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Crow Blue
I was thirteen. Being thirteen is like being in the middle of nowhere. Which was accentuated by the fact that I was in the middle of nowhere. In a house that wasn’t mine. in a city that wasn’t mine, in a country that wasn’t mine, with a one-man family that, in spite of the intersections and intentions (all very good), wasn’t mine.
When her mother dies, thirteen-year-old Vanja is left with no family and no sense of who she is, where she belongs, and what she should do. Determined to find her biological father to fill the void that has so suddenly appeared in her life, Vanja decides to leave Rio de Janeiro to live in Colorado with her stepfather, a former guerrilla notorious for his violent past. From there she goes in search of her biological father, tracing her mother’s footsteps and gradually discovering the truth about herself.
Rendered in lyrical and passionate prose, Crow Blue is a literary road trip through Brazil and America, and through dark decades of family and political history.
When her mother dies, thirteen-year-old Vanja is left with no family and no sense of who she is, where she belongs, and what she should do. Determined to find her biological father to fill the void that has so suddenly appeared in her life, Vanja decides to leave Rio de Janeiro to live in Colorado with her stepfather, a former guerrilla notorious for his violent past. From there she goes in search of her biological father, tracing her mother’s footsteps and gradually discovering the truth about herself.
Rendered in lyrical and passionate prose, Crow Blue is a literary road trip through Brazil and America, and through dark decades of family and political history.
228 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2010
20 people are currently reading
704 people want to read
About the author
Adriana Lisboa
74books89followersA escritora brasileira Adriana Lisboa nasceu no Rio de Janeiro. Publicou doze livros, entre os quais seis romances, uma coletânea de poesia, uma coleânea de narrativas breves e livros para crianças e jovens. Seus livros foram traduzidos para nove idiomas, entre os quais inglês, alemão, espanhol, francês e árabe, e publicados em treze países.
Ganhou o Prêmio José Saramago pelo romance Sinfonia em branco, uma bolsa da Fundação Japão para o romance Rakushisha, uma bolsa da Fundação Biblioteca Nacional, no Brasil, e o prêmio de autor revelação da FNLIJ (Fundação Nacional do Livro Infantil e Juvenil) por seu livro de poesia para crianças, Língua de trapos. Em 2007, o Hay Festival/Bogotá Capital Mundial do Livro incluiu-a na lista dos 39 mais importantes autores latino-americanos até 39 anos de idade.
Graduada em música pela UniRio, com mestrado em literatura brasileira e doutorado em literatura comparada pela Uerj, Adriana Lisboa viveu na França � onde atuou como cantora de música popular brasileira � e atualmente mora nos Estados Unidos, no Colorado.
Ganhou o Prêmio José Saramago pelo romance Sinfonia em branco, uma bolsa da Fundação Japão para o romance Rakushisha, uma bolsa da Fundação Biblioteca Nacional, no Brasil, e o prêmio de autor revelação da FNLIJ (Fundação Nacional do Livro Infantil e Juvenil) por seu livro de poesia para crianças, Língua de trapos. Em 2007, o Hay Festival/Bogotá Capital Mundial do Livro incluiu-a na lista dos 39 mais importantes autores latino-americanos até 39 anos de idade.
Graduada em música pela UniRio, com mestrado em literatura brasileira e doutorado em literatura comparada pela Uerj, Adriana Lisboa viveu na França � onde atuou como cantora de música popular brasileira � e atualmente mora nos Estados Unidos, no Colorado.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 78 reviews
October 4, 2021
Que bela surpresa!
Adorei a escrita de Adriana Lisboa neste «Azul � Corvo», com uma linguagem despretensiosa, mas com muitas reflexões sobre tudo e nada, sobre a vida em geral. Apesar de se ter mantido a grafia de português do Brasil, a narrativa é muito fluida numa escrita com sentido e sentimento. Mesmo nas passagens em que não acontece nada de especial, conseguimos ver e sentir através do olhar das personagens.
«Ainda estava no início da adolescência, mas já desconfiava que ela era mais ou menos uma guerra declarada entre mim e a idade adulta.» (pág. 43)
É um livro para ler com atenção e dedicação, apenas porque se presta a muitas divagações (bem bonitas!), entre analepses e prolepses, e não nos queremos perder entre elas.
