What do you think?
Rate this book
Elza, a Garota
Xerxes, a ninetysomething survivor of the extinct Brazilian Communist Party, hires an unemployed journalist to write his life story, and most importantly explain his 1935 tragic love affair with comrade Elza Fernandes, code-named The Girl. Elza’s tale is one of the most bizarre true stories in Brazilian as a beautiful sixteen year old, she was suspected of betraying the Party and, although the charge could not be proved, was sentenced to death by Luiz Carlos Prestes himself. Prestes, the most eminent Latin American communist leader in the romantic era prior to the Cuban revolution, had arrived undercover in Rio from Moscow with a mission of overthrowing the Vargas government. A strikingly contemporary, post-utopian narrative, The Girl blends the pace of a thriller with the insightfulness and thorough research of a historical novel, introducing the reader to a world in which emotional, political, and even artistic truths must be reappraised in order to understand our shifting present. Winner of the 2011 Prêmio Cultura do Estado do Rio de Janeiro for Literature
231 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2008
5 people are currently reading
363 people want to read
About the author
Sérgio Rodrigues
43 books25 followersSérgio Rodrigues (Brazil, 1962), fiction writer, literary critic and journalist, is the author of seven books of various genres: novels, short stories and non-fiction.
Having worked for most major newspapers and magazines in Brazil, Rodrigues is now a full-time writer who keeps two columns – one about literature, the other focused on language issues – in Veja.com, the online version of the largest weekly magazine in Latin America. He was awarded the Prêmio Cultura (Culture Prize) 2011 by the Rio de Janeiro State Government for the whole of his work. He lives in Rio de Janeiro.
Having worked for most major newspapers and magazines in Brazil, Rodrigues is now a full-time writer who keeps two columns – one about literature, the other focused on language issues – in Veja.com, the online version of the largest weekly magazine in Latin America. He was awarded the Prêmio Cultura (Culture Prize) 2011 by the Rio de Janeiro State Government for the whole of his work. He lives in Rio de Janeiro.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews
Read
January 2, 2021
I'm beginning to make my way through a stack of novels by a new generation of authors around the globe. First up is Elza: The Girl by Brazil’s Sérgio Rodrigues, a tale that's combination historical account and crime thriller.
We're in Rio de Janeiro in the early years of the 21st century with 43-year-old Molina who has a new job that actually pays money: serving as interviewer/memoir transcriber for 95-year-old Xerxes as the old man relates his life as a member of the Brazilian Communist Party back in and around 1936.
Sérgio Rodrigues mixes together a number of intertwining plots. Here's a batch along with my own personal observations and color commentary:
The Elza Case
The hub of the novel revolves around Elza Fernandes. Is Elza 16 or is she 21? The answer depends on who you believe. Elza was a member of the Communist Party, a young lady who apparently was murdered in 1936, the orders coming down from Communist Party leaders. The leaders suspected Elza of being a traitor to the cause and thus contributing to the party's failed coup against Brazilian President Getulio Vargas. Elza the beauty; Elza the mysterious - such provocative intrigue as part of the history of Brazil.
Xerxes, the Communist
The old man provides all the details of his firsthand experience relating to the battle in a city park in October 1934 where the communists stopped a fascist rally in São Paulo. Back in the 1930s, so Xerxes asserts, people in the party had a clear and powerful sense of what it would mean to create a classless society. And at no time was that power more present than at that park in October.
"Suddenly, very clearly as if from heaven, there was a piercing and unmistakable sound that until then I had only heard in war movies: a spray of machine-gun fire." Xerxes is adamant: a commitment to Communism is serious business and might even require the sacrifice of one's own life.
Xerxes encourages Molina to read the Communist literature, to immerse himself in the historic record, to know the theory and philosophy of Communism in all its various facets.
Xerxes, the Lover
Here's a snatch of the old man telling Molina about his relationship with Elza: "At that moment, in the middle of the most unforgettable kisses of my life, I promised her everything. To teach her to read, to love her, and never, never let anything bad happen to her, ever." For an added helping of pathos, Xerxes the dedicated Communist, a man eking out a living as a proofreader, falls deeply in love with the girlfriend/partner/lover of none other than the head of Brazil's Communist party.
