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Lynne King's Reviews > The City and the Mountains
The City and the Mountains
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by
It was thanks to Henry's excellent review on this book that I recently purchased it. It was the "Library with the 30,000 books" and all of "the gadgets" that Jacinto had, that enticed me.
I was so taken with this book that I made notes galore and started typing the review. There were so many excellent quotations that stayed in my mind. Consequently, after typing several pages as I was "in full flight", I decided to cut it down considerably and so this is the result. I believe, and hope, it gets the excellence of the book across and that's the main thing.
All I need to say about this incredible book is that it is now sitting on my top-favourites' shelf on goodreads and my paperback is shortly going to be exchanged with the hardback that I have ordered today from Abe Books in France.
The story is simple:
"Jacinto, an absentee nobleman from Portugal, revels in joyous extremes in the latest of French sophistications in Paris. Circumstances compel his return to his family estates where he rediscovers the values and pleasures of Portuguese traditional life, but there are doubts about this perfections..."
This book has everything that I, as a reader, want: humour, satire, it's philosophical, metaphysical, religious, has excellent prose, the splendour of Paris in the nineteenth century and the tranquillity of the country in Portugal. The writing style is exquisite.
The incident with the family bones in the local chapel in Portugal is one of the many things that spring to mind as one of the incredible incidents in this book.
The writing style is exquisite and well, it's the icing on the cake as far as I'm concerned with all of the books that I've been introduced to through Goodreads this year.
I'm now looking for a second book by this incredible author.
Amazing...What an imagination!
I was so taken with this book that I made notes galore and started typing the review. There were so many excellent quotations that stayed in my mind. Consequently, after typing several pages as I was "in full flight", I decided to cut it down considerably and so this is the result. I believe, and hope, it gets the excellence of the book across and that's the main thing.
All I need to say about this incredible book is that it is now sitting on my top-favourites' shelf on goodreads and my paperback is shortly going to be exchanged with the hardback that I have ordered today from Abe Books in France.
The story is simple:
"Jacinto, an absentee nobleman from Portugal, revels in joyous extremes in the latest of French sophistications in Paris. Circumstances compel his return to his family estates where he rediscovers the values and pleasures of Portuguese traditional life, but there are doubts about this perfections..."
This book has everything that I, as a reader, want: humour, satire, it's philosophical, metaphysical, religious, has excellent prose, the splendour of Paris in the nineteenth century and the tranquillity of the country in Portugal. The writing style is exquisite.
The incident with the family bones in the local chapel in Portugal is one of the many things that spring to mind as one of the incredible incidents in this book.
The writing style is exquisite and well, it's the icing on the cake as far as I'm concerned with all of the books that I've been introduced to through Goodreads this year.
I'm now looking for a second book by this incredible author.
Amazing...What an imagination!
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Reading Progress
November 3, 2013
– Shelved
November 3, 2013
– Shelved as:
to-read
November 3, 2013
– Shelved as:
definitely-to-read
November 3, 2013
– Shelved as:
portugal
November 8, 2013
–
Started Reading
November 9, 2013
–
28.52%
"There is something so philosophical about this relatively simple story about Jacinto, written in the nineteenth century and based in France and Portugal. The key words nature, fun, boredom, metaphysical and picaresque spring to mind. It is excellent so far and one of those books that are reluctantly put down before seeing friends or eating. This is the third marvellous book that I’ve read in the last month or so."
page
73
November 10, 2013
–
59.77%
"This is the icing on the cake as far as my one year’s “literary course” with Goodreads goes. This book is a masterpiece. I have never read such a satirical, metaphysical, poignant and yet amusing picaresque work. It suits all my reading requirements and has now come up with one essential ingredient. Finally I have met an individual who seems to have a similar thought process to my own: the word "illusion."
page
153
November 12, 2013
–
83.2%
"I've slipping into the "sheets" of this book and my anticipation is well...What can I say? Definitely more than I expected..."
page
213
November 15, 2013
–
Finished Reading
Comments Showing 1-31 of 31 (31 new)
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message 1:
by
John
(new)
Nov 10, 2013 03:03AM
Lynne, I like your insight..."one of those books that are reluctantly put down before seeing friends or eating." Yes, I gaze out the paned window as autumn dazzles with vivid hues. A good Sunday. Thanks for your sharing.
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Thanks John. It's wet and cold here!
Oh Lynne! Delightful!So glad you met Mr. Eça de Queiros! He is one of the greatest Portuguese writers along with Tabucchi, one of my favorites as well. I recommend his short novel Alves y Compañía, it has all the elements you so succinctly pointed out in your articulate review.
great review. I once actually spent a new years in a tiny village in the Serra de Estrelas.
