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the complete review - fiction

Tango for a Torturer

by
Daniel Chavarría

[an overview of the reviews and critical reactions]

general information | review summaries | review and reception notes | links | about the author

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Why we haven't reviewed it yet:
Had a go at it, just didn't take to it


Chances that we will review it:
Poor

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  From the Reviews:

• "What makes this novel unusual is that it is by turns bawdy, funny, dark, cheerful, learned, and madcap, populated with memorable characters and filled with the sense that Havana is a must-see travel destination." - Thomas Gaughan, Booklist
  
  
• "Thrillers don't have to be dark and gloomy; they can also be stylish, amusing and full of sex. (...) Not everything goes to plan, and it all gets very exciting. The tale is marred only by myriad examples of what seem to be awkward translations from the original." - Matthew Lewin, The Guardian
  
  
• "At his best, Chavarria (...) has the stylish grit of Elmore Leonard, but his colorful characters often beguile him far from his main plot." - Kirkus Reviews
  
  
• "The author, who lives in Havana, brings to his novel a superlative narrative sense, keen feel for human behavior in desperate situations and a deep understanding of the nature of dictatorships. Charvarrķa is as adept at comedy as he is at tragedy." - Publishers Weekly

Please note that these ratings solely represent the complete review's biased interpretation and subjective opinion of the actual reviews and do not claim to accurately reflect or represent the views of the reviewers. Similarly the illustrative quotes chosen here are merely those the complete review subjectively believes represent the tenor and judgment of the review as a whole. We acknowledge (and remind and warn you) that they may, in fact, be entirely unrepresentative of the actual reviews by any other measure.

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Notes about the Reviews
and the Book's Reception:

       Despite quite a bit of international success and recognition -- and, in this case, the services of noted translator Peter Bush -- Chavarría's book has largely been ignored by the print-media: beyond the trades -- and some decent on-line coverage -- there's almost no mention of the book.
       Maybe it's because Chavarría's books don't fit one neat category (beside Adios Muchachos the other one available in English is the very different The Eye of Cybele); still, one would have thought the subject matter -- Latin American torturer brought to justice -- and the approach -- lot's of sex and trickery --, plus the Havana locale, would attract more attention.

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Links:

• Akashic Books
• Editions Payot-Rivages
• Interview at Lima/ila (German)

• La Bloga
• The Guardian (scroll down for review)
• Ink19
• Jowebzine.com (French)
• Mostly Fiction
• Bill Peschel
• Voir (French)

• Adios Muchachos

• See Index of Mysteries and Thrillers
• See Index of Latin and South American literature
• See Index of Spanish literature

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About the Author:

       Uruguayan author Daniel Chavarría was born in 1933. A popular author, he has been a professor of classics, and lived in Cuba and Italy.

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