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Happy Families: Stories (2006)

by Carlos Fuentes

Other authors: See the other authors section.

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2591102,164 (3.79)7
In these masterly vignettes, Fuentes explores Tolstoy's classic observation that 'happy families are all alike; every unhappy family is unhappy in its own way'. In A Family Like Any Other, each member of the Pagan family lives in isolation, despite sharing a tiny house. In The Mariachi's Mother, the limitless devotion of a woman is revealed as she secretly tends to her estranged son's wounds. Sweethearts reunites old lovers unexpectedly and opens up the possibilities for other lives and other loves. These are just a few of the remarkable stories in Happy Families, but they all inhabit Fuentes's trademark Mexico, where modern obsessions bump up against those of the mythic past, and the result is a triumphant display of the many ways we reach out to one another and find salvation through irrepressible acts of love.… (more)
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A remarkably broad overview of Mexican society, mainly focused on the upper echelons but with a chorus of the downtrodden reflecting the division in society. I was blown away by this- he was such a gifted chronicler, able to picture the inner lives of Presidents aswell as streetchildren in a number of disparate writing styles, using stream-of-consciousness, poetry, different tenses and persons, all wrapped in a visceral language that takes no prisoners. The many references to Mexican history, personages and locale were sometimes lost on me but it didn't derail the narrative and invited research. Fuentes is also a marvellous storyteller here and adds many philosophical reflections too. The subject matter is dark and far from uplifting but its delineation is rich in insight and replete with the shock of reality. ( )
  Kevinred | Nov 1, 2021 |
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» Add other authors (5 possible)

Author nameRoleType of authorWork?Status
Carlos Fuentesprimary authorall editionscalculated
Grossman, EdithTranslatorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed

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Epigraph
Alle gelukkige gezinnen lijken op elkaar, elk gezin is op zijn eigen manier ongelukkig. - LEV TOLSTOJ, Anna Karenina
Happy families are all alike; every unhappy family is unhappy in its own way. -Leo Tolstoy (Anna Karenina)
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De vader. Pastor Pagán weet hoe hij moet knipogen.
The father, Pastor Pagan, knows how to wink.
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In these masterly vignettes, Fuentes explores Tolstoy's classic observation that 'happy families are all alike; every unhappy family is unhappy in its own way'. In A Family Like Any Other, each member of the Pagan family lives in isolation, despite sharing a tiny house. In The Mariachi's Mother, the limitless devotion of a woman is revealed as she secretly tends to her estranged son's wounds. Sweethearts reunites old lovers unexpectedly and opens up the possibilities for other lives and other loves. These are just a few of the remarkable stories in Happy Families, but they all inhabit Fuentes's trademark Mexico, where modern obsessions bump up against those of the mythic past, and the result is a triumphant display of the many ways we reach out to one another and find salvation through irrepressible acts of love.

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