Current Day Brazil
"It was a ten-minute trip between tree-lined flowerbeds in the shade of the Nossa Senhora de Glória do Outeiro church on one side, and the Museum of Modern Art on the other. It would make for a pleasant stroll if it didn't involve crossing high-speed lanes choked by huge vehicles driven by those with no respect whatsoever for traffic lights, not to mention the nooks occupied by packs of homeless people with watery eyes - minefields of human, canine, feline, and pigeon excrement, deep trenches, overflowing manholes, trash everywhere. Around the Passeio Público, the landscape changed thanks to bevies of street vendors, with their tarps and stalls dripping with products from Abibas, Sonya, Raph Luren, Panafonic, Tosheeba, Niake, Eve San Loran, Shanel, S'Puma, ReyBon, Padra, Gutchi - merchandise from another world, a parallel capitalist dimension inside the mirror."
The above is a description of what Molina sees as he walks through early 21st century Rio, a world fragmented by modern world capitalism, a world where any Communist idea of a "classless society" is long dead.
This section of the novel reminded me of that caustic quote by philosopher Fredric Jameson: “Someone once said that it is easier to imagine the end of the world than to imagine the end of capitalism. We can now revise that and witness the attempt to imagine capitalism by way of imagining the end of the world.”
Molina the Writer
"Molina thought about adding that he was one of the world's foremost experts on history's greatest television series, The Twilight Zone. He backed down in time, realizing it was unlikely that would earn him any points with Xerxes." Molina spent a number of years as a newspaper journalist but then decided to try his hand at creative writing. Molina wasn't having much luck. Hey, Molina, you say your expertise is The Twilight Zone? Good thing Xerxes came along.
Molina the Lover
Lucky man! Molina's girlfriend is Camila, an absolute knockout twenty years Molina's junior. As all the men's heads turn when Camila walks down the street, Molina thinks: mine! mine! mine! Camila is also a bright scholar doing her academic thesis on Ercília Nogueira Cobra, a leading Brazilian feminist living at the same time as Elza. Hey, did Xerxes know Ercília? The thick plottens.
More and More
Xerxes tells Molina about his episode in that park in October when he confronted his twin brother. Also, there's an evening and long night when Xerxes lost his virginity to two luscious young ladies from Italy, two gals he likes to think of as Gina Lollobrigida and Sophia Loren.
Many more are the surprises in store for Molina as he continues his exploration of Xerxes' past and current day Rio.
For me, Sérgio Rodrigues' Elza: The Girl provided a intriguing journey through a colorful swath of Brazilian social and political history. I look forward to reading more Sérgio Rodrigues.
Brazilian author Sérgio Rodrigues, born 1962
April 17, 2015
The novel begins in the first decade of the 21st century in Rio de Janeiro, where a former member of the long defunct Brazilian Communist Party --- an old man in his 90s going by the name "Xerxes" --- hires the services of a struggling journalist named Molina to interview him for the purpose of writing his memoirs.
Over several weeks, Molina holds a series of recorded interviews with Xerxes at his house, where he expounds at great length on his experiences in the Communist Party during the 1930s, a time of considerable political flux in Brazil. (As someone who has travelled to Brazil several times over the past 25 years, I found myself more attracted to the author's use of real historical events and personalities --- in particular, Luis Carlos Prestes, onetime leader of a failed "revolt of the lieutenants" in the 1920s against the ruling oligarchic class in Brazil and later one of the key leaders in the Brazilian Communist Party in the following decade, when it sought to seize power from strongman Getulio Vargas, the President of Brazil --- than in the gist of the novel itself, which was focused on Xerxes' obsession for Elza Fernandes, a fellow Communist and young woman he loved who was apparently put to death in 1936 on the orders of the leadership of the Communist Party because she was suspected of being a traitor in the immediate aftermath of the failed 1935 coup attempt.)
"ELZA The Girl" sets out to be both a historical and true crime tale. But its execution failed to fully engage me. As I said before, the inclusion of various bits of Brazilian history I savored. I'm glad I read this novel. But it is not a novel that I would likely re-read anytime soon.
