La obra más conocida de Manuel Puig, el brillantemente inventivo novelista argentino. Una elegante y fascinante novela sobre el amor y la v...
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Dec 14, 2008
Jessica
rated it: 
So funny thing, I actually started this book once when I was a kid, maybe about nine years old? Strangely, I thought I remembered what I'd read really clearly, but then on this rereading realized I'd read more of it before than I'd previously realized. Also funny, my passion for this book waned around the same place this time as when I was nine, though this time I stuck with it and followed through to the end.
So this book takes place in a Latin American prison cell occupied by a poli More...
So this book takes place in a Latin American prison cell occupied by a poli More...
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Dec 17, 2009
MkB
rated it: 
-- What are you reading?
-- Kiss of the Spider Woman.
-- Hey, I've heard of that.
-- Likely because of the movie that was made of it.
-- How is the book?
-- Fantastic. Essentially all dialogue, but somehow all the more descriptive for it.
-- Huh. You gonna finish those fries?
-- Kiss of the Spider Woman.
-- Hey, I've heard of that.
-- Likely because of the movie that was made of it.
-- How is the book?
-- Fantastic. Essentially all dialogue, but somehow all the more descriptive for it.
-- Huh. You gonna finish those fries?
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Dec 19, 2008
brian
rated it: 
no comment.
i have a few rules regarding bookface. one of 'em being that you just don't write a book report within a month of DFJ reporting on the same book. i mean, c'mon. it'd be like singing a duet with morrissey. or crossing swords with john holmes. or moving into the kremlin directly after stalin. or going scotch for scotch with christopher hitchens...
you're only gonna look like an asshole when compared to a master.
i have a few rules regarding bookface. one of 'em being that you just don't write a book report within a month of DFJ reporting on the same book. i mean, c'mon. it'd be like singing a duet with morrissey. or crossing swords with john holmes. or moving into the kremlin directly after stalin. or going scotch for scotch with christopher hitchens...
you're only gonna look like an asshole when compared to a master.
16 comments
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Feb 09, 2011
Fabian
rated it:
More than anything, this book gets me excited about the possibilities of writing. Puig revolutionizes the way the novel is framed: his awesome work is a play, a stream of consciousness, a historic document, a research paper, a review of films... it is all these things in one poignant and hard-to-put-down novel.
The two main characters (Molina, the sad, deceitful and complex "Spider Woman" who lures and tests the headstrong Valentin) hold entire worlds inside of them. They More...
The two main characters (Molina, the sad, deceitful and complex "Spider Woman" who lures and tests the headstrong Valentin) hold entire worlds inside of them. They More...
Dec 16, 2009
Nathanial
rated it: 
Puig's tale consists [almost] entirely of dialogue. Written in the mid-seventies, during the Argentinian junta of 'disappearances' and mass incarceration, Kiss of the Spider Woman traces the evolving relationship of two convicts: a youthful dissident and an older homosexual. Later made into a successful movie, the plot itself mainly revolves around the movies that one character describes to the second. As a book of ideas, Puig's short novel glosses over character history and contextual backgr
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Feb 21, 2009
Jamie
rated it:
Really fascinating novel that I wasn't expecting to like at first. You're kind of swept up in the dialogue between unidentifiable characters in an unidentifiable setting--and you're left in this limbo for a good 20 or so pages. But Puig's undercutting of generic and authorial authority in the text, his wonderful use of oral storytelling (in written form?), and the politics implicit and explicit to the text make this both an enjoyable and provocative read. By the end of the novel, I felt as th
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Dec 31, 2008
Tony
rated it:
Puig, Manuel. KISS OF THE SPIDER WOMAN. (Eng. trans. – 1978). *****. This novel has been sitting on my to-be-read pile for almost three years now. I managed to find a first edition in a used book shop in Seattle back then, but never got around to reading it. I remember seeing the film many years ago and thinking it was fabulous but never got around to reading the original. I’m glad I finally did. Two men are cellmates in an Argentine prison. Molina is a windo dresser, homosexual, senten
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Nov 02, 2011
Raisu
rated it:
Remember VCR? We had had the movie "Kiss of the Spider Woman" on tape when I was in high-school. It was taped from TV by my parents. But then something else was taped over it, E.R. or My So Called Life, probably, because those were the things we kids watched back then. So, when that episode of the aforementioned E.R. or MSCL ended, the movie begun, but not from the beginning. It was confusing, but very engrossing, so I ended up watching it anyway. And then forgot about it for years. Re
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Sep 28, 2010
Joselito
rated it:
The book's blurb says this was made into a film where William Hurt, who played the role of Molina, was named best actor at the 1985 Cannes Film Festival. I haven't seen the movie but I was not surprised by this: Molina is a difficult role for any actor.