«Quando o inimigo avança, recuamos, e quando precisamos recuar às vezes tropeçamos em nós mesmos.» (pág. 122)
Vanja, a personagem principal, vai montando o puzzle do seu passado a partir de fragmentos e memórias de outras personagens. E assim se constrói a narrativa, muitas vezes numa conversação de si para consigo própria, e numa viagem por entre a História contemporânea do Brasil, entre ficção, curiosidades e factos históricos.
«Dizem que a cada sete anos as células no seu corpo já foram todas trocadas, de modo que você continua sendo a mesma pessoa mas, a nível celular, passou a ser outra, (�).» (pág. 225)
Uma parábola sobre a família. Por vezes a amizade é tão forte que a nossa família é aquela que escolhemos e nada tem a ver com a consanguinidade. Uma história também sobre emigração e multiculturalidade, o sentido de pertença ou a falta dele.
«Curioso como as pessoas centrais da minha vida agora eram todas periféricas.» (pág. 72)
Recomendo muito, embora tenha noção de que não é um estilo literário consensual que agradará a toda a gente.
«Aqueles livros já lidos: não ia reler, ia? Faria sentido ficar rebocando por aí uma coleção de paralelepípedos de papel com capas coloridas como se eles fossem animais de estimação, (�) precisando de cuidado extra no fim da vida?» (pág. 17)
❤️ Artigo publicado em boasleituras.pt
Adorei a escrita de Adriana Lisboa neste «Azul � Corvo», com uma linguagem despretensiosa, mas com muitas reflexões sobre tudo e nada, sobre a vida em geral. Apesar de se ter mantido a grafia de português do Brasil, a narrativa é muito fluida numa escrita com sentido e sentimento. Mesmo nas passagens em que não acontece nada de especial, conseguimos ver e sentir através do olhar das personagens.
«Ainda estava no início da adolescência, mas já desconfiava que ela era mais ou menos uma guerra declarada entre mim e a idade adulta.» (pág. 43)
É um livro para ler com atenção e dedicação, apenas porque se presta a muitas divagações (bem bonitas!), entre analepses e prolepses, e não nos queremos perder entre elas.
«Quando o inimigo avança, recuamos, e quando precisamos recuar às vezes tropeçamos em nós mesmos.» (pág. 122)
Vanja, a personagem principal, vai montando o puzzle do seu passado a partir de fragmentos e memórias de outras personagens. E assim se constrói a narrativa, muitas vezes numa conversação de si para consigo própria, e numa viagem por entre a História contemporânea do Brasil, entre ficção, curiosidades e factos históricos.
«Dizem que a cada sete anos as células no seu corpo já foram todas trocadas, de modo que você continua sendo a mesma pessoa mas, a nível celular, passou a ser outra, (�).» (pág. 225)
Uma parábola sobre a família. Por vezes a amizade é tão forte que a nossa família é aquela que escolhemos e nada tem a ver com a consanguinidade. Uma história também sobre emigração e multiculturalidade, o sentido de pertença ou a falta dele.
«Curioso como as pessoas centrais da minha vida agora eram todas periféricas.» (pág. 72)
Recomendo muito, embora tenha noção de que não é um estilo literário consensual que agradará a toda a gente.
«Aqueles livros já lidos: não ia reler, ia? Faria sentido ficar rebocando por aí uma coleção de paralelepípedos de papel com capas coloridas como se eles fossem animais de estimação, (�) precisando de cuidado extra no fim da vida?» (pág. 17)
❤️ Artigo publicado em boasleituras.pt
February 19, 2016
Vanja aged 13 is living with her mother in Rio de Janeiro when her mother dies. Her aunt sends her to the Denver, Colorado suburbs to live with her stepfather, Fernando. Fernando works in the Denver Public Library as a security guard, and cleans houses on the side. He lives a very contained, friendless life. Vanja finds life in Colorado very strange - a dry climate, weather that ranges from hot to cold, and a natural environment that is very brown and gray compared with Brazil. Vanja's reaction to her new surroundings describe what many immigrants may feel in new and alien environments. The writer is a Brazilian who now lives in Colorado, thus the authenticity of Vanja's response. The book focuses on Vanja's search for her father, and Fernando's efforts to help her. Fernando's story is also woven throughout. In his youth he was a guerrilla with a radical group in the jungles of far northern Brazil. This history reveals the depths of Fernando that no one would suspect. The skill of this author in moving between stories, environments, and countries makes this a wonderful read. The language is gorgeous and often brilliant. I am going to look for more by this author.
