Surprisingly taut for a 600+ page novel, this late 19th century family epic is quite similar to Gustave Flaubert's Sentimental Education and Tolstoy's Anna Karenina. In many ways, it is superior in structure, voice, and meanders far less than Flaubert. The story itself is about Carlos, the emerging scion of a wealthy Lisbon aristocratic family. Carlos's father and mother had a dramatic, tumultuous history that predates the book, and it is in this backdrop that Carlos unwittingly jumps into life under the eye of an indulgent grandfather. In part a subtle social critique, the politics and messages do not drown out the succinct prose and wonderful stories. The characters are well developed, although without the color of a Russian novelist. It is thrilling, romantic, driving and tremendously sad saga that leaves one refreshed and touched but not wanting more. ( )

José Maria de Eça de Queiroz (1845-1900) is considered Portugal's greatest novelist, and The Maias (1888) is supposed to be his greatest novel. Some have compared his work to that of Balzac and Tolstoy.

Eça describes the history of a noble and rich family throughout the whole 19th century (the Maias family), focusing on Carlos da Maia, the youngest and most recent member. It describes, in considerable detail, the decadence and corruption in which this family has fallen.

Carlos Eduardo de Maia is the sole heir of an ancient, illustrious family. The family hopes and ambitions are dependent on him. Honour is a very real thing in this culture, and Carlos has a lot of expectations to bear. The glorious past and the unsatisfactory present are both with him at all times. A central plot strand of the novel details the incestuous love of Carlos and Maria Eduarda, and the tragedy this brings to all concerned. The affair is skillfully built up, and comes to a shattering, Sophoclean climax.

The biggest problem for me was Eca's failure to create a particularly memorable cast of characters. The cast is large, but most of its members are colorless props without much more than a single personality trait apiece who sort of hover in the background to provide the necessary heads for the novel's numerous interminable set pieces. And the protagonist, Carlos da Maia, is just not that engaging.

An interesting read. ( )

Welcome to Portuguese 19th century society! Sit back and enjoy a throughly well written, critical, satirical, humoristic and surprisingly actual view of its virtues and flaws, its characters and habits, its morals and ideas - all by the hand (or should I say pen?) of the most extraordinary of Portuguese novelists and Realistic writers.

"The Maias" tells the story of a family - from Afonso da Maia (the great patriarch) to his son Pedro (who loves greatly and tragically) to Pedro's son, Carlos da Maia, the main character, a dandy and a newly licensed doctor - who all dwell in the family's house in Lisbon - the Ramalhete, or House of the Bouquet.

However, "The Maias" does not revolve only around the Maias themselves - it is full of wonderful characters, representative of the main figures and social classes of the time. From João da Ega, Carlos's eccentric best friend, to Dâmaso Salcede, a nouveau riche full of bad habits; from Tomás de Alencar, an old poet distraught by Naturalism and Realism, to Cohen, a jew and the National Bank director. Many others still penetrate the world of "The Maias" - like Maria Eduarda, who falls in love with Carlos without knowing the future consequences.

It is impossible to sum up "The Maias" in just a few paragraphs - you'll just have to read and discover the marvellous characters and writing this book encloses. This was the first book I ever read from Eça de Queirós, and the one who made him one of my favourite companions of long-houred, pleasant and laugh-filled readings. ( )

http://purl.pt/23 ( )