Over several weeks, Molina holds a series of recorded interviews with Xerxes at his house, where he expounds at great length on his experiences in the Communist Party during the 1930s, a time of considerable political flux in Brazil. (As someone who has travelled to Brazil several times over the past 25 years, I found myself more attracted to the author's use of real historical events and personalities --- in particular, Luis Carlos Prestes, onetime leader of a failed "revolt of the lieutenants" in the 1920s against the ruling oligarchic class in Brazil and later one of the key leaders in the Brazilian Communist Party in the following decade, when it sought to seize power from strongman Getulio Vargas, the President of Brazil --- than in the gist of the novel itself, which was focused on Xerxes' obsession for Elza Fernandes, a fellow Communist and young woman he loved who was apparently put to death in 1936 on the orders of the leadership of the Communist Party because she was suspected of being a traitor in the immediate aftermath of the failed 1935 coup attempt.)
"ELZA The Girl" sets out to be both a historical and true crime tale. But its execution failed to fully engage me. As I said before, the inclusion of various bits of Brazilian history I savored. I'm glad I read this novel. But it is not a novel that I would likely re-read anytime soon.
September 10, 2014
Set in present-day Rio de Janeiro but looking back to the 1930s, this fascinating book interweaves journalistic research, true crime, historical documents and literary and historical fiction. It investigates a true life incident under Getulio Vargas’ government, when in 1935 there was a communist uprising. When it failed there was a wave of arrests, including that of Elza, the young lover of Miranda, a leader in the Brazilian Communist Party. Miranda’s comrades accused her of betrayal and brutally executed her. That much is documented fact, but there is much that remains unclear about the incident, and the author here delves deeper into what actually happened.
The non-fiction element of the book is set against a fictionalized background, in which Xerxes, a man now in his 90s, and a survivor of the now extinct Brazilian Communist Party, decides he wants to tell his story, in particular of his love for the girl Elza. He hires a young journalist, Molina, to take down his life story and turn it into a book. And thus Xerxes’ memories are set against the historical record.
This is an extremely well-written and absorbing piece of fiction/non-fiction, which opened a whole chapter in Brazilian history for me, a country I know little about. Clearly and succinctly written, the two strands are cleverly and seamlessly interwoven.The fate of Elza is narrated fairly dispassionately and yet the tragedy of it is convincingly conveyed.
All in all, I very much enjoyed the book and would recommend it anyone who enjoys discovering historical events at the same time as being entertained by a good, well-told story.
The non-fiction element of the book is set against a fictionalized background, in which Xerxes, a man now in his 90s, and a survivor of the now extinct Brazilian Communist Party, decides he wants to tell his story, in particular of his love for the girl Elza. He hires a young journalist, Molina, to take down his life story and turn it into a book. And thus Xerxes’ memories are set against the historical record.
This is an extremely well-written and absorbing piece of fiction/non-fiction, which opened a whole chapter in Brazilian history for me, a country I know little about. Clearly and succinctly written, the two strands are cleverly and seamlessly interwoven.The fate of Elza is narrated fairly dispassionately and yet the tragedy of it is convincingly conveyed.
All in all, I very much enjoyed the book and would recommend it anyone who enjoys discovering historical events at the same time as being entertained by a good, well-told story.
November 24, 2018
Termino o livro não inteiramente satisfeito. O tema é ótimo, o assassinato de Elvira Cupello Colônio – codinome Elza – em 1936 por membro do PCB, após o fracasso da Intentona Comunista no ano anterior. Em busca de culpados, o Partido encontra na figura de Elza um belo bode expiatório, a adolescente analfabeta amante de um dos chefões do partido – Antonio Maciel Bonfim, codinome Miranda.
Acompanho e em geral gosto do trabalho do autor do livro. Sergio Rodrigues é jornalista e já há algum tempo substituiu o Pasquale como colunista na Folha.
Em Elza, ele faz uso de uma estrutura narrativa em duas camadas. Na primeira, mais visível, que se passa em algum momento ao redor do ano 2000, temos Molina, um jornalista, que é contratado por Xerxes, um militante comunista que foi membro do PCB nos anos 1930 e conheceu Elza. Xerxes, ao final da vida, conta os eventos políticos que testemunhou na sua juventude, o que inclui o desastre da Intentona e o justiçamento da própria Elza. A história da moça e esses eventos do passado fazem parte do passado, aos quais o autor do livro tenta ser o mais fiel possível na medida em que muitos eventos são descritos não com o olhar do ficcionista, mas com o do jornalista preocupado com a veracidade dos fatos, mesmo que a nuvem de fumaça obscureça muito do ocorrido, inclusive o papel – pelo visto pusilânime de Prestes.
