The Club of Angels [Hardcover]

Luis Fernando Verissimo (Author), Margaret Jull Costa (Translator)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 2002

A witty novel about sin and gluttony, by one of Brazil's most revered writers. Luis Fernando Verissimo's The Club of Angels is an irresistible, enticing book—almost as irresistible and enticing as the exquisite meals prepared within—about the sin of gluttony. Written by one of Brazil's leading authors and columnists, The Club of Angels was an immediate success there, and has been on the bestseller list since 1998. It tells the story of ten privileged men, who meet every month to dine fabulously and celebrate their friendship and singularity. When their leader, Ramos, dies of AIDS, the narrator Daniel meets his possible replacement—Lucido—in a wineshop. Lucido is mysteriously taciturn, but in the privacy of Daniel's kitchen, he recreates the men's favorite dishes, giving them a gastronomic experience like no other. The tale of bewilderment and death that follows creates an unforgettable literary experience. It is tinged with funny characters, witty dialogue, touching with mordant satire on all segments of Brazilian society. The Club of Angels has been translated into English by the renowned Margaret Jull Costa (translator of José Saramago, Paulo Coelho, Javier Marías, and Arturo Perez-Reverte).

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

The first novel by this Brazilian literary and journalistic celebrity to be translated into English offers a rare and wonderfully barbaric story. The Beef Stew Club is a collection of middle-aged gourmands who meet each month to indulge in extravagant dinners. After the death of their leader, Ramos, from AIDS, a new member appears almost magically to take his place. The elusive Lucidio is a remarkable cook but after each of his meals, one member of the club dies. The club members' enthusiasm for their quiche, duck with orange sauce and paella might, indeed, make readers themselves want to indulge; as narrator Daniel puts it, "the possibility of dying really did have an effect on the taste buds... one ate in a state of exaltation, of near euphoria." The novel is an apparent whydunit although we think we know who did it, we are uncertain why until the end, when our certainty of the culprit becomes, as in all great mysteries, utterly derailed. On the way to his maniacal conclusion, Verissimo serves up a critique of male bonding (spoken through the gourmands' disapproving wives and girlfriends), along with a withering probe into the motivations of his eccentric characters, many of whom are variously frustrated and seek transcendence in the satisfaction of their palates. The book's pleasure is increased, as well, by the witty and deft illustrations by Verissimo himself (which recall Picasso's sparer moments) and the sure-footed, expert work of translator Costa. This swift and acidic portrait of a (literally) poisoned network of friendships has a bite that endures because of the great intelligence underlying it.
Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

*Starred Review* There is limited suspense in Verissimo’s novel about the final days of a deadly dining club, even though it imitates a classic Agatha Christie structure. One by one, each of the 10 wealthy friends who meet monthly to devour extravagant feasts is killed upon accepting a poisoned extra portion of the dish he craves the most. The cook behind these dangerous delicacies is Lucídio, a mysterious gourmand who steps in to take the place of the group’s former leader, recently dead of AIDS. What appears to be a story about gluttony is just the opposite—each of the gastronomes starves from an empty life, and what better way to fill this void than with the most self-renewing of passions? Eating an exquisite last meal gives each man, if only for a moment, a taste of real emotion, and so they willingly partake in their own demise. In this way, the murders become more like suicides, the final course in the bizarre ritual of formal dining. It’s a plot arc so doomed that it’s not just amusing; it’s morbidly enthralling, like a socially acceptable snuff film. There is indeed a good mystery to be solved in Verissimo’s short work (nicely translated from the Portuguese), but it is the melancholic yearning that makes the prose stick in the head—and gut. The novel was originally published in hardcover in 2002 but quickly disappeared. If you missed it then, don’t now. --Daniel Kraus --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 144 pages
• Publisher: New Directions Publishing Corporation; First Edition edition (May 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0811215008
• ISBN-13: 978-0811215008
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.6 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,685,157 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars "Hunger is the only recurring desire...sight, sound, sex, and power all come to an end.", December 16, 2006

By 

Mary Whipple (New England) - See all my reviews
(COMMUNITY FORUM 04)    (HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (TOP 100 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: The Club of Angels (Hardcover)

The first of Brazilian author Verissimo's novels to be translated into English, The Club of Angels is a fascinating, carefully detailed, and darkly humorous study of ten deaths, the deaths of ten gourmands following their favorite meals. The men have been friends for more than twenty years, meeting once a month for sumptuous feasts together. They represent all levels of society and have achieved differing degrees of professional success, enjoying and respecting each other because of their shared love of food and their long friendship.

When Ramos, their leader, dies of AIDS, a mysterious successor, Lucidio (whose name suggests "God's light") suddenly appears and begins to plan and prepare their feasts. One by one, month after month, the club members die, but no one suggests canceling the meals, each of which features the favorite main course of one of the members. In fact, Verissimo suggests that the victim's pleasure is dramatically increased when he knows that his death is the end result of the meal. Each victim, in fact, always asks for the one extra portion of the meal, even after it becomes obvious to the club members that the person taking the extra portion will die.

Verissimo explores the phenomenon of death philosophically--"We grow up with our murderer," he says, and "We never [know] when he [will] kill us." But, he believes, "knowing the hour and manner of our death [is] like being presented with a plot, with a denouement, with all the advantages that detective fiction has over life." Knowing when and how one will die is the ultimate privilege. An ironically named "Mr. Spector" features prominently in the ending, by which time only Daniel, the narrator/chronicler of the events, and Lucidio remain alive.

Playing with the reader's perceptions from the outset, Verissimo writes with tongue firmly in cheek, the ironies piling up as the deaths continue. His observations about life and death, about men and their friendships, and about our responsibilities, if any, to each other add depth to this unusual novel. The ending, which extends the concept of "orgiastic release" to its logical conclusion, will satisfy even the most jaded reader. Strange, thoughtful, and very clever, this novel is a fine introduction to a writer whose next novel, Borges and the Eternal Orangutans, contains broader humor within a more complex, imaginative structure. n Mary Whipple

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Quirky & unexpected, August 27, 2002

By 

Anne (ARLINGTON, MA, United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Club of Angels (Hardcover)

A nice translation of a Brazilian author's work. A clever story of a group of men who gather monthly to dine with one another. The introduction of a marvelous chef restores the appetites of the men for one another's company and a zest for life--or is it death? A fascinating examination of what motivates people knowing that fate is staring at them in a plate of a favorite food.

While the ending is a little too pat, the book raises interesting questions and is a gem worthy of the short amount of time it takes to read.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars all desire is the desire of death!!, February 25, 2004

By 

madhu m (Chennai, India) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Club of Angels (Hardcover)

starting with a macabre and devious story of a very secret club of epicures who cook & eat the deadly fugu fish in japan, verissimo's club of angels leads readers onto wicked & twisted terrains of gluttony & its implications. the book tells the tale of a group of friends who started out full of ambition in their youth and traces their path into the failure of the present.

verissimo's deft touch and light hand ensures a delecable read. although the plot cals for a heavy suspension of disbelief, thereward is well worth it.

a slight comic masterpiece.