The first five chapters of Eva Luna were....quite overwhelming. There was so much to take in, especially since I had to re-read passage after passage to get a gist of what was going on. There were so many details, and there was so much vocabulary that I didn't understand. One of the things that I liked about the story was the way that Allende presented the story. She introduced an idea, and then either explained it completely from the beginning, (for example, the whole explanation of her mother’s life led to who her father was), or she mentioned and explained it a few chapters later (for example, the fact that Rolf’s dad was killed in the forest was mentioned after he came back from the war, but fully explained in chapter four).
I didn’t mind the story line, but I didn’t really like it either. There were far too many events, and many seemed to be illogical and exaggerated. I don’t know if it’s just how I feel after reading five chapters of a book this difficult language-wise, but I stopped believing that that much drama could happen in somebody’s life when Eva ended up in the streets the first time. The drama seemed non-stop, and Consuelo passed it on to Eva…They’ve lived in so many random places, and this is only the first five chapters. The homes, for the most part, weren’t the average orphanage or foster home. It was the people they met that made the story a bit strange as well. From the men at the mission to the head nun, to the Professor, to the dona, to living in the street, to the whorehouse, and then to Riad Halabi….and of course the Madrina….Is this normal? Is this believable? It’s a surprise that Consuelo and Eva didn’t end up crazy, although Eva is starting to look that way. Also, I’m looking forward to the moment when Rolf’s plot (which is also bizarre) shows some relevance to Eva’s plot.
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3 comments:
But is being illogical, exagerrated, out of the ordinairy, strange, unbelievable, necessarily a bad thing? Does a story have to be 'normal'? believable? realistic? Isn't that the wonderful thing about literature, that it is open to something outside of reality? That it can create? Invent? Not that Eva Luna is a good story; but I don't think these adjectives have a necessarily negative connotation. As long as these tools are used well.
Darja,
I was thinking the same thing. I guess it is a question of whether you "buy into" this type of story - - that is it not supposed to be realism. I sort of take in the context of "Forrest Gump," but with much less humor. I don't think it is very well written, but there is some creativity in the story for sure.
Elena,
I'm kinda curious as well how Rolf will finally get worked into Eva's life. I suppose that's the "hook" of this story.
I think Darja's question is a good one... Indeed, isn't "magic" exactly what most people look for and expect in Latin American fiction? After all, it's precisely "magic realism" (in which many strictly unbelievable events may take place) that made the region's literature famous.
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