A parte mais interessante é justamente essa do passado, o relato de Xerxes e os recortes – por assim dizer – feitos pelo autor. É a história vívida de personagens fascinantes, a começar pela própria Elza, a quem conhecemos apenas pela voz de outros. Mas não só ela é fascinante. Todos os demais são impressionantes: Miranda, o amante; Prestes, o grande chefe, e o restante da trupe de revolucionários, brasileiros e estrangeiros, que formam um bando desajeitado que parece bem distante de ser a vanguarda da revolução.
A camada no presente, porém, é bem menos interessante. O recurso de criar esse jornalista – Molina – que é, de fato o narrador da história e o seu fio condutor, não me agradou. É um personagem bastante dispensável, na verdade, e funciona – nos seus melhores momentos – mais como uma correia de transmissão das reflexões do próprio autor, que ele, imagino, entendeu que seria melhor colocar na boca de um personagem. Nos piores momentos, arrasta uma trama secundária que envolve uma namorada bem mais jovem e sua família. Há é verdade, a trama sofre uma virada que é curiosa.
Evidentemente, Elza permanece uma desconhecida. Apesar de ser – repito o adjetivo – fascinante, é uma pessoa comum, simples, de origens bastante modestas que teve o azar de se ver envolvida – e moída – em uma trama revolucionária de nosso passado. Como um dos personagens diz em certo momento, “Elza morreu menina, foi enterrada feito bicho (...) Todo mundo deu um jeito de esquecer aquela história. Era uma história sem sentido, sem moral, sem heroísmo”.
Enfim, o livro é muito bom quando se fixa em Elza, no Partidão e nos eventos de 1930. É dispensável quando envolve o personagem do jornalista no presente, apesar, é claro, de reconhecer as qualidades da escrita do Sérgio Rodrigues.
Acompanho e em geral gosto do trabalho do autor do livro. Sergio Rodrigues é jornalista e já há algum tempo substituiu o Pasquale como colunista na Folha.
Em Elza, ele faz uso de uma estrutura narrativa em duas camadas. Na primeira, mais visível, que se passa em algum momento ao redor do ano 2000, temos Molina, um jornalista, que é contratado por Xerxes, um militante comunista que foi membro do PCB nos anos 1930 e conheceu Elza. Xerxes, ao final da vida, conta os eventos políticos que testemunhou na sua juventude, o que inclui o desastre da Intentona e o justiçamento da própria Elza. A história da moça e esses eventos do passado fazem parte do passado, aos quais o autor do livro tenta ser o mais fiel possível na medida em que muitos eventos são descritos não com o olhar do ficcionista, mas com o do jornalista preocupado com a veracidade dos fatos, mesmo que a nuvem de fumaça obscureça muito do ocorrido, inclusive o papel – pelo visto pusilânime de Prestes.
A parte mais interessante é justamente essa do passado, o relato de Xerxes e os recortes – por assim dizer – feitos pelo autor. É a história vívida de personagens fascinantes, a começar pela própria Elza, a quem conhecemos apenas pela voz de outros. Mas não só ela é fascinante. Todos os demais são impressionantes: Miranda, o amante; Prestes, o grande chefe, e o restante da trupe de revolucionários, brasileiros e estrangeiros, que formam um bando desajeitado que parece bem distante de ser a vanguarda da revolução.
A camada no presente, porém, é bem menos interessante. O recurso de criar esse jornalista – Molina – que é, de fato o narrador da história e o seu fio condutor, não me agradou. É um personagem bastante dispensável, na verdade, e funciona – nos seus melhores momentos – mais como uma correia de transmissão das reflexões do próprio autor, que ele, imagino, entendeu que seria melhor colocar na boca de um personagem. Nos piores momentos, arrasta uma trama secundária que envolve uma namorada bem mais jovem e sua família. Há é verdade, a trama sofre uma virada que é curiosa.
