Czarny Pies's Reviews > The Maias

The Maias is recognized as a great masterpiece of late nineteenth century Portugal. It describes the political, philosophical, and moral debates prevalent in the aristocracy and bourgeoisie of Portugal in the era in a way very similar to that in which George Eliot examines the same debates in late nineteenth century England in Middlemarch. I give George Eliot five stars because I am familiar enough with nineteenth century England that I feel competent to evaluate Ms. Eliot's judgement in these areas. The Maias may indeed merit five stars also but I simply do not know the historical setting well enough to be sure that Eca de Queiros assessed his world as well as Ms. Eliot did for her world. What is clear is that Maias is very fine book possibly even a great book.

Before reading Maias I had seen it written in several places that de Queiros was a naturalist of the same school as Emile Zola. Indeed at one point in this book, the author expresses great admiration for Zola.
In truth I found nothing in Maias to remind me of Zola who loves to wallow in the sludge of working class alcoholism, crime and poverty. The milieu of Maias is rather that of the educated upper classes. The book is more similar in mood and tone to Middlemarch than L'Assommoir. Most of all however Maias has the delightful light and incisive satirical ambiance of a good Anthony Trollope novel such as Barchester Towers.

All in all Maias offers many pleasures and much value.