Travesuras de la niña mala

... ne bi izvedel zanj in ne bi bral te njegove odlične knjige. Nobelovih ne talajo kar tako v tri dni. Všeč mi je njegov slog pripovedovanja: najprej začne malo v prihodnosti in nimam pojma, kaj se je vmes zgodilo. Nato mimogrede vplete razlago za nazaj. Ravno pravi trenutek, preden obupam.

The book is part love story, part historical travel narrative. I found the love story much less interesting than the historical travel narrative.

Ricardo is in love with "the bad girl" in the story. Their lives keep crossing for decades. She is chasing wealth and excitement. He is satisfied with his translating job and living in Paris. If you are a romantic and believe in love "no matter what" - including someone treating you like crap for decades, you might like the love story.

More interesting was the weaving in of Peruvian history and snapshots of Paris, London, Tokyo, and Madrid from the 50s to the 80s. This is the part of the book that Vargas-Llosa said was most autobiographical (since he lived in those places at those times) and the part I found most interesting.