Evidentemente, Elza permanece uma desconhecida. Apesar de ser – repito o adjetivo – fascinante, é uma pessoa comum, simples, de origens bastante modestas que teve o azar de se ver envolvida – e moída – em uma trama revolucionária de nosso passado. Como um dos personagens diz em certo momento, “Elza morreu menina, foi enterrada feito bicho (...) Todo mundo deu um jeito de esquecer aquela história. Era uma história sem sentido, sem moral, sem heroísmo”.
Enfim, o livro é muito bom quando se fixa em Elza, no Partidão e nos eventos de 1930. É dispensável quando envolve o personagem do jornalista no presente, apesar, é claro, de reconhecer as qualidades da escrita do Sérgio Rodrigues.
September 1, 2020
AUTHOR Rodrigues, Sergio
TITLE Elza: The Girl
DATE READ 08/31/20
RATING 4/B
FIRST SENTENCE
GENRE/ PUB DATE/PUBLISHER / # OF Fiction/2014/audible/ 7 hr 8 min
SERIES/STAND-ALONE SA
CHALLENGE Good Reads 2020 Reading Goal 156/120;
GROUP READ
TIME/PLACE 1930's to 2000's
CHARACTERS Elza -- the 16-yr-old girl mistress to a Brazilian Communist Party leader
COMMENTS Copied from amazon Xerxes, a 90-something survivor of the extinct Brazilian Communist Party, hires an unemployed journalist to write his life story, and most importantly explain his 1935 tragic love affair with comrade Elza Fernandes, code-named The Girl. Elza’s tale is one of the most bizarre true stories in Brazilian history: as a beautiful 16-year-old, she was suspected of betraying the Party and, although the charge could not be proved, was sentenced to death by Luiz Carlos Prestes himself. Prestes, the most eminent Latin American communist leader in the romantic era prior to the Cuban revolution, had arrived undercover in Rio from Moscow with a mission of overthrowing the Vargas government. A strikingly contemporary, post-utopian narrative, Elza: The Girl blends the pace of a thriller with the insightfulness and thorough research of a historical novel, introducing the listener to a world in which emotional, political, and even artistic truths must be reappraised in order to understand our shifting present.
This was another of the books recommended to me from TBR … I think I need to read a hard copy to get a better understanding but did enjoy this listen, and could easily see a movie from this story.
TITLE Elza: The Girl
DATE READ 08/31/20
RATING 4/B
FIRST SENTENCE
GENRE/ PUB DATE/PUBLISHER / # OF Fiction/2014/audible/ 7 hr 8 min
SERIES/STAND-ALONE SA
CHALLENGE Good Reads 2020 Reading Goal 156/120;
GROUP READ
TIME/PLACE 1930's to 2000's
CHARACTERS Elza -- the 16-yr-old girl mistress to a Brazilian Communist Party leader
COMMENTS Copied from amazon Xerxes, a 90-something survivor of the extinct Brazilian Communist Party, hires an unemployed journalist to write his life story, and most importantly explain his 1935 tragic love affair with comrade Elza Fernandes, code-named The Girl. Elza’s tale is one of the most bizarre true stories in Brazilian history: as a beautiful 16-year-old, she was suspected of betraying the Party and, although the charge could not be proved, was sentenced to death by Luiz Carlos Prestes himself. Prestes, the most eminent Latin American communist leader in the romantic era prior to the Cuban revolution, had arrived undercover in Rio from Moscow with a mission of overthrowing the Vargas government. A strikingly contemporary, post-utopian narrative, Elza: The Girl blends the pace of a thriller with the insightfulness and thorough research of a historical novel, introducing the listener to a world in which emotional, political, and even artistic truths must be reappraised in order to understand our shifting present.
This was another of the books recommended to me from TBR … I think I need to read a hard copy to get a better understanding but did enjoy this listen, and could easily see a movie from this story.
August 23, 2015
(I received a free copy of this book from Net Galley in exchange for an honest review.)
Xerxes, a ninety-something survivor of the extinct Brazilian Communist Party, hires an unemployed journalist to write his life story, and most importantly explain his 1935 tragic love affair with comrade Elza Fernandes, code-named The Girl.
Elza’s tale is one of the most bizarre true stories in Brazilian history: as a beautiful sixteen year old, she was suspected of betraying the Party and, although the charge could not be proved, was sentenced to death by Luiz Carlos Prestes himself. Prestes, the most eminent Latin American communist leader in the romantic era prior to the Cuban revolution, had arrived undercover in Rio from Moscow with a mission of overthrowing the Vargas government.
