Brazil (Hardcover)

by John Updike (Author)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly
Nothing Updike has written before prepares the reader for this book, a tale of doomed lovers with wry reference to the Tristan and Isolde legend. Black street kid Tristao Raposo, 19, first sees blonde, convent-educated Isabel Leme, 18, on a beach in Rio; both recognize that they are fated to be lovers. He is sophisticated in the ruthless rapacity of the poor; she is "accustomed to the logic and wealth of power," but both are starry-eyed idealists and romantics who decide to defy Isabel's diplomat father and run away together. Forcibly parted for two years by her father's henchmen, the pair eventually reunite and begin a series of ill-fated adventures that lead them into the Brazilian jungle and into the heart of darkness. Recounting the lovers' tragic trajectory from heedless passion to degrading toil to false security to ironic, brutal death, Updike draws a panoramic picture of Brazil over the past three decades, depicting a country in social and economic chaos with a huge, despairing underclass and a largely heedless wealthy population. In settings as varied as the country's topography--Rio, Sao Paulo, Brasilia, the gold mining area of the Dourados, and the jungles of the Mato Grosso--Updike delineates the tyranny of the white men over people of color, the despoilation of the land, the demise of the spiritual dimension in the modern world. He has assimiliated an astonishing amount of knowledge about flora and fauna, native tribal customs and lore, including sorcery. Indeed, it comes as no surprise when the narrative segues into magical realism. Despite its emphasis on the enobling qualities of true love, this is a dark book that speaks of "a steady decay from birth to death." Even Updike's language is different here: the intellectual legerdemain, the shimmering metaphors and caustic humor are largely abandoned for a straightforward narrative prose. Whether or not this will be the "breakthrough" book to a larger audience that his publisher foresees, this is an intriguing story that takes Updike into new territory in many senses of the word. 75,000 first printing; BOMC selection.
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal
Allusions to Tristan and Isolde dot Updike's fiction, poetry, and even nonfiction, so it is not surprising to find him reimagining their story as a novel. Surprisingly, he places them in the Brazil of the last three decades. His Tristan is a black beach boy, his Isolde the affluent daughter of a career diplomat; their mutual destiny begins when they meet on a Rio beach. Updike's Brazil, described with his customary scrupulous detail, is alien enough to provide a legendary landscape where the lovers must confront tribulations, endure separations and enslavement, survive deadly adventures, and rely on their love literally as their only sustenance. The rich prose is Updike's characteristic own, but he achieves a tone suggesting that of both the medieval troubadours and the modern Latin American fabulists. Like his earlier novel The Coup ( LJ 10/15/78), Brazil is not really so much a departure for Updike as a confirmation of his versatility. BOMC alternate; previewed in Prepub Alert, LJ 10/15/93.
-Charles Michaud, Turner Free Lib., Randolph, Mass.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 272 pages
• Publisher: Knopf; 1st Trade ed edition (January 25, 1994)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0679430717
• ISBN-13: 978-0679430711
• Product Dimensions: 8 x 5.3 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.2 out of 5 stars See all reviews (29 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,665,930 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Romance in Black & White, September 18, 2001

By	Subir Ghosh (Bombay, India) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Brazil (Paperback)

Boy spots Girl on the hot December sands of the Copacabana. "An angel or a whore?" Boy wonders aloud. Boy meets Girl. Poor meets Rich. Ebony meets Ivory. Ivory Tower meets the Slums. Sparks fly. More sparks fly. The pyrotechnics create a world that defies definition, culminating in a role reversal of sorts. That, in essence, sums up this novel. That is the most I can divulge without giving away the "plot".

Updike tries his hand at magical realism here. Unfortunately, he errs on the side of magic, relying too heavily on fantastic occurrences to further his story. The richness of Updike's imagery doesn't come from his description of the mundane. On the contrary, the images he draws are intrinsically so spectacular, so fantastic, that he doesn't have to work hard to make them "look" spectacular. There's nothing wrong with that, only it gets bland after a while. And magic is not supposed to get bland.

Updike's solution to blandness is libido. Coital decsriptions, sexual roleplay, and an occasional kinky misadventure punctuate the story. Again, nothing wrong with that. Only it's such an easy solution.

Despite the weak plot and overreliance on magic, the author holds on to his elegant style. It's important to remember that Updike is essentially a poet. This book is a poet's experiment to tread the unknown, to dish out a strange concoction, and watch the guinea pig react. On a sunny day, go to the beach, put on some sunscreen, read this novel and get it over with. You might enjoy it that way. Don't forget to wash off the sunscreen, and forget the book.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Meh, May 25, 2006

By	John C Kim (New York, NY) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Brazil (Paperback)

I'll start by saying something positive. This book is beautifully written. The language in the prose is very vivid and poetic. However, what this book is really lacking in is the storytelling, the drama. Nothing that I've read in this book has been moving at all to the point where it pierced me inside. The narrative was predictible and never created any kind of a progression of moods. There were random and often times irrelevent descriptions of things like love making and scenery that were overly verbose and indulgent at the expense of the narrative. When a chapter is named "The Nugget" after about ten pages establishing that Tristao and Isabela have moved to a mining area to look for gold and are enduring fruitless hardships, it kind of destroys the suspense. This is a prime example of the widely known saying "less is more."

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Never takes off, December 31, 2007

By	Sirin (London, UK) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Brazil (Paperback)

Perhaps Updike has read too many adulatory reviews of his work proclaming things like 'Updike is a master, he can do anything he wants'. He took a short trip to Brazil and wrote a novel about it. Unfortunately, this is a challenge too far for the granddaddy of American letters. His use of the Tristan and Isolde myth to create a tale of two young lovers: a lithe, poor street boy and a privileged girl is full of wistful cliches about glistening sand, Marxist politics and mahogany tight skins entwining in feral sex. Updike's Brazil fails to convince as his portraits of East Coast America do. The reality is far more complex and wilder than can be done justice by Updike's polished pen.