Molina here is a gay guy who is in a Latin American prison for child molestation. He becomes the cellmate of Valentin, a fanatical revolutionary. No two persons could have been more different. Molina has no interest whatsoever in polit More...
Molina here is a gay guy who is in a Latin American prison for child molestation. He becomes the cellmate of Valentin, a fanatical revolutionary. No two persons could have been more different. Molina has no interest whatsoever in polit More...
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May 07, 2010
Taylor
rated it:
This is one of the best books i have ever read, i will miss reading this book so much. The reasons i love this book are you become really absorbed and you want to keep reading. But this book is also very challenging at the same time which makes it very good for lit-circles, because some part are confusing and so much happens one would need help clarifying some parts. This book is at a 9th grade reading level and its mostly challenging because this book is written as a play but there is no name
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Jan 16, 2009
Fiona
rated it:
I'd seen the film ages ago and thought I knew what to expect from the book, but I was wrong. I've never read anything quite like this, in that the book has no narration at all. Most is in the form of pure dialogue, like a radio play without sound effects. At points, there are long, long footnotes, mostly academic discussions of theories of homosexuality, which seem to be inserted at random (i.e. not directly related to the reference-point in the main text, though the theories are relevant to the
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Aug 10, 2011
Le he puesto a este libro el apodo: "El libro de la nota al pie de pagina" no se si era solo mi edición (que cabe destacar que era de mis papas así que es bastante vieja) pero repetidamente me encontraba con esencialmente paginas llena de pie de nota, que al mio parecer un poco fastidia al momento de mantener el hilo de la lectura.
Dejando eso aparte, el libro me gusto mucho. Habla de un tema bastante original, y el contraste entre los dos personajes es genial. Son personas que afuera d More...
Dejando eso aparte, el libro me gusto mucho. Habla de un tema bastante original, y el contraste entre los dos personajes es genial. Son personas que afuera d More...
Aug 10, 2011
Le he puesto a este libro el apodo: "El libro de la nota al pie de pagina" no se si era solo mi edición (que cabe destacar que era de mis papas así que es bastante vieja) pero repetidamente me encontraba con esencialmente paginas llena de pie de nota, que al mio parecer un poco fastidia al momento de mantener el hilo de la lectura.
Dejando eso aparte, el libro me gusto mucho. Habla de un tema bastante original, y el contraste entre los dos personajes es genial. Son personas que afuera d More...
Dejando eso aparte, el libro me gusto mucho. Habla de un tema bastante original, y el contraste entre los dos personajes es genial. Son personas que afuera d More...
Jul 21, 2011
Richard
rated it:
This book basically consists of dialogue, and the two inmates have interesting conversations, but I am not sure what to think about the various films that Molina talks about, the numerous footnotes regarding theories on sexuality, and the ending after Molina and Valentin separate. When I take a step back and think about the overall flow of the plot, I feel like what's described can be considered somewhat ordinary. Two inmates get acquainted with each other, try to keep each other company, and ad
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May 16, 2011
Carly
rated it:
This novel was very intriguing, though it was difficult to read and very uncomfortable at points. I appreciated the way in which the stories the main character, Molina, would tell would aline with what was occurring in his relationship with Valentin, his cellmate. I feel like this book is ideal for class discussion, and extremely though provoking. However, I was unimpressed with the rather stereotypical portrayal of Molina as a flamboyant homosexual man, and thought that the fact that he was the
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Dec 24, 2010
Paola
rated it:
Sicuramente il titolo di questa recensione piacerebbe a Molina...
Bello questo romanzo di Puig, ma é un bello malsano. La rappresentazione del sentimento poco differenziato, quasi canino di Molina, l'omosessuale, nei confronti del compagno di cella, Valentin, ribelle rivoluzionario idealista di sinistra, ha qualcosa di malato, che ti fa proprio pensare ad un ragno mentre tesse la tela.
