- Paperback: 1128 pages
- Publisher: New Directions (Nov 1 1996)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 0811213390
- ISBN-13: 978-0811213394
- Product Dimensions: 20.2 x 13.2 x 1 cm
- Shipping Weight: 154 g
- Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: #1,551,464 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
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Product Details |
Product Description
From Publishers Weekly
In a letter cited by the author's son in his introductory note, E a de Queiros (1846-1900) writes of a planned series of short novels "which would be a reflection of contemporary life in Portugal." He adds, "the attraction of these tales is that there are no digressions, no rhetoric, no philosophizing: everything is interesting and dramatic, and quickly narrated." Whether or not The Yellow Sofa was intended as one of these novels, the description fits. Godofredo da Concei ao Alves has a comfortable life: a beautiful wife, Lulu, and a good steady business in partnership with the handsome young gallant, Machado. Alves gets some vicarious pleasure from Machado's romantic escapades until he comes home to find his wife and partner entwined on his yellow sofa. Filled with what he supposes to be righteous outrage, he throws Lulu out and challenges Machado. But reality is an inconvenient intercessor. A duel seems honorable until one of his seconds urges him to make his will. He believes his wife's exile will redeem his home but now his morning shaving water is cold; his breakfast eggs are unpredictable; the cut-glass fruit bowl has a broken handle; and his linen is dirty. Alves is a romantic who likes his comforts and a man who is motivated by an almost interchangeable mix of generosity and cowardice. Most of all, in E a de Queiros's hands, he is a wonderful, gently mocking exemplar of bourgeois morality. (Nov.) FYI: Last year New Directions published E a de Queiros's The Illustrious House of Ramires, which was one of PW's Best Books for 1995.
Copyright 1996 Cahners Business Information, Inc.
Inside This Book
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First Sentence
I ON THAT FATEFUL DAY, GODOFREDO DA CONCEIcao Alves, stifled by the heat and out of breath through rushing from Black Horse Square, pushed open the green baize door of his office in Gilders Street, precisely when the wall clock over the bookkeeper's desk Read the first page Browse Sample Pages
Front Cover | Copyright | Excerpt | Back Cover
I ON THAT FATEFUL DAY, GODOFREDO DA CONCEIcao Alves, stifled by the heat and out of breath through rushing from Black Horse Square, pushed open the green baize door of his office in Gilders Street, precisely when the wall clock over the bookkeeper's desk Read the first page Browse Sample Pages
Front Cover | Copyright | Excerpt | Back Cover
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Customer Reviews
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Most helpful customer reviews
2.0 out of 5 stars
This book is NOT BY Eça de Queiroz!,
By Leonardo Motta (Hanover, NH US) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Yellow Sofa (Paperback)
A terrible mistake was made when, by a weird tradition of some editors of Portugal and Brazil, they attributed to Eça de Queiroz the authoring of this book. Actually it was prepared, published and edited by his son, who even have changed the original text of Eça, omitting some parts of the story and changing others to make it "easier" (for the reader, for the effective traditional society to accept). More details you can find on Eça biographies.The story itself is far away near to the quality of "O Primo Basilio" or "O Crime do Padre Amaro". OK, they (and this story too) are likely to be a Mexican novel, but by that time Eça work was representing the movement against the Romantic literature. This latter work is much more Romantic rathar than Realism (the literary movement of Eça), since it does not have the traditional irony on the characters readers of Romantic novels, there are no reference to the culture of Portugal, etc., so present on Eça ORIGINAL work.
4.0 out of 5 stars
Taut writing - a story of infidelity,
By
This review is from: Yellow Sofa (Paperback)
I was completely unaware of Eca De Queiros prior to reading this book. He is an excellent writer - although this is a slim volume it successfully moves it characters through a number of changes and emotions as a marriage unravels in infidelity. The portrayal of the emotions, their "wallop", will remain with you long after you've finished the novel and the plot line is forgotten - in this sense, those who read for the quality of the writing may enjoy this book more than those who read for action and plot.
4.0 out of 5 stars
I enjoyed this for the same reasons I like Nabakov.,
By A Customer
This review is from: Yellow Sofa (Paperback)
This is the first of Eca de Queiros that I have read. His style is economical, his writing seems almost effortless. Likewise, his selection of details packs meaning. This is not a perfect book, but highly enjoyable in the way that fine improvisation satisfies.
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