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Mario Vargas Llosa is an excellent author. The fact that it took 3 months for me to finish it should have no bearing on what a well-written book it is. The issue is with the lengthy paragraphs in extremely long chapters. It‘s not the type of book to sneak in a few pages when you can. You actually have to devote time to it. Peruvian Ricardo believes true peace will be his if he can just live his life in Paris. Spoiler: he does. As a child in ⬇️

I‘m enjoying this slow-moving book. The main character, a Peruvian is living his best life in Paris in the 1960s, while loving a mysterious woman from somewhat afar, the eponymous “bad girl” he knew in Peru. The ongoings in Peru at this time are weaved in and out of his story, mainly through letters from his uncle in Lima.

I like that I‘m simultaneously reading about Pizarro “discovering” #Peru. #foodandlit @Catsandbooks

I‘m not sure this is making the case for Peruvian food for #foodandlit in July! #Peru @Catsandbooks

I‘ve started this book tonight for #Peru #foodandlit @Catsandbooks

Frauenbild ist fragwürdig

⭐ Full 1 star review on Goodreads. I was quite harsh but honestly, I don't think I'll read a worse book this year. Glad I got it out of the way! #BookSpinBingo @TheAromaofBooks

It's been a while since I read a hardcover book, much less one that is as beautifully done as this one! #currentlyreading but once again, struggling with the attention span to retain interest.

To be fair, our protagonist is describing sex with his love interest and she does not seem at all interested. He is what the kids these days would call a "simp." ???‍♀️

Would you say this is a woman in a pretty dress on the cover?

#bookspin

5 down, 31 to go! I'm #currentlyreading The Bad Girl by Mario Vargas Llosa and I'm not sure which prompt I'll file it under just yet.

My next library read is Concrete Rose by Angie Thomas, which will fulfill number 4.
White Tiger by Aravind Adiga (#MountTBR) is my number 9 read.
Beartown by Fredrik Backman (#MountTBR) is number 10.

It's good to have goals at a time like this 😅💖📚

Catching up on #ReadJanuary and #DNF reminds me to review this one. I love Mario Vargas Llosa but I wasn't in the mood for the intricate detail when I picked this up. It's a pick on the basis of beautiful writing and an interesting story, but it's one I'll have to come back to. 😏

I am starting this new audiobook. Vargas Llosa is a Peruvian writer and winner of the Nobel. Much of his work, including this piece have been translated.

Overall a good read but definitely not the best this author has to offer as compared to "Conversation in the Cathedral". Still, a great portrayal of two warped and dysfunctional personalities who seem to be linked by their own dysfunction rather than love, in my opinion. Great for a book club discussion about what love really means and the dark shapes the human persona can take

It's always nice to read with good company! 😸

So, the character here is enthusiastically saying that this is a "beautiful love story" (the story of the main character). It is interesting because a friend also said this book was about a love story. So far I disagree. I will say it is a great portrayal of two very dysfunctional individuals and the unhealthy relationship that can develop between them.

I can't recommend this author enough, so crucial not only for Hispanic literature but literature in general. His novel "Conversation in the Cathedral" is a literary masterpiece in both style and substance, a delight to any book lover, a gem of literature as an art form. Excited to see what I will find in this one.

I can't get into this at the moment (first 90 pages). I like the premise of the woman who keeps reappearing in disguise, and the earnest narrator... I loved the obsessive love theme in the Museum of Innocence, but this hasn't drawn me in yet. Might have to come back to it when I'm feeling more Peruvian!