April 29, 2014
**Thank you Bloomsbury and Netgalley for providing this in exchange for an honest review**
1.5 Stars
Vanja is thirteen when her mother dies. She decides to leave Rio de Janeiro for the United States. She hopes her mother's ex-husband, Fernando (a man she has never met), can help her find her biological father. Once in Colorado, Vanja finds out Fernando was a resistance fighter years ago in Brazil. Blue Crow is the story of Vanja's present and Fernando's past.
This could have been a wonderful book. It had strong, realistic characters and the world building left nothing to be desired. It was the story execution that failed. The writing is all over the place. A paragraph may start with Vanja and Fernando talking about everyday life, and finish with a scene from Fernando's Guerrilla past. All without any logical reason for it.
Also, the two story lines didn't work well together. I think they both would have been great as their own stories, but not combined like they are here. Hearing Fernando's old life told through Vanja's voice just didn't feel right. It felt forced.
Even with a talent for strong characters and world building skills, I don't think Lisboa is a author I'd seek out.
1.5 Stars
Vanja is thirteen when her mother dies. She decides to leave Rio de Janeiro for the United States. She hopes her mother's ex-husband, Fernando (a man she has never met), can help her find her biological father. Once in Colorado, Vanja finds out Fernando was a resistance fighter years ago in Brazil. Blue Crow is the story of Vanja's present and Fernando's past.
This could have been a wonderful book. It had strong, realistic characters and the world building left nothing to be desired. It was the story execution that failed. The writing is all over the place. A paragraph may start with Vanja and Fernando talking about everyday life, and finish with a scene from Fernando's Guerrilla past. All without any logical reason for it.
Also, the two story lines didn't work well together. I think they both would have been great as their own stories, but not combined like they are here. Hearing Fernando's old life told through Vanja's voice just didn't feel right. It felt forced.
Even with a talent for strong characters and world building skills, I don't think Lisboa is a author I'd seek out.
December 4, 2016
I wanted to like this book. The prose is lyrical, but there were many points where I felt that it got in the way of the story. Or maybe the problem is that it isn't a plot driven book. The protagonist was intriguing in many ways, but something about her voice was so flat that she wasn't engaging. An additional minor point: I really couldn't care less about the fascination with Fernando's guerrilla past.
August 5, 2016
4,5 stars. My review:
July 21, 2018
Abandoned, not because it was bad--it was simply the wrong book for me to read at that point in time.
July 7, 2023
Adoro a escrita da Adriana! E sempre com narrativas de deslocamento, que gosto bastante. Aqueles livros sem grandes acontecimentos, mas tudo muito interessante. A busca de Vanja pelo pai, a questão da guerrilha durante a ditadura militar� muito informativa!
May 6, 2023
This is the kind of novel that kind of creeps up on you. At first it seems nothing extraordinary but with time you see more and more in it. The language is a bit poetic, the coming of age story written competently and the characters have a surprising, inconspicuous kind of chemistry. The only thing I was not so sure about was the interweaving of Brazilian history into the background. Though, it was nice to learn something about their modern tales.
March 4, 2025
I enjoyed this unusual coming of age story about a young Brazilian girl who, having lost her mother and with no other family, moves to the US to live with her mother's ex-husband (not her father), who happens to be a former guerrilla fighter in Brazil. The novel also offers a peak into Brazil's history during the US-supported dictatorship. The young narrator moves through life, learning to create her own family.
March 18, 2022
ótima leitura, fluída, narrativa sem grandes acontecimentos, mas mesmo assim não perde o apreço!!! indico demais!
December 15, 2016
Primeiro livro da autora e fiquei curiosa para ler os demais. Gostei bastante. Texto ágil, que caminha bem entre o passado e o presente, fala da vida das pessoas, da história do Brasil e de diferenças culturais. Daquilo que se busca e do que encontrarmos mesmo sem buscar.
