Simpatía by Rodrigo Blanco Calderón (tr. Noel González Hernández & Daniel Hahn)-International Booker 

It was a pleasant read. I liked the film references scattered around. The ending left me questioning our main character, and if I had been fooled by him or not.

Really liked this book. I found it slightly Rowlingesque in the way it deals with covering up the real motivations of people and how they have to strategise their `relationships` to get the better of them while, on the surface, being nonchalantly friendly. It's one of the least categorisable books you could read. It's one that is much cleverer than it seems on first read.

I really enjoyed reading this one! I was a bit confused by the end...there were so many peculiar complications, throughout the course of the novel (loved them!) but in the end...well...? But you've actually clarified the frame for me. At this point, as a reader (not a judge) it may be one of my favorites. I think I may want to reread it at some point. Thanks!

3:47 Almost had a heart attack! 😰 Great review as always. Can't wait to read the book. 👍

I am waiting for this from the library as I am strangely drawn to it. Although given I am hampered currently by a broken arm sustained walking Tilly's hound a book full of dogs should be bottom of my list.

This was the only one I’ve bought from the longlist. Looking forward to it.

Every time I pick up this book to continue reading, I feel as if my mind is blank about the part I read the day before. I re-read huge chunks of it just to try to find the plot again and I Googled the Humbold Hotel and other landmarks and political leaders (and their dogs) to try to make sense of it all. I am not quite finished yet but I feel the verdict is still out for me about whether this is my cup of tea or not. You never mentioned Nadine in your review. The references to Elizabeth von Arnim and Altagracia's translations sometimes confused me. I am an English teacher, so I am no stranger to complex writing, but this one is a bit of a struggle. I love dogs and never felt truly connected to the dogs in the book. They were not fleshed out sufficiently for me. I will finish the book (God willing) and then make my final decision about it.

I bought this book, and then I started hearing mostly negative reviews of it, and was getting a bit concerned... you have given me new hope to at least give it a go...