probably would.
In any event, the story's first paragraph is enough to pull even the most reluctant reader in. How's this for a promise?
"In the end she dies and he remains alone, although in truth he was alone some years before her death, Emilia's death. Let's say that she is called or was called Emilia and that he is called, was called, and continues to be called Julio. Julio and Emilia More...
In any event, the story's first paragraph is enough to pull even the most reluctant reader in. How's this for a promise?
"In the end she dies and he remains alone, although in truth he was alone some years before her death, Emilia's death. Let's say that she is called or was called Emilia and that he is called, was called, and continues to be called Julio. Julio and Emilia More...
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Nov 09, 2011
Rodrigo
rated it: 
Hay que hacerse la pregunta por cómo escribir sobre literatura. Aunque esa moda ya acumule polvo. O antes y mejor: hacerse la pregunta por cómo escribir sobre lo que le ocurre a los lectores, a quienes han sido escritos por otros. Con algún grado de certeza, Alejandro Zambra (Santiago, 1975, poeta y crítico, y supongo que no poeta crítico) ha de haberse hecho este cuestionamiento. O muchos otros. Incluido el anterior.
Intuyo otras cuestiones que atañen al problema ya mencionado. Por nombrar More...
Intuyo otras cuestiones que atañen al problema ya mencionado. Por nombrar More...
May 21, 2011
Michael
rated it:
Cuatro por dos motivos: uno, es un libro cortisimo (o un cuento larguisimo). Dos: lo lei en ingles y me gusto (Paula se equivoco al comprarlo -jamas hubiera comprado uno en ingles, porque ella era, o es, espanola, pero se equivoco en Amazon y no tuvo tiempo de devolverlo-). Intuyo que en castellano es todavia mejor, esta en mi lista de pendientes por comprar en mi proxima visita a Latino America.
Dos ingredientes importantes: literatura y sexo (o la relacion entre un hombre y una muje More...
Dos ingredientes importantes: literatura y sexo (o la relacion entre un hombre y una muje More...
Dec 21, 2009
jeremy
rated it: 
for a slim novella, bonsai sure has attracted considerable attention. penned by a thirty-something chilean poet, the brief work was awarded the 2006 chilean critics award for best novel of the year. despite its wide accolades, it is also not without its share of ardent detractors. unsurprisingly, one would be hard pressed to find a single review that does not in some way compare or contrast zambra to his late countryman roberto bolaño. other than a motherland, however, there seems to be no
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Sep 16, 2009
lisa
rated it:
I was debating back and forth reading this in English or in Spanish. I read it in English, in the end. On a plane. In an hor or three. It was, in fact, a great plane read. I read a review of it in The Nation and knew it was for me, especially when the reviewer said something about Zambra being the sort of "anti-Bolaño" or something. It's not that I hate Bolaño. In fact, I have NEVER read ANY of his novels. It's just that everyone loves him so much that I can't bring myself to read him,
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Jun 18, 2011
Amélie
rated it:
Chose que je fais & que je devrais pas faire : quand j'entends parler d'un tout nouveau livre d'un auteur que je connais pas (dans ce cas-ci : Alejandro Zambra & La vie privée des arbres), je m'empresse de me pitcher sur le catalogue du réseau des bibliothèques de Québec pour voir s'il aurait pas écrit autre chose avant ce nouveau livre que j'ai vraiment envie de lire, & c'est ces efforts précédents, s'il y en a, que j'emprunte. (Je pense que ma justification intérieure c'est quelque chose comme
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Nov 22, 2011
Fathermocker
rated it:
Me gustó mucho el estilo pausado de Alejandro Zambra, y el concepto de una novela "bonsai". Entrañable, intenso; una "novella" redonda y con imágenes bien usadas. Se percibe un aire a Yasunari Kawabata (apropiadamente epigrafiado), y a Raymond Carver, y es, en general, una novela muy asíática. La prosa es de redacción caprichosa a veces, pero quizás es parte de su estilo y todavía no lo capto bien. Dentro de todo, es lo mejor que he leído en el último tiempo proveniendo de u
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Jan 10, 2012
Jigar
rated it:
It's a love story. That much is clear. Of doomed lovers? I am not sure. They are kept at arm's length, their psyches not at all accessible to the reader. What you can be sure of is that they loved...or rather liked one another. The narration is more a strict dissection of a relationship. In fact, it is the dissection of the way a love story should be narrated. No, its a dissection of the way "this" story, which could be a possible love story, should be narrated, by a narrator who may b
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Dec 24, 2009
Cotton
rated it:
Two independent people, living the course of their lives - first as students, then different places, different occupations. The two lives come together at one point early on, maybe in their formative years, but maybe that's a cliche. They touch each other and this novella is the story of how that happens. Distance, time and bluntly secondary characters show that while togetherness may be short, the impacts extend far. Sharp imagery and excellent phrasing capture yearning, uncomfortable misunders
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Apr 12, 2011
jess
rated it:
The day I read this book, I went to a garden show where I saw a bonsai that was started in 1300, another that was started in 1700, and you look at these small trees and just think how the hell have you been alive for so long, in this little pot, and it just seems sort of magical that this plant was a seedling 700 years ago. So everything was feeling so profound and infinite to me that day. Even outside of that spell, the parallels seem like saturated colors.
What's the purpose of bei More...
What's the purpose of bei More...
