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The Feast of the Goat by: Mario Vargas Llosa

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Rating: - Compelling historico-political account of life under tyrant

Mario Vargas Llosa's 'The Feast of the Goat is a detailed and exceptionally well-written account of political life in the Dominican Republic, the Caribbean nation that shares the island of Hispaniola with Haiti, in the last years of the tyrannical rule of 'the Goat', Rafael Leonidas Trujillo, who effectively ruled from 1930 to 1961 (despite officially renouncing the Presidency in 1947). This novel provides a considerable amount of factual detail for those readers that have some prior acquaintance with the subject matter, but is nevertheless eminently readable for those without. There are references to a great many - possibly as many as a hundred - historical figures, and sometimes the great number of unfamiliar names can be a handful, but the novel is written (and translated) in such a way that the reader can recall previous information about characters re-introduced into the story.

'The Feast of a Goat' consists of broadly three interwoven strands. Firstly, the author unflinchingly tackles the actions, behaviour and thoughts of Trujillo head-on, offering insights into the psychological make-up and motivations of a despot. In the process, Vargas Llosa also analyses the character and actions of the Generallisimo's closest lackeys. Secondly, the novel builds up the suspense in the execution and aftermath of a plan to take The Great Benefactor's life, in the process examining the personal histories of the seven co-conspirators. Thirdly, Vargas Llosa chronicles the harrowing stories of Uranita Cabral, successful New York lawyer, as she returns to Santo Domingo to confront her broken and invalided father, Agustin, formerly right-hand man to 'The Father of the New Nation'.

If I were to venture a minor criticism, it is that in concentrating almost exclusively on the impact of the regime on the political elite of the time and their families, I still have little insight into the lives of ordinary people or culture in the Dominican Republic. Nevertheless, this is an extremely satisfying feast of a novel with great drama, suspense, emotion and historical accuracy, offering perceptive insights into the character make-up of tyrants and issues facing those living under them: a subject that regrettably retains relevancy half a century on.

Rating: - Great Once You Get Into It

I can best describe The Feast of the Goat as a novel of two halves. Chronicling the final days in 1961 of the Dominican Republic's dictator Rafael Trujillo, Mario Vargas Llosa begins by interweaving three tales, each taking alternating chapters.

The first of these is set in the present day and concerns Urania Cabral, a woman who left the country at fourteen and has now returned to confront her father, a former confidante of Trujillo, and the reasons why she has remained out of his contact since her departure.

Alongside this, Vargas Llosa recounts the last day of Trujillo's life, recording in intimate detail, his daily habits and creating a vivid portrait of the man, and his associates. The third and final of the interwoven tales jumps to the evening of that day, where four men sit in a car for waiting for Trujillo to pass them, waiting to assassinate him.

The first two thirds of the novel alternates between these three plots, and while the quality of writing is extremely high, it is clear without having any knowledge of the Dominican Republic that Trujillo will be killed. As such there is little tension, and I found myself ploughing through the pages and waiting for it to be over.

However, Trujillo did not die until about half way through the book, and from here the pace improved significantly. Vargas Llosa goes on to describe the aftermath: although Trujillo is dead, his regime is merely wounded. Also, it is only from here that Urania's story begins to pick up, having made contact with her father, she properly begins to tell her relatives her story.

To me, The Feast of the Goat felt like a great novel, with an extremely lengthy, arguably superfluous and somewhat tiresome prologue, which was not improved by its huge number of characters, with many of them confusingly having both a proper name and a nickname. The reader who makes their way through this preamble will be rewarded with a tense and exciting portrait of a collapsing regime - while the grislier details are sometimes uncomfortably intense, Vargas Llosa proves himself a brilliant storyteller; but I suspect many will give up before the end.

Despite this, I would recommend the book. Vargas Llosa has the stylish clarity of a master writer, and as well as being a very good novel, The Feast of the Goat acts as a reminder of Trujillo's reign and provokes interest into the history of the Dominican Republic.

Rating: - Mario Vargas Llosa's best work

An excellent atmospheric novel with a beautifully controlled story line and perceptive insights into the psychology of power. Mario Vargas Llosa scarcely puts a foot wrong in this account of the last days of the Trujillo dictatorship in the Dominican Republic and how it scarred the lives of ordinary people, that of the novel's heroine in particular. Certainly his best novel, and probably one of the best ever novels to come from Latin America.

Rating: - this is one fantastic book...

If the thought of literature from a south american writer is a bit of a turn off, then forget your preconceptions with this brilliant book.

Not only does it take you into the mind of an evil dictator, but also those who live in the palm of his hand and carry the scars forever.

Don't worry if you can't remember all the spanish names in the first few pages - it won't spoil the read!

Rating: - The best from South America since 100 years of Solitude

South America has produced some wonderful novels over the past few decades. But Mario Vargas Llosa's 'Feast of the Goat' is a truly astonishing accomplishment from a very multi-talented and controversial figure. Those who read the works of Vargas Llosa will need no persuasion in getting hold of the book, but for those who are browsing through Amazon, I can honestly say that this book is superb: it has so many different features. Principally, it is a thriller, a real page-turner, but one which you have to be in the mood. It works in a non-linear way, the best comparison I make probably is with films, such as Memento or Pulp Fiction. It switches back and forth across two periods, as as the story goes on, there are more and more developments and layers to the story. Gradually you piece together the incredible history that Vargas Llosa has laid out before us. Ok, its a thriller, but its also a great piece of literature. Dazzlingly written, atmospheric and very psychological. It is a testament to Vargas Lloas's writing technique that he allows the reader to follow and digest a highly complex plot with reading enjoyment and ease. He plays with the reader's mind by submerging the reader into the inner dialogues and minds of the characters while at the same time maintaining an all-seeing overview of the story's events. It has a sense of history, a sense of the tyranny and madness of the 20th Century, a powerful sense of the subconscious terror that a few, even one, can inflict upon so many. A remarkable book. Before I read Feast of Goat, I would have said that Garcia Marquez's One Hundred Years of Solitude was the benchmark of South American literature, and it remains one of the greatest novels of the 20th Century. But Vargas Llosa has at last proved himself to be one of the great writers, and this book, very different to 100 Years of Solitude, takes South American literature to a different level.

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