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Deep Rivers reviews go here; /topic/show/...

1) What do you think of the book’s title? How does it relate to the book’s contents? What other title might you choose?

2) What was your favorite part of the book?

3) What was your least favorite?

4) Did you race to the end, or was it more of a slow burn?

5) Which scene has stuck with you the most?

6) What did you think of the writing?

7) Did you reread any passages?

8) Would you want to read another book by this author?

9) Share a favorite quote from the book. Why did this quote stand out?

1. Title; I think there are many references to rivers in the book and the title is appropriate. River often are symbols of life. In the case of deep, it would imply that not everything is visible. It could also indicate danger.

2. I am enjoying the book and will comment more later. I do like the authors use of birds, flowers, mountains, rivers and the visual descriptions he gives us.

2) What was your favorite part of the book? I enjoyed the beautiful descriptions of nature but I also enjoyed the story of a young boy who doesn't fit in any world but is the bridge between two worlds. His life is lonely. He never has developed a sense of home and even comments that the boarding school has become this for him. I respected his character a lot.

3) What was your least favorite? I did not like the abuse of the woman by the boarding school boys. The unfairness of the political and religious structure to maintain their status quo was depicted very well without the "preaching" quality of some writers.

4) Did you race to the end, or was it more of a slow burn? I read this book in a week. While I did not race and did not find this book hard to keep reading like I did with the last Latin American novel (Santa Evita) so I was happy that it was not a chore to read. I think it was beautifully written.

5) Which scene has stuck with you the most? the bridge over the world. The kindness that Ernesto shows Dona Marcelina and other poor people of the area and his confrontation of the sons of landowners on their attitudes toward the Indians.

6) What did you think of the writing? beautiful

7) Did you reread any passages? yes, I did somewhat.

8) Would you want to read another book by this author? probably would not read another novel though I do appreciate his writing and it is sad that he committed suicide.

9) Share a favorite quote from the book. Why did this quote stand out?
"I know these wild rivers; I know how they flow, how they grow, what strength they have within in them, Where their currents run. pg 106

"sunshine often appears between scattered showers" and "deeply moved by the sun and the dark clouds that cast down their rain." pg 110.

"A man who weeps because they've been slapping his face for years for no reason at all can become angrier than a bull that hears a dynamite explosion, that feels the condor's beak on his neck." pg 147.

"feel the rest of their lives the brush of its comforting warmth on their hearts, protecting them from hatred and melancholy." (reference to the insect Zumbayllu.

"The Abancay lemon, large, thick-skinned, edible within and easy to peel, contains a juice which, when mixed with brown sugar, makes the most deliciou and potent food in the world. It is a burning and sweet. It instill happiness. It instills happiness. It is as if one were drinking sunlight."

1. I think the title fits the book quite nicely.

“I would explore the great valley and the town inch by inch; and I would feel the force of the sad and powerful current that buffets children who must face, all alone, a world fraught with monsters and fire and great rivers that sing the most beautiful of all music as they break upon the stones of the islands.��

Ernesto is a boy left alone by his father in a boarding school, where he comes face to face with some horrid realities of life. He draws strength and comfort from the natural world around him, which holds a magical quality for him, of which rivers seem to play a big part throughout the novel.

2. I’m not sure I had a favourite part, but the bit that captured my attention and I followed closely through the second half of the book was the raising up of the market women and the pursuit of Dona Felipa.

3. My least favourite part was the same as Kristel, the abuse of the boarding school woman was hard to read.

4. It took me about 2 weeks to read this book. Despite being only 250 pages there was a lot of content to get through. At times it seemed to move quite fluidly and pulled me along, but the story would often turn or stall out at times, and I found myself struggling to get past those parts.

5. I think the scenes that stuck with me the most was Ernesto's love of the Zumbayllu and then also the winku. He is so mesmerized and sure of its power, the writing around these scenes is really something special.

“To me it was a new kind of being, an apparition in a hostile world.��

6. Like I said earlier, at times the writing really drew me in with beautiful descriptions and interesting dialogue and then other times it totally lost me. So a mixed bag.

7. No I didn’t really re-read any parts, I did pull some beautiful quotes out though.

8. No, I don’t think I would seek out another book by this author.

9. Favourite quotes:

“Contemplating them from afar, whoever seeks shade approaches them and rests under a tree that sings alone in a deep voice in which water, earth, and sky mingle.��

“I didn’t know if I loved the river or the bridge more. But both of them cleansed my soul, flooding it with courage and heroic dreams. All of the mournful images, doubts, and evil memories were erased from my mind.��

I read this a few years ago and loved it. I thought the language was beautiful.

I’m way late on commenting, apologies! This is about “Deep Rivers��, at least tangentially.

I’m a philology-ophile & this is what really caught my attention. There was apparently some delays in getting “Deep Rivers�� translated for publication due to the author’s extensive use Quechua, so that was my starting point, as follows:

Interesting thing I learned today: For thinking myself relatively well-educated I don’t know nothing about what I don’t know that I didn’t know I didn’t know.

Case in point—Quechua, language spoken by the indigenous people of Peru. That was the what the Inca spoke!

Ha! I know this!

But did I think about what other indigenous people live in Peru? Nope, I sure didn’t!

From José María Arguedas’s “Deep Rivers��, a reference to the Ch'unchu. Ah, I think, that must be another indigenous group there!

Nope! Ch'unchu: “derogatory word used in the Quechua and Aymara languages of Peru for native peoples of the Peruvian Amazon.��

Oh. So basically the Quechua people are/were looking down on *other* indigenous people!

Those people specifically: the Asháninka, “an indigenous people living in the rainforests of Peru and in the State of Acre, Brazil��.

And no, they aren’t native Quechua speakers. Their language is Asháninka, “an Arawakan language spoken by the Asháninka people of Peru and Acre, Brazil.��

And what exactly is Arawakan? “Arawak (also known as Lokono (Lokono Dian, literally 'people's talk' by its speakers), is an Arawakan language spoken by the Lokono (Arawak) people of South America in eastern Venezuela, Guyana, Suriname, and French Guiana. It is the eponymous language of the Arawakan language family.��

Ah, okay…I guess?

And where does “Arawak�� come from? “Arawak is a tribal name in reference to the main crop food, the cassava root. It is commonly known as Manioc.��

Ok, I know what that is! But there’s more? Of course there is! “The speakers of the Arawak language also identify themselves as, Lokono, which translates to "the people". The Arawak language within itself is known as, Lokono Dian, "the people's speech"…Lokono is an Arawakan language most commonly found to be spoken in eastern Venezuela, Guyana, Suriname and French Guiana. It was also formerly spoken on Caribbean islands such as Barbados and other neighboring countries. There are approximately 2,500 native speakers today.��

Note to self: Thank you, wiki! I must now learn Quechua (it’s been on the list), PLUS Asháninka and Arawak. 🧐��

Soscha wrote: "I’m way late on commenting, apologies! This is about “Deep Rivers��, at least tangentially.

I’m a philology-ophile & this is what really caught my attention. There was apparently some delays in ge..."

That's all very interesting and yes, I believe there is racism in the indigenous people. It isn't just a white man's sin.