Dá para ler em um único dia sem cansar.
O texto traz tantos fatos, estórias e história de uma forma tão rápida e com comparações inteligente e engraças, mas esquece um pouco da emoção, que até se espera numa narrativa sobre uma menina de 12 que após perder a mãe, viaja para outro país em busca do pai.
Dá para ler em um único dia sem cansar.
O texto traz tantos fatos, estórias e história de uma forma tão rápida e com comparações inteligente e engraças, mas esquece um pouco da emoção, que até se espera numa narrativa sobre uma menina de 12 que após perder a mãe, viaja para outro país em busca do pai.
June 13, 2015
Continuo a gostar muito da forma como Adriana Lisboa escreve, das suas personagens 'reais' e com pensamentos que podiam ser nossos, assim como dos temas que aborda. Neste caso, a procura das origens e da identidade. No entanto, o meu pensamento deambulou enquanto lia, não me consegui concentrar na história, o que me leva a um 'it was ok'.
June 18, 2018
Things to enjoy:
"Those two pairs of sneakers: one hurt my heel. It was the nicer looking one but it hurt my heel. The confrontation between beauty and utility can sometimes be uncomfortable, and the utility of an uncomfortable pair of sneakers somewhat obscure and uncertain." (page 5)
"in forty years, an unimaginable number of things can happen...People are born, die, sing songs...more people are born, more people die, several disappear from the map without a trace...National football teams become three-time world champions...Eclipses take place. Tidal waves, earthquaked and hurricanes stir up many parts of the planet...In forty years, girls called Evangelina appear in the world." (page 45)
"...speaking and understanding a language reasonably well are no guarantee of instant fluency or pleasure in reading, and that I would have to to do it." (page 55)
"Or that he was a talented liar, the worst kind - the sort that lie to themselves, with so much conviction and effort that they end up believing it, and then when they tell other people their lies they think they are actually telling the truth." (page 58)
"...I was already beginning to suspect that making plans was an embarrassingly useless habit." (page 60)
"A curious phenomenon happens when you have away from home for too long. Your idea of what home is - a city, a country - slowly fades like a colorful image exposed to the sun on a daily basis. But you don't quickly acquire another image to put in its place. Try: act like, dress like, speak like the people around you. Use the slang, go to the "in" places, make an effort to understand the political spaces. Try not to be surprised every time you see people selling second-hand furniture and clothes and books from their garages (the sign on the street corner announces" garage sale), or the supermarkets offering tons of pumpkins in October and tolls for sculpting them, or corn mazes. Pretend none of it is new to you.
Do it all, act like." (pages 65-66)
"Later I realized that life away from home is a possible life. One of many possible lives." (page 68)
"It wasn't that home was everywhere: home wasn't anywhere." (page 69)
"My history teacher may have explained this on one of those days when I was watching the pigeons outside, the dirty pigeons of Copacabana and their cooing and occasional deformed feet." (page 85)
"Chico wasn't going to sing the song, tone deaf as he was, but he could think it, since thoughts don't go off-key." (page 90)
"Carlos was nervous, with the nervousness of all young children about to see the Big Bad Wolf try to trick Little Red Riding Hood for the billionth time...And in this manner children test the world, make sure that it really will answer the same question the same way every time. And they conclude that it will. Yet another false campaign promise of the adult world. Yes Carlos, we are coherent. grow up and see for yourself." (page 107)
"I wondered if that was why the lines in his face were deeper - because it was his birthday. Maybe these things didn't happen progressively but in waves, in cycles, and when it was your birthday your body realized it had to keep pace with the number indicative of your age, give or take a year. As if it was suddenly woken by an alarm clock and, still groggy, with heavy eyes, went off to go about the business of aging. To then lie down again and wait until it was time to age a little more." (page 114)
"All of the metaphors for growth - the steps on a ladder, a road with curves here and there - were sheer nonsense. It all really happened in fits and starts...In the blink of an eye, a cloud, a sister who leaves home with her boyfriend, a sentence someone says involving "papeles" and suddenly you are older. Depending on the turbulence, maybe it is possible to go to bed at the age of forty and wake up sixty." (page 143)
"And I wondered... If one day you just woke up liking sex, politics and alcoholic beverages." (page 162)
"After my mother died, I wondered if all these places would save her a space for a while. The space that she would have occupied in the queue at the supermarket. The lettuce or the potatoes that would have bought at the street market. The potential brushstrokes of nail polish in the bottle. I wondered if the space that a person occupies in the world survives the person themself...If there are two deaths, one intimate and individual, the other public and collective, two deaths that happen at different paces" (page 181-182)
"He figured that libraries weren't violent places, requiring security. He couldn't imagine library-goers being thieves or attackers or troublemakers.