A strikingly contemporary, post-utopian narrative, Elza: The Girl blends the pace of a thriller with the insightfulness and thorough research of a historical novel, introducing the reader to a world in which emotional, political, and even artistic truths must be reappraised in order to understand our shifting present.
Not really sure what I just read - was it a novel? Felt like a history textbook, mixed with a true crime story and a political manifesto. All very confusing and not conducive to easy reading.
This didn't really hit any heights for me.
Paul
ARH
Xerxes, a ninety-something survivor of the extinct Brazilian Communist Party, hires an unemployed journalist to write his life story, and most importantly explain his 1935 tragic love affair with comrade Elza Fernandes, code-named The Girl.
Elza’s tale is one of the most bizarre true stories in Brazilian history: as a beautiful sixteen year old, she was suspected of betraying the Party and, although the charge could not be proved, was sentenced to death by Luiz Carlos Prestes himself. Prestes, the most eminent Latin American communist leader in the romantic era prior to the Cuban revolution, had arrived undercover in Rio from Moscow with a mission of overthrowing the Vargas government.
A strikingly contemporary, post-utopian narrative, Elza: The Girl blends the pace of a thriller with the insightfulness and thorough research of a historical novel, introducing the reader to a world in which emotional, political, and even artistic truths must be reappraised in order to understand our shifting present.
Not really sure what I just read - was it a novel? Felt like a history textbook, mixed with a true crime story and a political manifesto. All very confusing and not conducive to easy reading.
This didn't really hit any heights for me.
Paul
ARH
November 12, 2014
Not for me. Too biographical and not fiction feeling enough. And the italics....in which the author seems to be talking TO us and relating a ton of facts has really messed the whole thing up for me.
January 2, 2023
Como dito por Zuenir Ventura nas orelhas do livro, essa é uma história "indispensável para quem não conhece a tragédia da garota Elza e para quem a conhecia de ouvir falar". Tantas vezes propositadamente ignorada pelos envolvidos e seus simpatizantes (a esquerda brasileira, que assim também esperava que o povo a esquecesse), tantas vezes exageradamente relembrada pelos antagonistas do movimento esquerdista no Brasil, a história de Elza não é apenas o relato de um assassinato monstruoso e sem sentido: é a história do próprio movimento comunista brasileiro e de seus personagens principais - "décadas de choques ideológicos, sacrifícios, sofrimento (...), horror, décadas de vida e morte" que, em verdade, não passaram de "matéria pastosa de comédia". Um momento vergonhoso da história - e revelador do caráter - dos "grandes heróis" comunistas, em especial Luiz Carlos Prestes, que até a morte procurou varrer para baixo do tapete (responsabilizando "o Partido") a história do assassinato que ordenou. Enfim, a história da garota Elza também é a história da Intentona Comunista, uma revolução fajuta e desde o início fadada ao fracasso que nada mais fez que dar forças ao fascismo de Getúlio e, depois, aos militares.
===
Apesar de não trazer respostas definitivas sobre o caso (na verdade, acaba lançando ainda mais dúvidas sobre os envolvidos), é um livro muito bom que, baseado em extenso levantamento documental da época, consegue, através de uma história paralela com momentos picantes e divertidos, fazer com que mergulhemos na mentalidade da deslumbrada juventude esquerdista dos anos 1930, juventude que, apesar de tão canalha, tirânica e totalitária quanto sua contrapartida de direita, ignorantemente se achava tão ou mais pura que São Francisco de Assis.
===
De qualquer forma, a história de Elza nos traz uma certeza: ela não foi morta "pelo Partido Comunista"; ela foi morta por integrantes do Partido, pessoas cruéis, canalhas e insensíveis para quem, como era praxe de se dizer na época e se revelou corriqueiro "modus operandi" da ideologia comunista, "a vida de um indivíduo era sacrificável".