Great review, Lynne, happy you enjoyed it, Margaret Jull Costa, a countrywoman of your, is an excellent translator. She's done seven of Queiros books, her favorite author to translate. Hope more will follow.
A lovely review. It's great that it gave you so much pleasure :-)
Lovely review, Lynne. I'm also indebted to my GR friends for making this a memorable reading year for me.
thanks for the recommendation. I will find this book. Great review and blurb.
Lovely review, Lynne. I will definitely add this book to the TBR mountain.
Great review!!! Thanks for the recommendation. Indeed seems like an interesting book to read.
Dolors wrote: "Oh Lynne! Delightful!So glad you met Mr. Eça de Queiros! He is one of the greatest Portuguese writers along with Tabucchi, one of my favorites as well. I recommend his short novel [book:Alves y Co..."
Thanks Dolors. I looked up that book but it's in Portuguese. I must look for a translation.
Jeanette (jema) wrote: "great review. I once actually spent a new years in a tiny village in the Serra de Estrelas."Jeanette, Thank you. You will I'm sure you'll love this incredible book.
Do you prefer Jema?
Jeanette (jema) wrote: "great review. I once actually spent a new years in a tiny village in the Serra de Estrelas."Henry, I'm so indebted to you. Thank you a million times. Now what do you recommend next?
Caroline-one-finger-typing-for- now wrote: "A lovely review. It's great that it gave you so much pleasure :-)"Caroline, I do indeed need my pleasure...Thank you as ever...
Garima wrote: "Lovely review, Lynne. I'm also indebted to my GR friends for making this a memorable reading year for me."Merci beaucoup Garima. Yes our GR friends are rather special aren't they....
Margitte wrote: "thanks for the recommendation. I will find this book. Great review and blurb."Thank you Margitte...
Kim wrote: "Lovely review, Lynne. I will definitely add this book to the TBR mountain."Yes Kim, regrettably we all have our "TBR mountains". What would one do without them!
Alejandro wrote: "Great review!!! Thanks for the recommendation. Indeed seems like an interesting book to read."Thank you, as ever, Alejandro. Greatly appreciated...
Lynne wrote: "Dolors wrote: "Oh Lynne! Delightful!So glad you met Mr. Eça de Queiros! He is one of the greatest Portuguese writers along with Tabucchi, one of my favorites as well. I recommend his short novel [..."
Lynne, there an edition in English called "Alves and Co: And other stories"
Margaret Jull Costa has an English translation of Alves etc. On Amazon,haven't read the book yet,Lynne.
Lynne wrote: "Alejandro wrote: "Great review!!! Thanks for the recommendation. Indeed seems like an interesting book to read."Thank you, as ever, Alejandro. Greatly appreciated..."
You're welcome!
It is not available on kindle yet. So will wait. Isn't it great that so many excellent books are translated into English. It is such a treasure trove of unique writings. Different.
Dolors wrote: "Lynne wrote: "Dolors wrote: "Oh Lynne! Delightful!So glad you met Mr. Eça de Queiros! He is one of the greatest Portuguese writers along with Tabucchi, one of my favorites as well. I recommend his..."
Dolors wrote: "Lynne wrote: "Dolors wrote: "Oh Lynne! Delightful!
So glad you met Mr. Eça de Queiros! He is one of the greatest Portuguese writers along with Tabucchi, one of my favorites as well. I recommend his..."
I'm just checking out this book Dolors. Thanks.
Henry wrote: "Margaret Jull Costa has an English translation of Alves etc. On Amazon,haven't read the book yet,Lynne."Henry, I like the idea of this book and I would also like another novel by this author. I'll check those out.
Margitte wrote: "It is not available on kindle yet. So will wait. Isn't it great that so many excellent books are translated into English. It is such a treasure trove of unique writings. Different."Margitte, I really enjoy my Kindle (apart from buying too many books) but I get so much more satisfaction with having a book, preferably a hardback and curling up on the sofa with it. It's rather pleasurable...
Lynne, if you like anti-heroes, The Relic is good, Queiros was ahead of his time.
Thanks for that Henry. The Relic sounds interesting. I'm looking at the blurb...I recall it now after rereading your review.
Thanks again.
To borrow a line from When Harry Met Sally, though in a slightly different context, "I'll have what she's having."
Thanks Steve. The faked orgasm? I'm a bit slow on the uptake this morning...
Yes. I admit the analogy isn't perfect, though. Your extreme pleasure did not seem faked. :-)