At the entrance was an inscription with the words of Jorge Luis Borges: I have always imagined Paradise as a kind of library. There should be no need for security guards in a place with such a paradisiacal statute.
But you never know." (page 184)
"I couldn't understand why adults only half-answered so many things. Maybe it was a mature, civilized habit and I should just get used to it." (page 203)
"Curiosity, for example: children had a gift for curiosity. Adults kept it chained up. In adults, curiosity shook paws, fetched balls and played dead." (page 2013)
"Do you live here alone? I asked, and if I was indiscreet it was too late, but everyone forgives children for that, and at the age of thirteen I was still in the comfortable position of being able to choose the situations in which I wanted to be considered a child and those in which I didn't, and to behave accordingly (there has to be some advantage in being thirteen)." (page 209)
"They say that the cells of your body are replaced every seven years, such that you continue to be the same person but, at a cellular level, you have become another, if you compute both extremes. The idea sounds strange, because the cells aren't all replaced at once, so after seven years you won't have a fully-recycled body. But at the same time you will." (page 217)
Things to know:
"Periplaneta Americana" - Basically the American Cockroach (page 1)
1- Operation parrot
2- Military Commission
3- General Antonio Bandeira
4- The Brazilian Armed Forces
5- Criminal Investigation Platoon in Brasilia
6- Planato Military Command
7- Araguaia Guerrilla Movement
8- Brazilian Communist Party
9- Operation Fish (1-5)
10-Corporal Odílio Rosa
11- Detachment B
12-Foco theory
13- Anaconda - The name of the operation that the army initiated in April of 1973. "The Anaconda has no venom. Its weapon is oppression." (page 186)
14- Operation Marajoara
15- Operation Cleanup - "The military would finish exterminating the guerrillas with Operation Cleanup - a simple, crystal-clear, honest name that required no interpretation." (page 214)
"Those two pairs of sneakers: one hurt my heel. It was the nicer looking one but it hurt my heel. The confrontation between beauty and utility can sometimes be uncomfortable, and the utility of an uncomfortable pair of sneakers somewhat obscure and uncertain." (page 5)
"in forty years, an unimaginable number of things can happen...People are born, die, sing songs...more people are born, more people die, several disappear from the map without a trace...National football teams become three-time world champions...Eclipses take place. Tidal waves, earthquaked and hurricanes stir up many parts of the planet...In forty years, girls called Evangelina appear in the world." (page 45)
"...speaking and understanding a language reasonably well are no guarantee of instant fluency or pleasure in reading, and that I would have to to do it." (page 55)
"Or that he was a talented liar, the worst kind - the sort that lie to themselves, with so much conviction and effort that they end up believing it, and then when they tell other people their lies they think they are actually telling the truth." (page 58)
"...I was already beginning to suspect that making plans was an embarrassingly useless habit." (page 60)
"A curious phenomenon happens when you have away from home for too long. Your idea of what home is - a city, a country - slowly fades like a colorful image exposed to the sun on a daily basis. But you don't quickly acquire another image to put in its place. Try: act like, dress like, speak like the people around you. Use the slang, go to the "in" places, make an effort to understand the political spaces. Try not to be surprised every time you see people selling second-hand furniture and clothes and books from their garages (the sign on the street corner announces" garage sale), or the supermarkets offering tons of pumpkins in October and tolls for sculpting them, or corn mazes. Pretend none of it is new to you.