Dec 14, 2011
Madhuri
rated it:
It's a short book - and there are some parts of it that are fabulous. Like the way the relationship at the center of the story begins and ends. Long ago, I had someone tell me - if you can see the end, the end is already here. And never have I seen those thoughts mirrored more accurately than here in this slim novel.
I liked the way characters are kept at edge, deemed unimportant to the story. And I like how they still barge in, demanding a larger space, even in such few pages.
Towards More...
I liked the way characters are kept at edge, deemed unimportant to the story. And I like how they still barge in, demanding a larger space, even in such few pages.
Towards More...
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Jul 30, 2010
Dan
rated it:
There are many great things about this book. In particular I liked the (often funny and deflating) accounts of how people relate to books and reading, filtered through the lens of their relationships. I'll absolutely read The Private Lives of Trees, which just came out.
On the other hand, it still felt a little over-hyped to me, and there are a couple of clunky elements, usually surrounding women. Good grief, it even has, without a trace of irony, a prostitute with a heart of gold.
On the other hand, it still felt a little over-hyped to me, and there are a couple of clunky elements, usually surrounding women. Good grief, it even has, without a trace of irony, a prostitute with a heart of gold.
Jun 24, 2009
Stewart
rated it:
I’ve mentioned before how lovely Melville House’s Contemporary Art of the Novella series is and have been meaning for some time to read another. Bonsai (2006) by Alejandro Zambra felt like the timely choice, having recently been the focus of an article in The Nation (via The Literary Saloon) and to even the score for Chilean writers, what with Roberto Bolaño getting all the attention. According to The Nation article, “its effect on the world of Chilean literature has been entirely disproportiona
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Apr 23, 2011
Bernard
rated it: 
I didn't like it much; preferred "Private lives of trees" even though they have the same style and same feel. I did like that he compared writing to caring for a bonsai. I give the second star because Julio took on caring for a bonsai. At the end, has he substituted growing a bonsai to writing or is the bonsai a metaphor for writing? All the rest was a bore to me.
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Sep 28, 2009
Tara
rated it:
If want to read about unrequited love, lying, loss, and feigned truths, I'd recommend this little piece by Alejandro Zambra. I wouldn't say it kept me on my toes, but the short chapters were very easy to read, and I flew through it in a few hours.
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Sep 19, 2009
Misshouse
rated it:
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers.
To view it, click here
Jul 24, 2009
Sally
rated it:
A delightful little book. Reads like a film, stands like its title--a bonsai. Correction: It does not merely stand--it sags, lopsided, shedding its leaves. Any more words would have made it outgrow its flower pot. Or its "interesting chunk of rock".
Feb 06, 2012
Anna
rated it:
Not as amazing as THE PRIVATE LIVES OF TREES, but pretty awesome. Very interesting to read them back to back. This is his first novel, and one can see the strings behind the puppets a bit. Still very good and intriguing.
Dec 12, 2011
Jimmakos
rated it:
It was nice.Nice story,easy plot had something to give.It made me interested in the bonsais.Liked the idea of reading before having sex.I didn't gave it better grade cause it was very few pages and i read it in half hour.
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Oct 26, 2009
Shannon
rated it:
A very quick read, and delightful in many ways. This is a quirky novella about lovers who use books as their language, and are undone by it. I didn't feel very connected to the characters, but I was intrigued by the voice and structure.
Mar 31, 2009
Albert
rated it:
A quick, fine read. The narrative is told mostly in exposition and is well-paced. I can't really remember what it's about, but I remember it was clever and bookish.
Aug 15, 2011
Vogisland
rated it:
Zambra pulls off a trick with shifting the tone of the narrative that is possibly very simple, but produces a great effect. I felt some compassion for barely-sketched characters. I love short but this might actually be too short.
Sep 04, 2010
Meredith
rated it:
The pleasure of reading this was mostly in the Melville House Art of the Novella format of the physical object of the book. Which counts for a lot.
May 01, 2009
karen
rated it:
this is mighty short but very nice. there are some really prettily-written moments within. not life-changing, but a good half hour read.
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Jul 22, 2011
Jeff
rated it:
I enjoyed this short novella. The style reminds me of Kundera: ethereal, minimalist, self-aware, non-linear. The book strives to be about one thing--the Essence of the relationship between the two protagonists--and all other details are eliminated.
Oct 07, 2010
Grant's Best Young Spanish-Language Novelists: http://www.granta.com/Online-Only/Best-o...
Jan 07, 2010
Andrew
rated it:
A wonderful novella which can be read in about an hour; more than worth your time if you can find it.
Aug 01, 2011
Oscar
rated it:
Esta es una historia de amor y literatura. Se nos cuenta el pequeño romance que mantuvieron Julio y Emilia. La trama está contada muy sucintamente, casi como si fuese un haiku. A Julio y Emilia les gusta acostarse juntos, pero antes les gusta más cierto preámbulo que es leerse en voz alta, 'Madame Bovary', 'En busca del tiempo perdido'..., hasta que un día leen un cuento que transformará su relación en adelante.
Lo que más me ha gustado ha sido la relación que mantienen con los libros More...
Lo que más me ha gustado ha sido la relación que mantienen con los libros More...
Nov 21, 2008
So much in this novella resides in the unwritten. Details in the sparse; beauty in the sadness.
Mar 04, 2010
Steph
rated it:
lovely little novella, emphasis on little. Read in one afternoon in the car between appointments.
