The Green House by Mario Vargas Llosa is a complex novel set in a village in Peru, exploring the absurdities and consequences of bigotry during World War II. The story revolves around a brothel on the outskirts of the village, impacting the lives of the residents and the surrounding area. The narrative is characterized by layered storytelling, interweaving different timelines and characters with abrupt shifts, making it a challenging yet intriguing read.

Characters:

The characters are diverse and multifaceted, each representing different aspects of exploitation and resilience within their social context.

Writing/Prose:

The writing style is dense and complex, characterized by vivid descriptions and chaotic shifts between perspectives and timelines.

Plot/Storyline:

The plot features a complex, non-linear narrative centered around six characters, exploring their intertwined lives in a rural village.

Setting:

The setting is in Piura, Peru, exploring the socio-political landscape, with a brothel as a central location.

Pacing:

The pacing is disjointed, posing challenges in following the story, but gradually reveals connections between characters and events.

Santa María de Nieva rises up at the junction of the Nieva with the upper Marañón, two rivers that embrace the town and form its boundaries. Across the way, emerging from the Marañón are two islands t...

Notes:

Mario Vargas Llosa is regarded as a major voice in Latin American literature.

The Green House, published in 1965, is one of his most important works.

The novel features no single protagonist, instead focusing on six major characters.

The narrative structure is complex, with intertwined stories and shifting perspectives.

Key characters include Bonifacia, a young Aruguna Indian, and Don Anselmo, the proprietor of a brothel.

Themes of exploitation, civilization vs. savagery, and the interplay of societal roles are prevalent in the novel.

The jungle setting serves as a metaphor for complexity and disorder.

Readers often find the narrative jumps and character shifts challenging to follow.

Vargas Llosa's writing style in this work is compared to that of Faulkner, characterized by dense prose and intricate structures.

The book addresses issues of colonialism, gender dynamics, and cultural identity in Peru.

Sensitive Topics/Content Warnings

Content warnings for The Green House include themes of sexual exploitation, violence, death, and colonial oppression.

Has Romance?

The book contains elements of romance, particularly in the relationships between characters, but it is not the central focus of the plot.

From The Publisher:

"Dazzling. . . . An imaginative documentation of nature's sway over man." -New York Times Book Review

From the winner of the Nobel Prize in Literature, an important and passionate novel set in Peru, that explores man's struggle with both nature and civilization

Vargas Llosa's classic early novel takes place in Puira, a Peruvian town situated between desert and jungle, and which is torn by boredom and lust. Don Anselmo, a stranger in a black coat, builds a brothel on the outskirts of the town while he charms its innocent people, thus setting of a chain-reaction with extraordinary consequences.

This brothel, called the Green House, brings together the innocent and the corrupt: Bonificia, a young Indian girl saved by the nuns only to become a prostitute: Father Garcia, struggling for the church; and four best friends drawn to both excitement and escape.

The conflicting forces that haunt the Green House evoke a world balanced between savagery and civilization-and one which is cursed by not being able to discern between the two.

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About the Author:

Mario Vargas Llosa, uno de los más destacados novelistas contemporáneos latinoamericanos, se lanzó a la fama con su novela La ciudad y los perros que obtuvo el Premio Biblioteca Breve y el Premio de la Crítica. Novelas posteriores son, entre otras, La casa verde (Premio de la Crítica y Premio Internacional de Literatura Rómulo Gallegos), Conversación en La Catedral, La guerra del fin del mundo y Lituma en los Andes con la que obtuvo el Premio Planeta 1993. Ha publicado también obras teatrales, ensayos y memorias. En 1986 compartió con Rafael Lapesa el Premio Príncipe de Asturias de las Letras y en 1994 se le concedió el Premio Miguel de Cervantes de Literatura.

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The Green House

Mario Vargas Llosa