Posted by Lale on 21/6/2011, 6:44:48, in reply to "Re: The Bad Girl"
173.33.119.10
I have read Manon Lescaut, because it was mentioned in Alexandre Dumas Fils' La Dame aux Camelias. Maybe if Manon Lescaut lived today she would be like the bad girl.
Bad Girl: The book was enjoyable enough, even a bit of a page turner. But when there is no one who can ground the story to reality, it becomes less of a story because you just keep reading about these sick people.
The author on purpose makes Ricardito cave in, again and again, just to frustrate the reader. We expect him to draw the line at some point but he is incapable of saying no to this woman. And that's the whole point of the story. The author accomplishes his goal of frustrating the reader but I don't know if it makes it a good book or a recommendable book.
I enjoyed the parts in Paris because I recognized a lot of places I've been to and a lot of streets I have walked through.
I would like to hear Sterling's analysis of the two main characters.
Lale
--Previous Message--
: Guillermo, I agree with your assessment that this isn't
: by far MVL's best work, and that the characters are
: ones we've met before.
:
: I haven't read Manon Lescaut . What came to my mind
: was Venus in Furs by Leopold von Sacher-Masoch. In
: that novel the narrator slavishly throws himself at
: the mercy of a haughty woman, who teases and torments
: him. She, on the other hand, takes a lover who
: brutally dominates her. The narrator is forced to
: watch the two of them have sex. (MVL's twist to this
: is for the narrator to be tricked into having sex with
: the lady while her dominant lover watches.)
:
: It was interesting that the narrator of The Bad Girl
: seemed to view himself as the protagonist of
: Flaubert's A Sentimental Education, but he was, in
: fact, much more craven and irresolute.
:
: --Previous Message--
: I have finished "The Bad Girl". Although I
: enjoyed it, I can't say it is one of Vargas Llosa's
: best novels. By now, he is a master of his style, and
: his terse prose is one of the most readable in the
: world, but it's hard to relate to the bad girl. It
: reminded me of an XVIII Century book called
: "Manon Lescaut", by Abbe Prevost, in which a
: rich young man falls in love with a courtisan who
: betrays him every time until he is financialy,
: sexualy, and emotionaly broken. In Vargas Llosa's
: book, Ricardito is either a martyr of love or simply a
: very stupid, repressed guy, seduced by a plain woman
: who is totally unable to love. An unlikable, cruel,
: most insecure woman, a true cougar who, in the end,
: can't be anything but despicable. Vargas Llosa seems
: to use the story as a vehicle to travel through the
: second part of the XX Century, telling the sad story
: of Latin America's infatuation with the Cuban
: Revolution, Socialist fantasies, the '68 dreams in
: Europe, hippyism, AIDS, and the further triumph of
: materialistic society. It's a good trip, and several
: of the characters are interesting, including his
: neighbor-friends with the mute kid. But altogether it
: was below Vargas Llosa's weight. I have recently
: bought "The Dream of the Celt", his latest
: novel, and I have much higher expectations about it, I
: hope it's back to his mastery. Nevertheless, I don't
: regret having read "The Bad Girl". Vargas
: Llosa is better than most even in his weakest.
:
: --Previous Message--
: I'm more than halfway through and expect to finish it
: by
: the end of the week
:
: --Previous Message--
: Guillermo, are you finished yet?
:
: The relationship between the two characters is very
: manipulative, abusive and obsessive. It is a very sick
: relationship and can't wait to hear all your comments.
:
: Lale
:
:
: --Previous Message--
: I finished it today. Guillermo is reading it too, so
: I'll wait for him before saying more than that it was
: a fascinating character portrait and quite different
: from the other novels by MVL that I have read.
:
: --Previous Message--
: We'll wait for Steven to finish but just wanted to say
: real quick that this story re-affirms my belief that
: men - present company excluded - can be really stupid.
:
: Powerful, successful men at top offices have
: particularly gone mad, they are doing the most idiotic
: things. But maybe that's another story.
:
: I am very curious about all your comments on this
: story.
:
: Lale
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