===
Apesar de não trazer respostas definitivas sobre o caso (na verdade, acaba lançando ainda mais dúvidas sobre os envolvidos), é um livro muito bom que, baseado em extenso levantamento documental da época, consegue, através de uma história paralela com momentos picantes e divertidos, fazer com que mergulhemos na mentalidade da deslumbrada juventude esquerdista dos anos 1930, juventude que, apesar de tão canalha, tirânica e totalitária quanto sua contrapartida de direita, ignorantemente se achava tão ou mais pura que São Francisco de Assis.
===
De qualquer forma, a história de Elza nos traz uma certeza: ela não foi morta "pelo Partido Comunista"; ela foi morta por integrantes do Partido, pessoas cruéis, canalhas e insensíveis para quem, como era praxe de se dizer na época e se revelou corriqueiro "modus operandi" da ideologia comunista, "a vida de um indivíduo era sacrificável".
September 8, 2019
This is a book that is supposed to be partly true regarding the Brazilian Communist Party in the 1930s. The layout of the book is confusing at times and can be hard going. I read this cover to cover though as I was interested in the story surrounding Elza, be it real or not. I’m aware that this has been translated as English is not the author’s main language and so something may not be translated effectively. If you are looking for a light read then this book is not for you, it’s heavy going most of the time.
September 7, 2023
Historical fiction
Elza isn’t what I expected, which was a mystery and it’s solution fictionalized. Instead, it has a bit of that but, much more of a historical political lecture. There are some interesting bits but it’s not a favorite of mine.
Read via Kindle Unlimited
Elza isn’t what I expected, which was a mystery and it’s solution fictionalized. Instead, it has a bit of that but, much more of a historical political lecture. There are some interesting bits but it’s not a favorite of mine.
Read via Kindle Unlimited
April 25, 2021
A despeito do tema ser interessante e contra o tabu, quando fala da violência da esquerda em 1935, o livro é um tanto entediante e não prende a atenção. Válidos os depoimentos de testemunhas e investigados e o clima revolucionário daqueles dias.
November 24, 2014
***Won in a GoodReads First Reads giveaway***
I expected better from AmazonCrossing. Usually they publish some great works translated into English. But this was just meh. I am not even sure one could classify it as a novel. It is at the same time a journalistic retelling of what facts are available about the murder of a girl and a fictional gap-filling exercise about an old man telling a journalist/writer about the events of leading to the girl's death.
I thought I enjoyed the novel portions, but by the end, that was not true. I did not enjoy the nonfiction at all. It was at the beginning of every chapter, written by the author as a straight up essay on the facts available. It was all in italics and by the 7th or 8th chapter I found myself skipping them altogether (out of 11 total chapters in the book. Another way to put this: there is a three page bibliography in the back of a "novel". What's more, I did not find the story of this girl, Elza, to hold my interest enough to really care. Sprinkle in the kind of confusing plot of the hows and whys of the novel portion, not to mention a very large dose of WTF? and this story is very forgettable and overall a waste of my time as a reader.
I give it two stars because there are parts that were interesting and I was excited to turn the pages, but everything is just for naught. Molina's book, his girlfriend, his living situation, his protagonist, his life, it all just seems like deadends and swift exits. It may also be the way of the author, but if that is the case, I have zero interest in every reading anything by Rodrigues again.
I expected better from AmazonCrossing. Usually they publish some great works translated into English. But this was just meh. I am not even sure one could classify it as a novel. It is at the same time a journalistic retelling of what facts are available about the murder of a girl and a fictional gap-filling exercise about an old man telling a journalist/writer about the events of leading to the girl's death.
I thought I enjoyed the novel portions, but by the end, that was not true. I did not enjoy the nonfiction at all. It was at the beginning of every chapter, written by the author as a straight up essay on the facts available. It was all in italics and by the 7th or 8th chapter I found myself skipping them altogether (out of 11 total chapters in the book. Another way to put this: there is a three page bibliography in the back of a "novel". What's more, I did not find the story of this girl, Elza, to hold my interest enough to really care. Sprinkle in the kind of confusing plot of the hows and whys of the novel portion, not to mention a very large dose of WTF? and this story is very forgettable and overall a waste of my time as a reader.
I give it two stars because there are parts that were interesting and I was excited to turn the pages, but everything is just for naught. Molina's book, his girlfriend, his living situation, his protagonist, his life, it all just seems like deadends and swift exits. It may also be the way of the author, but if that is the case, I have zero interest in every reading anything by Rodrigues again.