La cifra per poter leggere questo romanzo sfugge e nel contempo se ne possono trovare diverse.
Storia d'amore?
Pre More...
Bello questo romanzo di Puig, ma é un bello malsano. La rappresentazione del sentimento poco differenziato, quasi canino di Molina, l'omosessuale, nei confronti del compagno di cella, Valentin, ribelle rivoluzionario idealista di sinistra, ha qualcosa di malato, che ti fa proprio pensare ad un ragno mentre tesse la tela.
La cifra per poter leggere questo romanzo sfugge e nel contempo se ne possono trovare diverse.
Storia d'amore?
Pre More...
Jan 01, 2009
Michael
rated it:
Most everything about this odd book is enjoyable: the dialogue is crisp and never flat, the characters believably drawn, and the film plots that comprise much of the storytelling are told with startling freshness. Valentin and Molina's cell could be anywhere where two people are discussing life; Puig's themes are universal, the suffering is real. There are a few unexpected twists that keep the heart of the rather dry story beating, and it is apparent that Puig feels deeply about both men and has
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Sep 23, 2009
Abeer
rated it:
KotS-W is a conversation between two inmates, a gay window dresser and a revolutionary. I was biased from the beginning, but against the blurb writer. The window dresser is described on the back of the book as self centred but charming, but in no way does he come across as self centred, unless you pick on something late in the book (which would be a spoiler so I won't mention it more explicitly), but even that wouldn't be considered self centred IMHO (he was really a lovely man). The revoluti
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Jun 25, 2011
Stasia
rated it:
I read this many years ago and now, after reading it again, can't for the life of me remember what I must have thought about it. It's a strange book. On the one hand, I love the dialogue between the two main (and basically only) characters, and the way their relationship develops as they share a prison cell. On the other hand, Puig intersperses the book with these massive and very tangentially-related footnotes, primarily regarding theories of homosexuality. Mostly Freud. And I'm really not sure
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Nov 13, 2011
Adrianne
rated it:
I don't have much to add to the extremely well done, fully fleshed out reviews before mine, so I'll just agree; this book is a lush, dreamy pleasure to read. It's beautiful, slightly twisted, slightly typical fantasy after beautiful, slightly twisted, slightly typical fantasy, interspersed with powerful dialogue as two prisoners gain one another's trust in a horrific environment. It's stunning and heartbreaking and there's pretty much no beef to be had with it. Except for the footnotes.
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Sep 03, 2011
Rodrigo
rated it:
Uno de mis favoritos de siempre. Conocí la obra en teatro (no el musical), y después lo leí. ¡Qué belleza de texto! Los personajes son entrañables, tanto Molina como Valentín, llenos de humanidad y de belleza, algo extraño en un entorno tan sórdido como el de una prisión. Y la forma de contar la historia, a base de diáologos, sin una sola descripción o indicación, es increíble, sorprendente. El hecho de nunca se describa el lugar en donde están ni -explícitamente- lo que están haciendo, nos llev
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Feb 04, 2012
Douglas
rated it:
un excelente relato,
Dos presidiarios argentinos comparten una celda, uno de ellos es de orientación sexual gay, y el otro "heterosexual", el primero, de mayor edad le cuenta algunas historias sobre películas que ha visto a lo largo de su vida al otro, que según nunca había conocido a nadie con esa condición.
A medida que la lectura avanza se presentan varias teorías sobre los orígenes de la homosexualidad por diversos científicos, psicólogos entre otros.
A medida que l More...
Dos presidiarios argentinos comparten una celda, uno de ellos es de orientación sexual gay, y el otro "heterosexual", el primero, de mayor edad le cuenta algunas historias sobre películas que ha visto a lo largo de su vida al otro, que según nunca había conocido a nadie con esa condición.
A medida que la lectura avanza se presentan varias teorías sobre los orígenes de la homosexualidad por diversos científicos, psicólogos entre otros.
A medida que l More...
