Senor Vivo and the Coca Lord

The hilarity continues. This trilogy starts with "The War of don Emmanuel's Nether Parts" and after Senor Vivo continues with "The Troublesome Offspring of Cardinal Guzman". Be sure to read them in order! Oh how I love the cats, and I'm NOT a cat person! This blend of fact, fiction, magical realism and social commentary is marvelously mixed with larger than life characters. The book's description above does a good job of introducing the book. This was extremely fun to read.

Latin America has spent decades struggling to break the chains of residual colonialism. While North Americans can rejoice in casting off hereditary monarchy, Latin America has been gripped by a far stronger and enduring set of bonds - culture and tradition. When Spain ruled these lands, great haciendas, usually built on royal land grants, were ruled by titled aristocrats using armed vaqueros and the Church to maintain social quiet. Today, it's drug lords and paramilitary squads but the structure has changed little. While an established anti-establishment stable of writers in Latin America have mildly flourished [those that have survived], de Bernieres intrudes as an outsider to bring a fresh, vivid and disturbing view of this society. His imagination is boundless and his capacity to impart his visions is peerless. Vivo Dionisio is a philosophy teacher - young, vibrant and, of course, idealistic. He's also articulate, which leads him to pepper the great newspaper, La Prensa, with complaints about the drug lords. In particular, the local padrino, El Jerarca. An obtuse, obese, and overbearing man, he views Senor Vivo as a threat to his hegemony. Most powerful men in such societies can dominate the local police. Here, however El Jerarca must contend with a philosopher police chief, Ramon. While Ramon is powerless to deal with the drug czar, he is anything but submissive. He cheerfully retrieves the corpses El Jerarca's men leave in Dionisio's front yard, hoping to find a niche in the drug lord's armour. Dionisio may provide the key - if he survives. Dionisio, however, has many interests. Among the most demanding is his new-found love, Anica. Anica is the epitome of the spirited Latin lover - intense in all her interests, devoted to the man she loves, tragic in her desire to preserve and protect Dionisio. His response to her is almost a cliche of Latin American writing, but with a humanity rarely seen in such literature. De Bernieres portrayal of people and events is matchless. His novel approach, categorised by some as "magical realism", keeps this book lively, entertaining, but fraught with a need to expose injustice. His knowledge of Columbian society, with its many disparate elements, is vast. He weaves these many threads together in building a seamless tapestry of politics, magic, tradition and affection. Violence is a fundamental element, with all forced to contend with its pervasive role. Happiness is balanced by tragedy and grief in ways that leave the reader breathless. This is an admirable work, with black humour and deep ironies. Read it and enjoy the work of a writer of peerless prowess. [stephen a. haines - Ottawa, Canada]

De Bernieres serves a lush yet chilling dish of quasi-myths and social tragedy. Beyond the chronicle of arduous love, through the wit and sadness of it all, you will see an outlandishly imaginative sketch of a triumphant human spirit. This story will entice you, intoxicate you, and then wake you like a razor-sharp blade.

This series is not about Captain Corelli - but it is about hope, love, and destiny. Believe and it will happen. Suspend your disbelief ... and anything can happen. Glorious reading - in any order.

Witty, sardonic, sarcastic and yet romantic: Louis de Bernieres parodies the magical realism of the Latin American greats, transforming what Nick Joaquin, Filipino counterpart of Gabriel Garcia Marquez, has baptized "Tropical Gothic" into a P.G. Wodehousesianesque barrel of laughs; and yet Bernieres can horrify and move you to tears -all in the same novel. His books go from strength to strength; a master storyteller by any set of criteria.