A World for Julius

Julius is born in "a palace in Salaverry Avenue", coming from two of the wealthiest and most powerful families in Peru around the late fifties. Julius has it all: pretty family, servants who adore him, a forest-like garden, a pool, toys and cares. He grows up within a bubble of welfare. But one day, a little after his father's death, his beloved older sister Cynthia also dies, devastating him. Sadness and silence loom over the palace. Susan, his mother, a notable beauty of Anglo-Saxon descent, gives herself over to frivolity and nightlife. Julius finds shelter in the world of the numerous servants, since his mother and older brothers take no notice of him. Stability and some cheerfulness return when Susan marries a new man, Juan Lucas. He is another millionaire, the stereotype of the winner.In his early forties, Juan Lucas is handsome, rich, self-assured, a great socialite, a despot with those under his position, a man of the world and the perfect match for the always pretty Susan. The couple and the older boys leave for a time to go to Europe, during which time Julius goes to live in the countryside with the servants, in a beautiful chalet. There, Julius's sentimental education continues, by way of exploring the world of the servants, of poverty, the simplicity of country-side life, and how it is to be beyond Lima's jet-set. Then come the return to Lima, life in school, life with Juan Lucas (who hates Julius in an almost friendly manner), Susan and her husband's life in the fast lane in Lima's upper strata, as well as the move to a new palace and the traumatic arrival of adolescence. Written with great control of style, with a lot of "stream of consciousness" and with the use of both the language of the beautiful people and the slang of the lower classes, the novel credibly conveys a portrait of the Peruvian high class and the miseries and small joys of the poor. All of this from the point of view of a smart, sensitive and sympathetic boy who basically grows up by himself, since his brothers are mostly absent, Juan Lucas despises him, and mommy is always partying or doing other things. In fact, Juan Lucas and Susan make up for one of the least sympathetic and most frivolous couples of literature and yet they are utterly credible and may very well remind you of people you actually know. I know I do. A great strength of the book, as noticed by another reviewer here, is that it has, thankfully, no political agenda. It is descriptive and avoids moralizing or patronizing about political issues. That's life. And for all of us who grew up in Latin America, especially, the books is a perfect portrait of our societies. Very good (and with a great sense of humor).

Gabriel Garcia Marquez said once this was the best novel ever written in Latin America. He's right. Bryce Echenique explores deeply Peruvian society while describing a world of illusion created for little Julius, who eventually will have to fit perfectly in this society. The author has shown before an outstanding capability to "paint with words" so as to give us a perfect picture from the reality his characters live in. In A World for Julius, the language is used in an exquisite way, allowing the reader to see, feel and understand the environment where the story develops. If someone wants to read something better, try the same book in Spanish.

I enjoyed it so much that I had to read it again. This book is about Lima's upper class life through the eyes of a little boy called Julius. Bryce descrives so well this world that the reader feels as if he was in this story. An excellent book like everything that Bryce writes. what's more,if you like it too, you can read "no me esperen en abril" that is very similar.

This is, with no doubt, the brightest book of this exceptional peruvian writer. Bryce has the ability to make you cry and laugh as you identify your own growing experience with the life of the main character, a little boy named Julius. The author makes us see why some things that have no importance when we are a kids later become the center of our existence, such as looks, political opinion or social status. This novel is delightful and is written with really good taste and sensibility. Since you begin to read it, you will find yourself trapped in a beatiful and sharp story about the social realitys of southamerican countries.

Two main things are perfectly drawn in this book: The life of peruvian good-people in that decade, and the way a child tries to understand this way of life he has to live. Bryce makes you cry and in the next page makes you laugh, as in his best book "La Vida Exagerada de Martin Romanha". Both of them are WONDERFUL!!!