In Praise of the Stepmother [Hardcover]

Mario Vargas Llosa (Author), Helen Lane (Translator)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 1990

With meticulous observation, Mario Vargas Llosa lures the reader into the shadow of erotic perversion that, little by little, darkens the extraordinary happiness and harmony of the characters: the sensual Lucrecia, a 40-year-old stepmother; Rigoberto, her attentive, imaginative husband; and Alfonso, his angelic son, the personification of innocence and desire.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Don Rigoberto and his second wife arouse each other by telling highly eroticized classic myths based on the six well-known paintings reproduced here in color; meanwhile, Rigoberto's seemingly cherubic young son, Alfonso, cunningly seduces his stepmother. "This lapidary novella by the celebrated Peruvian writer reflects an artistry of almost infinite sophistication," said PW.
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Library Journal

Vargas Llosa's brief novel dramatizes--but in most undramatic terms--an erotic triangle involving a self-absorbed if passionate widower, his voluptuous new wife, and his young son. Set forth as a series of tableaux inspired by master paintings (reproduced here in color), the novel eventually reveals itself as the actual instrument by which the son destroys his father's new marriage. Vargas Llosa's novel The Storyteller ( LJ 9/15/89) won high praise, but Stepmother --static and obsessive as it is--conveys none of the excitement of his best work. Perhaps he has been distracted; most recently, the author was an unsuccessful candidate for the presidency of Peru. Previewed in Prepub Alert, LJ 5/15/90.
-Grove Koger, Boise P.L., Id.
Copyright 1990 Reed Business Information, Inc.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 149 pages
• Publisher: Farrar Straus & Giroux; 1st edition (September 1990)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0374175837
• ISBN-13: 978-0374175832
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 5.5 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (16 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,396,098 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

17 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars In Praise of Vargas Llosa, September 19, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: In Praise of the Stepmother (Paperback)

For North Americans and Europeans, In Praise of the Stepmother is no doubt the best known and most controversial of all of Peruvian writer Mario Vargas Llosa's books. Wickedly witty and fun, this is a strange and beautiful little gem and a truly masterful and original piece of erotic storytelling.

Lucrecia, newly married to Lima resident, Don Rigoberto, an older, wealthy collector of erotic paintings, suddenly finds her position jeopardized by her husband's young son, Alfonso. She honestly wants the boy to love her, but at what cost? When Fonchito's hard won affection becomes hopelessly entangled with precocious--and dangerous--desire, the fun certainly begins, but the price, we see, may prove to be all too high.

As the relationship progresses into absurdity during Don Rigoberto's all-too-often absences, Vargas Llosa provides thematic commentary in the form of selections from the Don's art collection, included as full-color reproductions of famous paintings, from the Renaissance to the present day, each accompanied by a story to which the painting is to be an illustration. As the book progresses, so does the parade of paintings, twisting and expanding the concept of erotica.

For a small book, In Praise of the Stepmother has an enormous potential to enthrall and, yes, provoke. You might wonder how anyone could have written a book as good as this one. The only answer, of course, is that it is Vargas Llosa...at his best.

Strangely enough, in South America, it is Vargas Llosa's political novels that cause controversy; in North America, it is the sexual content. The cover of this little gem, Exposure of Luxury by Bronzino, was enough to make the censors want to go to work.

Anyone who loves wickedness, fun, wit or Vargas Llosa with fall in love with this book at the drop of a...stepmother.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Banquet of Erotica and Art, December 13, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: In Praise of the Stepmother (Paperback)

If you happen to have an interest in art history, believe that there is a difference between pornography and erotica, and enjoy stories with surprise endings, then this is the book for you.

On top of all of this, this is a substantial literary effort. If one appreciates beautiful prose and intelligent writing, here is a further plus.

I believe that history will prove Senor Mario Vargas Llosa to be one of the best writers of the twentieth century.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars It made me rethink what "innocence" is., September 8, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: In Praise of the Stepmother (Paperback)

There's a tendency, in our modern, hip and cynical culture, to revere innocence as something foolish and vulnerable and always, always GOOD. In this novel, the character of Fonchito proves otherwise and returns "innocent" to its original meaning: A being utterly incapable of telling right from wrong, and therefore as capable of unthinking evil as good.

A fascinating, wonderful and deeply disturbing book.