If you're looking for my reviews of a certain author or genre you can check my tags list. You can also see my list of book reads in 2007 & 2008 and 2009.

Book Title: Contos
Author: Eça de Queirós
Genre: romance
Rating: 4/5

My thoughts: My first attempt into reading Eça de Queirós, as it happens with so many Portuguese students, was with the reading of Os Maias. I don't think the story is bad, but when I read it, or tried to read it as I didn't finished it, I hadn't the maturity to fully enjoy such reading. By that time, I liked less descriptive books and with more fantasy into them, such as Tiger Burning Bright by Marion Zimmer Bradley, author who now I can't read, or it's me who has a problem with The Mists of Avalon... Eça was too much romantic and descriptive for me, even though I liked his prose. I still remember being marvelled with his description of Ramalhete, but it was easy to put it down; take notes and examine each word used, being forced to read it all through, was boring.

But being able to read this short stories out of some "school work", even though I read it for a "book club" sort of event in a message board, was a way to rediscover Eça. His humour, satire and criticism, his genius touch while introducing us characters that become right along if not our friends, at least great acquaintances.

I loved the tale named "Civilização" ("Civilization"), which was in the origin of the book A Cidade e as Serras (The City and the Mountains in English), and think it's still quite actual. I, at least, could see myself in it. Jacinto, the protagonist, was surrounded by the biggest artwork pieces, made by the most important civilizations that existed, and by the latest technology, yet he only feels satisfied when, for the first time in his life, he gets into contact with nature, with the country life. An excellent satire to the 19th century, when there's a great leap in what concerns to technological innovations, and shows the futility of this inventions valuing the work and air of the countryside, the contact with nature, which was lost in between.

Another tale I loved was "Adão e Eva no Paraíso" ("Adam and Eve in Paradise") in which I think Eça did a great job, mixing the biblical account of Creation and the evolutionist theory, studied by Darwin. I thought it was interesting how Adam "appears" falling from a tree and how he deals with death, since he hunts while Eve gives life, not only in her uterus but sowing, giving shelter and domesticating animals.