Customer Reviews

Otto

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

 

 

I had never heard of the author or the book, but bought it as one of three books to sustain me on a two-week trip in Asia. On more than one occasion, I was asked by strangers what I was reading that made me lol. This is, quite simply, one of the best books that I have ever read. There is a sadness over the failures of human nature with a sweetness and lyrical humor. More than once, I thought of Cervantes. Only here, you get Castro and a whole, wide, cast of characters. A classic.

hi:) this is my first time writing a review... and I am so proud that I am writing this review for the book I am translating from English to Turkish:) I can say that this book is fascinating. Teran has made her best efforts for writing this book. Otto is a great character, who has a very very different life than you would imagine... I am laughing and I am crying at some pages... but I am really having fun while reading and translating:) so, what I can say is that you really have to buy and read this book and have a journey throughout in otto's life which passed on the WORLD:)

Can this book really been written by a woman? Lisa St. Aubin de Teran must have had a lot of information from people like Oswaldo, the narrator in this book, to be able to tell his story. It is all so believable, I caught myself trying to figure out who this person could have been!
There are a lot of very funny and amusing things going on in Oswaldo's life, but the overall message is almost scary. I'm not going to reveal anything, you have to read it for yourself. It surely helped me understand a little more about guerillas, terrorists and people who are dissatisfied with life in their country or the world.
A nice extra is the information about things that have been going on in the world only a few decades ago. It can make you remember -if you're a little older- or wondering -if you're still young-.
It took me some time to finish this book, because once in a while I wanted to read something simpler, but finishing it was worth it. Excellent book choice for serious readers!