September 9, 2016
I received this book for free through Goodreads First Reads in exchange for an honest review. And I tried to read it, I really did, but I just couldn't get into it. The "story" read like a textbook. Slow, boring, way too much detail too soon.
I have to go back to my old way of picking a book...let the cover and the title grab my attention. And if I go by this, neither one would have. I'm guessing that either the summary was really well written (by someone else) or more likely - that I just made a cursory glance over it and added my name to the drawing. I feel bad because maybe someone else might have received it that would have liked the story.
I might try jumping ahead - past all the italics, and see if I can get into the story that way. If so, then I will edit my review.
Very disappointed in myself and the book. Sorry. I didn't care for it at all.
I have to go back to my old way of picking a book...let the cover and the title grab my attention. And if I go by this, neither one would have. I'm guessing that either the summary was really well written (by someone else) or more likely - that I just made a cursory glance over it and added my name to the drawing. I feel bad because maybe someone else might have received it that would have liked the story.
I might try jumping ahead - past all the italics, and see if I can get into the story that way. If so, then I will edit my review.
Very disappointed in myself and the book. Sorry. I didn't care for it at all.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 31, 2016
I received a promotional copy through the First Reads program.
Rating: In the 3 1/2 - 4 range, or a soft 4.
It's a combination of non-fiction and fiction, which some readers find off-putting. But I didn't really have a problem with it. Just be prepared.
Molina's a very readable, human character. I can imagine a series of novels about him - his accomplishments, failures, etc. In this book, I feel that we just saw bits of who he is.
As for the non-fiction part, its interest lies in the backdrop of 'Communists in Brazil', not so much in Elza herself. That's not necessarily a bad thing, though there were times when it seemed like too much attention was paid to this girl who was only marginally of note.
The ending could have been better. Rodrigues took the plot in a couple different directions. Not sure if either was fully realized or justified.
Rating: In the 3 1/2 - 4 range, or a soft 4.
It's a combination of non-fiction and fiction, which some readers find off-putting. But I didn't really have a problem with it. Just be prepared.
Molina's a very readable, human character. I can imagine a series of novels about him - his accomplishments, failures, etc. In this book, I feel that we just saw bits of who he is.
As for the non-fiction part, its interest lies in the backdrop of 'Communists in Brazil', not so much in Elza herself. That's not necessarily a bad thing, though there were times when it seemed like too much attention was paid to this girl who was only marginally of note.
The ending could have been better. Rodrigues took the plot in a couple different directions. Not sure if either was fully realized or justified.
December 25, 2015
Four stars, because it's a well written book... but I didn't really care for the story. Though short, it took me f.o.r.e.v.e.r to read. I'd read a chapter, then put the book down and read another book (in it's entirety). I'd read a chapter, then put the book down and read another book (in it's entirety). etc.
If you read the blurb you think you're getting into a story about a girl who was killed. And that is in the story. But it is more a cover for a retelling of the revolution and counter revolution in Brazil in the 1930's and 40's, as a fictional history (based on fact).
Hooray, I'm done with this book and can go on to something else.
If you read the blurb you think you're getting into a story about a girl who was killed. And that is in the story. But it is more a cover for a retelling of the revolution and counter revolution in Brazil in the 1930's and 40's, as a fictional history (based on fact).
Hooray, I'm done with this book and can go on to something else.
January 20, 2015
You can find more reviews Mademoisellesnow Blog
I had such high hopes for this novel but it was such a disappointment when I finally read it. There was just such potential for it to shine and be a really good read, but it just flopped. I found that it sided to be too biographical and as the longer the book went the more fiction it lost. There was a mixture of facts and fiction but it became too confusing to follow between the switching of facts and what the author was talking to its readers. It didn’t find the right balance between the two.
I had such high hopes for this novel but it was such a disappointment when I finally read it. There was just such potential for it to shine and be a really good read, but it just flopped. I found that it sided to be too biographical and as the longer the book went the more fiction it lost. There was a mixture of facts and fiction but it became too confusing to follow between the switching of facts and what the author was talking to its readers. It didn’t find the right balance between the two.
January 24, 2015
Super quick read and really interesting mix of suspense, politics, and history.
July 25, 2016
This was a pretty interesting story, not what I expected but good nonetheless.
Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews