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Os Maias
by
Biblioteca Ulisseia de Autores Portugueses #15
Os Maias é uma das obras mais conhecidas do escritor português Eça de Queiroz. O livro foi publicado no Porto em 1888. A acção de Os Maias passa-se em Lisboa, na segunda metade do século XIX, e apresenta-nos a história de três gerações da família Maia. A acção inicia-se no Outono de 1875, quando Afonso da Maia, nobre e pobre pr ...more
Os Maias é uma das obras mais conhecidas do escritor português Eça de Queiroz. O livro foi publicado no Porto em 1888. A acção de Os Maias passa-se em Lisboa, na segunda metade do século XIX, e apresenta-nos a história de três gerações da família Maia. A acção inicia-se no Outono de 1875, quando Afonso da Maia, nobre e pobre pr ...more
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Paperback, 681 pages
Published
April 2003
by Verbo
(first published 1888)
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Showing 31-60
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One of the greatest novels of the 19th century, to be sure, but also one of the dullest. Queiros reminds me of the late George Eliot, a great attention to detail, keen powers of observation and superb psychological insight.
This book is beautiful...almost an Edith Wharton vibe to it, I'm falling in love with Lisbon as I fall in love with the characters.
Eça de Queirós is a genious and he knows how to use sarcasm in an inteligent and witty way to criticize society.
Jul 30, 2011
Catarina
rated it
it was amazing
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
school-reading,
favorites
I had to reevaluate this book. It felt a bit unfair to give it only 4 stars, when I've loved it so much. 5 stars it is!
A fantastic book by one of the biggest Portuguese writers of all time.
ALELUIA (I finished this a week ago, but the relief is still working its effects on me)
At last! This book isn't as bad as I thought the first time I read it. I guess it actually is a good book and an interesting story.
Oct 02, 2014
barbara
rated it
really liked it
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
owned-books,
classics
The plot is really well developed throughout the novel but I just wish it was an easier read.
This is one of those old timey books about rich guys having affairs and going to places like a race track or some villa
well I mean I was forced to read it and I got spoiled on the first class we discussed this but anyway
it took me 9 months to read this book... but i FINALLY did it !!
Please stab me in the eyes
I was not expecting to like this book but the truth is I did like it.
I liked the beginning of the book, to know how it all started throughout the generations of the Maia family. This book captures really well the society of that time. The way he talks about politics, the women, the luxury, the idleness...
I really liked Eça's writting and the way he describes things (but sometimes a little bit too much). The writting is fluid and easy to read which is good considering this a classic book.
However,
...more
I can't write this review without first giving a short preview of my personal history with this novel. I first discovered it probably 6 years ago while browsing at the Seminary Co-op. It was billed as a classic 19th century novel, but from Portugal instead of Victorian England. Since I've always been fascinated with Portuguese history, I was thrilled to find it. I started it soon after I bought it, and promptly became so confused that I got stuck at about the 100 page mark. It sat on my shelves
...more
The Maias is a compulsory text book in Portugal, and yet largely unknown outside of its native country. I only stumbled on it by accident, and decided to give it a try.
The unkind explanation for the mismatch between the book’s national appeal and international obscurity is that Portugal has not produced many works of literary merit, and therefore has to elevate this book to a higher position. A kinder explanation might be to suggest that elements of the book do not translate well abroad as it is ...more
The unkind explanation for the mismatch between the book’s national appeal and international obscurity is that Portugal has not produced many works of literary merit, and therefore has to elevate this book to a higher position. A kinder explanation might be to suggest that elements of the book do not translate well abroad as it is ...more
It's kind of hard saying what I thought about this book... I had to read it for my Portuguese classes, and when I started reading it, it actually sounded good to me! It seemed like something I would like! Because from the moment one of the chapters ended in suspense, I got quite interested to read the rest of the book! But the thing is, Eça De Queirós is one hell of a writer who loooves to describe every damn thing! And on one side it's actually a good thing because you can picture the whole sto
...more
I must admite it: I read this book because I was forced to do it.But to whoever developed the Portuguese educational programe : THANK YOU SO MUCH.
This is quite honestly one of the most complex pieces of literature I've had the pleasure to read and I freaking loved it!
The first half of this novel is really heavy : Eça de Queirós stars introducing family history, a load of different and extremely complex characters all this while continually criticizing the Portuguese society of the time.
The secon ...more
This is quite honestly one of the most complex pieces of literature I've had the pleasure to read and I freaking loved it!
The first half of this novel is really heavy : Eça de Queirós stars introducing family history, a load of different and extremely complex characters all this while continually criticizing the Portuguese society of the time.
The secon ...more
I wrote this when I had given up:
"I have to admit that I can't get into this book. I love Costas's translation--I've never read one of hers I didn't--but life is too short to be bored for so long. If you've read a few hundred novels in your life, you know more or less where this one is going, and the stereotypes suck all the air out of the room. I'm putting this back in my to-read queue. One day I may have the courage to delete it altogether."
But recently I went back to it (I don't know why) and ...more
"I have to admit that I can't get into this book. I love Costas's translation--I've never read one of hers I didn't--but life is too short to be bored for so long. If you've read a few hundred novels in your life, you know more or less where this one is going, and the stereotypes suck all the air out of the room. I'm putting this back in my to-read queue. One day I may have the courage to delete it altogether."
But recently I went back to it (I don't know why) and ...more
Jan 11, 2008
Naciulinda
rated it
it was amazing
Recommends it for:
anyone and everyone age 14 and up.
Shelves:
alltimefavorites
In Portugal. where I went to high school, this is required reading. It's a classic and a wonderful reflection of Portuguese "high" society at the time, and the critique in a lighthearted and at times humorous way. Although the author also "rubbed elbows" would the upper class, he used his experiences to narrate (changing the names) what he saw and lived, and when published, many were offended and upset as they read their lives being made a mockery of and secrets divulged. in a very catholic orie
...more
I don't think the plot is particularly brilliant, or that it particularly appealed to me; but I also don't think that there is any Portuguese writer who has even written anything as well written as Eca. Despite my first (even if subconscious) reaction to the book (it's a bloody long book), or the rhythm (it's awfully slow, it is not the action that moves the book, it's rather the time that passes), or my friends warning (Oh that first chapter where he describes the house...); well, despite all t
...more
This book gives a clear image of how the portuguese society was in the late XIX century, especially in the capital, Lisbon. It was the time when the realism and the naturalism replaced the romanticism. In the middle of that we see a character who has everything and ends up realizing that life has got nothing to offer, and that we should accept everything as it is, not trying to change the world. The nobleman's life is full of hapiness and poor in preocupations; the one's who are literate, the in
...more
This is a beautiful book. I can't really even consider writing a solid review of it because I did not get to give it the time it deserves. The Maias and I got together during a very busy time. But, I am committing now to reading and enjoying this book again in the future.
What I will say is this book is an achievement. Many critics slot him in right next to Balzac, which I can certainly see--except I think stylistically that Queirós comes out on top. He feels much smoother to me and a bit more ro ...more
What I will say is this book is an achievement. Many critics slot him in right next to Balzac, which I can certainly see--except I think stylistically that Queirós comes out on top. He feels much smoother to me and a bit more ro ...more
I was tempted to give this book five stars because how excellently it must have translated and how exceedingly comprehensible it is despite having been written more than 100 years ago. The worst part of the book is how incredibly slow it starts out and how aimless many of the events and conversations are. This is an acceptable problem because the book is supposed to be an accurate representation of what the life of the old Portuguese bourgeois was like; mundane and meandering to the average mode
...more
This book was a requirement for school, and honestly it was only that. A mandatory read that I had to find super power strength to manage to finish it. Seriously, I quit reading it so many times it was ridiculous.
The nearly 700 pages could be easily summed with less than 300, and nothing important would be left out.
And, although I understand the author's purpose and what he want to accomplish, I believe that other authors manage to achieve better this purpose with more summed up ideas and in a w ...more
The nearly 700 pages could be easily summed with less than 300, and nothing important would be left out.
And, although I understand the author's purpose and what he want to accomplish, I believe that other authors manage to achieve better this purpose with more summed up ideas and in a w ...more
Only doing the review a month later but....Well, here we go. This is a book we have to read for school, it's a portuguese classic and at start I just couldn't read it because of the long descriptions that Eça de Queirós is known for, but as time passed I've grown into it, and I actually quite liked it, it's something sublime and marvelous to read because of the long descriptions that turn out to be amazing once we start enjoying properly the book. Maria Eduarda is probably my favourite character
...more
This book is mandatory reading in Portugal for the 11th grade and so, as always, it has a terrible reputation which, among other things like my teacher giving us quite a good summary of the book, lead me not to read it last year, when I should've. However it might be a part of one of the exams I'm doing this year so I decided to read it anyway to be better prepared for the exam, to see what the fuss was all about and to see if the rumors checked out. It turns out they definitely don't. This book
...more
Tons of descriptions. Kinda realism. Mostly still romanticist.
The characters were somewhat shallow and all upper class so I failed to develop real sympathy for them. As a result, I never lived this novel though it was quite long.
A lot of social protest and complaints but little insight into the ordinary lives. That sucked.
The deep, dark secret of incest leaks through the plot obviously early on. No real intrigue.
The characters were somewhat shallow and all upper class so I failed to develop real sympathy for them. As a result, I never lived this novel though it was quite long.
A lot of social protest and complaints but little insight into the ordinary lives. That sucked.
The deep, dark secret of incest leaks through the plot obviously early on. No real intrigue.
I had to read this book for school and... well... the story is well conceived. A romance between brothers, the typical forbidden love...
The story begins with the grandfather Afonso da Maia when he is still young, then we have a glimpse of the life of his only child Pedro da Maia and after his story we began our "real story" with the main protagonist, Carlos da Maia.
I'm not going to tell you the whole story, but with this book we have a clear image of Lisbon and his society of the second half of ...more
The story begins with the grandfather Afonso da Maia when he is still young, then we have a glimpse of the life of his only child Pedro da Maia and after his story we began our "real story" with the main protagonist, Carlos da Maia.
I'm not going to tell you the whole story, but with this book we have a clear image of Lisbon and his society of the second half of ...more
I had to read this for portuguese class and at first i thought it was going to be awfully boring just like all the other books that teachers require us to read. I was wrong.
Even though is looks like a monster i mean it's like 700 pages or more the actual plot is really small.
The major problem is the amount of descriptive moments it has. at least 70 per cent of this book is the author describing places.
The concept is repulsive to me. It's literally incest.I liked the book until they find out the ...more
Even though is looks like a monster i mean it's like 700 pages or more the actual plot is really small.
The major problem is the amount of descriptive moments it has. at least 70 per cent of this book is the author describing places.
The concept is repulsive to me. It's literally incest.I liked the book until they find out the ...more
Finally, IAM FINSIHHHH I HAVE TAMED THE BEASTTT. ok a bit dramatic. I had a really sastifaction moment when I finished this book. It is a mandatory read for school and everybody says is really boring and stupid. well, I REALLY REALLY LIKED IT. It is a 4,5 stars. The writting is absolutely stunning, the descriptions are amazing. The charcters were solid and really interesting. I love to know the society in portugal in the XIX century fascinating. The only problem that I had with it is that I alre
...more
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| 2017 Reading Chal...: Exquisite Cheese Pastries That Crumble Into Nothing | 1 | 21 | Jun 07, 2015 07:54PM |
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José Maria Eça de Queirós was a novelist committed to social reform who introduced Naturalism and Realism to Portugal. He is often considered to be the greatest Portuguese novelist, certainly the leading 19th-century Portuguese novelist whose fame was international. The son of a prominent magistrate, Eça de Queiroz spent his early years with relatives and was sent to boarding school at the age of
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“- Falhamos a vida, menino!
- Creio que sim... Mas todo o mundo mais ou menos a falha. Isto é, falha-se sempre na realidade aquela vida que se planeou com a imaginação. Diz-se: «vou ser assim, porque a beleza está em ser assim». E nunca se é assim, é-se invariavelmente assado, como dizia o pobre marquês. Ás vezes melhor, mas sempre diferente.”
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- Creio que sim... Mas todo o mundo mais ou menos a falha. Isto é, falha-se sempre na realidade aquela vida que se planeou com a imaginação. Diz-se: «vou ser assim, porque a beleza está em ser assim». E nunca se é assim, é-se invariavelmente assado, como dizia o pobre marquês. Ás vezes melhor, mas sempre diferente.”
“É extraordinário! Neste abençoado país todos os políticos têm «imenso talento». A oposição confessa sempre que os ministros, que ela cobre de injúrias, tem, à parte os disparates que fazem, um «talento de primeira ordem»! Por outro lado a maioria admite que a oposição, a quem ela contantemente recrimina pelos disparates que fez, está cheia de «robustíssimos talentos»! De resto todo o mundo concorda que o país é uma choldra. E resulta portanto este facto supracómico: um país governado «com imenso talento», que é de todos na Europa, segundo o consenso unânime, o mais estùpidamente governado! Eu proponho isto, a ver: que, como os talentos sempre falham, se experimentem uma vez os imbecis!”
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