Jun 28, 2011
Philip
rated it:
I had heard very good things about this book so I picked up a copy to read. In one of the slowest days I've had at work I read nearly the entire thing, which required some stifling of laughter and some pauses to let my eyes dry. It's not particularly humorous or emotional compared to other books, but a) I'm super soppy and b) this book is written in such a way that it does not take very long at all to feel very attached to the characters. Thus, the emotions later on are really earned and not che
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Apr 04, 2010
Michael
rated it:
A novel set during the right-wing militant oppression of Argentina's dictatorships of the 1970's "Kiss of the Spider Woman" takes us into a prison cell where cellmates Molina and Valentin learn to confide in one another. Molina, a homosexual deviant, helps Valentin, a prominent revolutionist, to appreciate the benefits of love and the aesthetic. Valentin teaches Molina about self sacrifice and working for a cause. Puig uses excellent narrative in Molina's descriptions of films that
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Jun 01, 2009
Abby
rated it:
Really, if Goodreads had half stars, this would probably be a 4.5, just cause I didn't love it as much as Boquitas Pintadas... my only problem was a few elements that, for me, didn't fit, mainly the footnotes about research on the causes of homosexuality. Boring and unnecessary!
Otherwise, an enchanting, awesome book! I love how Puig manages to tell a story without any omnipotent narrator of any kind, instead relying on pure dialogue, police transcripts, etc. For a story that takes place a More...
Otherwise, an enchanting, awesome book! I love how Puig manages to tell a story without any omnipotent narrator of any kind, instead relying on pure dialogue, police transcripts, etc. For a story that takes place a More...
May 29, 2011
Maria
rated it:
Un homosexual y un activista político comparten una celda de una prisión Para hacer menos largos los días de encierro, Molina cuenta a Valentín las tramas de las películas que ha visto: todas ellas plenas de mujeres misteriosas que entregan su corazón al hombre equivocado. La confrontación entre los dos protagonistas , que dará lugar a su profunda transformación interior y los procedimientos narrativos absolutamente novedosos y rompedores empleados por el autor en esta novela la convierten en un
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Aug 07, 2011
Marie
rated it: 
The story itself does nothing but try to be something to get the author identified by the two protagonic roles in somewhat of a poor story line with a very (useless) polemic idea.
If rebelling against a dictadure makes the protagonist be a sort of friend with a pedophile (who is homosexual like the author, but this is a minor detail) then you can think (and to reach this reasonable conclusion) that the rebel didn't want any good for the country either.
Not to mention that the presence More...
If rebelling against a dictadure makes the protagonist be a sort of friend with a pedophile (who is homosexual like the author, but this is a minor detail) then you can think (and to reach this reasonable conclusion) that the rebel didn't want any good for the country either.
Not to mention that the presence More...
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Aug 19, 2011
Douglas
rated it:
un excelente relato,
Dos presidiarios argentinos comparten una celda, uno de ellos es de orientación sexual gay, y el otro "heterosexual", el primero, de mayor edad le cuenta algunas historias sobre películas que ha visto a lo largo de su vida al otro, que según nunca había conocido a nadie con esa condición.
A medida que la lectura avanza se presentan varias teorías sobre los orígenes de la homosexualidad por diversos científicos, psicólogos entre otros.
A medida que la h More...
Dos presidiarios argentinos comparten una celda, uno de ellos es de orientación sexual gay, y el otro "heterosexual", el primero, de mayor edad le cuenta algunas historias sobre películas que ha visto a lo largo de su vida al otro, que según nunca había conocido a nadie con esa condición.
A medida que la lectura avanza se presentan varias teorías sobre los orígenes de la homosexualidad por diversos científicos, psicólogos entre otros.
A medida que la h More...
Aug 09, 2011
Vrinda
rated it:
The first 95% of this book was 5-star material. I love old b-movies, so this appealed to me immensely, plus it left me dying to know what was going to happen next in the funny tales they told in the cell. The writing style was dreamlike and detached, in a beautiful way. What let it down for me was the ending - it didn't quite go anywhere for me, after all that. Also, I'm not sure how realistic certain later elements of their relationship are. I don't know...if it were the right circumstance
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Jul 29, 2011
Marcos
rated it:
Everyone in love with the movies, a good love story, and a simple story of goodness and friendship ought to read this masterpiece. Valentin and Molina make a pair of unlikely lovers whose love, respect, and kindness towards one another and hope make this a powerful and heartbreakingly comic read. It will definitely make you want to turn back to the beginning and start reading once again. Also, its for anyone who loves literature that deals with multicultural and sexuality. It's also for anyone w
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