Customer Reviews

Brazil

5 star:		(13)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I am an avid reader of novels which try to humanise the history of a country by telling it through fictional family lines, whose lives are enmeshed is real, bona-fide historical events. But for a book truly to work, two pre-conditions must be in place: the characters in question should be drawn from dissimilar backgrounds, which depends mostly on the appeal of the country depicted (Michener's Hawaii springs to mind) plus the author must be highly conversant with its social history and have enough flair to sustain interest over the multitude of characters, episodes and, ultimately, pages.

Brazil and Errol Uys fit the bill perfectly. The country is a fascinating amalgam of colonisers, native Indians and slaves and Uys has a compelling narrative style with down-to-earth dialogue, a first-rate selection of events to illustrate, leading to many a sub-climax, and a wealth of representative individuals to portray. You will be spellbound by the detail of the life and customs of the Tupí Indians, you will shake your head with disbelief at the Boy's Own adventures of the bandeirantes and you will be carried away by the treachery of the first failed movements for independence, mirroring those in the United States. The section on the devastating Paraguayan War is my favourite in a continuous stream of highlights, with its cinematic sweep from bloody battlefields and wounded soldiers to corrupt dictators and their beautiful mistresses.

Just as a postscript: this book inspired me to learn Portuguese, travel to Brazil and study its history; I can not personally praise it more than that.

The book treats Brazil's history in the form of a novel. I believe the book to be the most accessible account to Brazil's history. History books are often very boring, but because of the novel-format this book is easy to read, also giving insight into everyday aspects of life. Some of the characters are ficticious, but the author writes that as far as the historical characters are concerned, the story agrees with what has been recorded about these persons. And from all I have learned since about Brazil's history, this has been confirmed. I've read the book twice already, borrowing it from the Montreal public library. Now I am married to a Brazilian and live in Brazil, and I am buying it, partially as a reference.

Brazil's history, sociology, ethnicity, politics, etc. are as big and complex as the country size. To capture all these matters in a correct way in just one book is a task that's simply impossible. However, I feel that Errol Lincol Uys knew that, and what he has done in his book is to create a "big picture"of Brazil, and that was the right thing to do. His research and knowledge of the portuguese language are impressive for a non-brazilian, although there are many mistakes, in both aspects. When these mistakes were relative to the language, I found them completely normal, because portuguese is a very difficult and complexe language, even more difficult for someone who comes from a non-latin-speaking country. When the mistakes were relative to brazilian history and its further development, I was angry at first, but then I realised that Uys, as a foreigner, had access mostly to the "normal" and "adjusted" history of my country. Every country has its "adjusted" history, the history full of martyrs, dramatic situations, sword duels, fights for freedom, etc. That's the history that Uys tells his readers.

One other thing. As many authors dealing with the fictionalized history of a country, Uys makes a common mistake. He simply ignores the latest century. As a consequence, the book pratically ends at the turn of the twentieth century, and many interesting and important things have happened in Brazil in the XX century are left behind: Getulio Vargas, the transition from an agrarian to an industrialized country, the military dictatorship and many, many more. Of course, as I said before, it's impossible to completely cover an entire country's history in just one book, but "Brazil" could be two- or three-hundred pages longer and it would not be better or worse, just more complete.

So, in the end, "Brazil" is a good start for someone who is interested in the country. The book is mostly accurate and well researched, but it's just a gimpse of what Brasil really is.

Grade 8.3/10

As a Brazilian born US resident who was educated in both countries, I found the book fascinating. It was not only entertaining, but it also filled many "gaps" in the knowledge I had of the country. Having had some years of Brazilian History in school was really helpful in allowing me to pinpoint fact from ficton, and that made the book all the more enjoyable.

I have lived in Brazil for almost 14 years, and this book was the best and easiest way to understand the somewhat confusing history of the country. Not to mention that the story line was gripping enough to make you want to continue reading, in spite of the length of the book. Viva Errol Uys for making history pleasant!

I can not hardly add anything to the great customer reviews. I took this book along on my last trip to Brazil and now I must encourage anyone who is traveling or has a deep interest in Brazil, read this book. Doing so may not only engrave visions of Brazil's history in your mind through an entertaining means, something that history books fail to do but it may also enlighten your understanding of why Brazil is the way it is and what makes Brazilians act the way they do. This is what it did for me. Thank you Mr.Uys

Having lived in and travelled throughout Brazil, as well as having studied Portuguese, Brazilian sociology and Brazilian economics in college, I consider myself to be a true "Brazil Nut"...On Amazon.com, I have highly recommended Brazil, 5 Centuries of Change, by Thomas Skidmore, and now I will highly recommend Brazil by Erol Lincoln Uys for mostly the same reasons...it gives both the novice and the Brazil expert a true feeling for the fascinating history, culture and geography of this little known giant of Latin America. I especially like the final updated chapter which brings the reader up to the 500th anniversary of Pedro Cabral's 1500 Discovery of Brazil.

To view a country and write as seen through their people is a difficult task. Errol Uys' re-release of Brazil is a blazing success. This book creates an image and feel for the country that truly leaves a concrete imprint in the mind of the reader. This well-researched book is a facinating epic for fans of historical fiction as well as lovers of non-fiction.

Having both lived in and travelled throughout Brazil in my youth, as well as having studied Portuguese and Brazilian History, Economics and Sociology in college, I consider myself to be a true "Brazil Nut". A while back, I reviewed a book on Amazon.com, Brazil, Five Centuries of Change, by Thomas Skidmore, which I gave accolades to, and I will applaud Uys' marvelous work Brazil for the same reason: it gives both the novice and the Brazil expert an excellent understanding for the complex history, culture and geography of this little known Latin American giant.

This book is a sweeping saga of the history of Brazil, from 1400 to 2000. It is similar in style to that of Michener, the great historical fiction writer It follows the history of some of the families gave the book the meat around the bone of the great novel. It started with the natives of Brazil to the Portuguese, Dutch, African, French, Spanish other Europeans, that make up a multi-cultural nation that is even more multi-cultural than the United States. This book deserves no less than a 5 star rating. It also deserves a second reading, perhaps a third or more. It should be required reading for anyone traveling to South America, specifically Brazil. All Mormon missionaries should read it prior to departure from their homes outside of this great country.