Customer Reviews

La tregua (Narrativa (Punto de Lectura)) (Spanish Edition)

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Written in the form of a diary, Mario Benedetti's La tregua is the honest portrayal of an about to be fifty accountant contemplating retirement. A widower, the protagonist has difficulty communicating with his three grown children. At work, he is merely counting down the days. The appearance of a new female employee in his department changes everything. . . The story takes place in the 1950s, so much of the tension comes from the protagonist's struggle with social conventions. This is one of the best novels I've ever read. If you've seen the movie, which may as well be a telenovela, just ignore it, and read the book.

Benedetti describes well the emotional changes in a middle age man. The story transcurre in the 50's, when a man was considered old and almost finish by age 49. La Tregua, the truce, is the last opportunity to love before confronting old age,solitude, and again painfull loss, is that parenthesis some times so brief, we forget to pause and enjoy.

The woman passivity and resignation to the events is very latinamerican and according to the 50's. The inclusion of homoexuality, was very honest and brave, even though triying to explain it in the time of the story might no look politically correct now. A different, beautiful and perhaps depressing love story.

That was the first book written by Benedetti that I read... After that, I read 2 more books of him. However La tregua is the best one. Reading to Benedetti I have learn about Uruguay, the diary day, some about people, even the way that they speak spanish (that is a little different that others spanish-speakers country). In conclusion this is a very good book, I really liked it.

Lei La tregua" por primera vez en la universidad, en los 80's. Hace dos anos se las di a mis estudiantes de espanol avanzado en una escuela privada preparatoria en Pittsburgh, PA. Le doy 4 estrellas y no cuatro porque la novela esta un poco fuera de epoca. Por ejemplo, no hay internet ni ninguna tecnologia moderna en la oficina. Aunque esto no quita en nada a la calidad artistica de la novela, a mis estudiantes la falta de tecnologia les parecio restarle verosimilitud a la novela. De todos modos, es una gran historia de amor, del que ocurre verdaderamente a personas reales. Mis estudiantes siempren se han divididos en dos bandos: uno que ama la historia y los personajes (porque les parece bonito leer una historia de amor verdadera) y otro que la odia y especialmente odia a Martin Santome, por ser un "viejo verde."

Es un gran regalo para una persona interesada en literatura latinoamericana y literatura romantica para adultos (nada de vampiros nubiles!.) A quien le guste Isabel Allende: Lean "La tregua," que es mejor novela, con personajes mas interesantes y mejor logrados.