Do it all, act like." (pages 65-66)
"Later I realized that life away from home is a possible life. One of many possible lives." (page 68)
"It wasn't that home was everywhere: home wasn't anywhere." (page 69)
"My history teacher may have explained this on one of those days when I was watching the pigeons outside, the dirty pigeons of Copacabana and their cooing and occasional deformed feet." (page 85)
"Chico wasn't going to sing the song, tone deaf as he was, but he could think it, since thoughts don't go off-key." (page 90)
"Carlos was nervous, with the nervousness of all young children about to see the Big Bad Wolf try to trick Little Red Riding Hood for the billionth time...And in this manner children test the world, make sure that it really will answer the same question the same way every time. And they conclude that it will. Yet another false campaign promise of the adult world. Yes Carlos, we are coherent. grow up and see for yourself." (page 107)
"I wondered if that was why the lines in his face were deeper - because it was his birthday. Maybe these things didn't happen progressively but in waves, in cycles, and when it was your birthday your body realized it had to keep pace with the number indicative of your age, give or take a year. As if it was suddenly woken by an alarm clock and, still groggy, with heavy eyes, went off to go about the business of aging. To then lie down again and wait until it was time to age a little more." (page 114)
"All of the metaphors for growth - the steps on a ladder, a road with curves here and there - were sheer nonsense. It all really happened in fits and starts...In the blink of an eye, a cloud, a sister who leaves home with her boyfriend, a sentence someone says involving "papeles" and suddenly you are older. Depending on the turbulence, maybe it is possible to go to bed at the age of forty and wake up sixty." (page 143)
"And I wondered... If one day you just woke up liking sex, politics and alcoholic beverages." (page 162)
"After my mother died, I wondered if all these places would save her a space for a while. The space that she would have occupied in the queue at the supermarket. The lettuce or the potatoes that would have bought at the street market. The potential brushstrokes of nail polish in the bottle. I wondered if the space that a person occupies in the world survives the person themself...If there are two deaths, one intimate and individual, the other public and collective, two deaths that happen at different paces" (page 181-182)
"He figured that libraries weren't violent places, requiring security. He couldn't imagine library-goers being thieves or attackers or troublemakers.
At the entrance was an inscription with the words of Jorge Luis Borges: I have always imagined Paradise as a kind of library. There should be no need for security guards in a place with such a paradisiacal statute.
But you never know." (page 184)
"I couldn't understand why adults only half-answered so many things. Maybe it was a mature, civilized habit and I should just get used to it." (page 203)
"Curiosity, for example: children had a gift for curiosity. Adults kept it chained up. In adults, curiosity shook paws, fetched balls and played dead." (page 2013)
"Do you live here alone? I asked, and if I was indiscreet it was too late, but everyone forgives children for that, and at the age of thirteen I was still in the comfortable position of being able to choose the situations in which I wanted to be considered a child and those in which I didn't, and to behave accordingly (there has to be some advantage in being thirteen)." (page 209)
"They say that the cells of your body are replaced every seven years, such that you continue to be the same person but, at a cellular level, you have become another, if you compute both extremes. The idea sounds strange, because the cells aren't all replaced at once, so after seven years you won't have a fully-recycled body. But at the same time you will." (page 217)
Things to know:
"Periplaneta Americana" - Basically the American Cockroach (page 1)
1- Operation parrot
2- Military Commission
3- General Antonio Bandeira
4- The Brazilian Armed Forces
5- Criminal Investigation Platoon in Brasilia
6- Planato Military Command
7- Araguaia Guerrilla Movement
8- Brazilian Communist Party
9- Operation Fish (1-5)
10-Corporal Odílio Rosa
11- Detachment B
12-Foco theory
13- Anaconda - The name of the operation that the army initiated in April of 1973. "The Anaconda has no venom. Its weapon is oppression." (page 186)
14- Operation Marajoara
15- Operation Cleanup - "The military would finish exterminating the guerrillas with Operation Cleanup - a simple, crystal-clear, honest name that required no interpretation." (page 214)
December 28, 2024
Azul-corvo como as conchas do mar, como o mar que vive dentro de Vanja, ondas ao sabor das quais navega, sem saber de onde veio, sem saber para onde vai.
Azul-corvo como um céu sobre um Araguaia distante deixado para trás, como o sangue toldado de quem morreu a lutar, certeza ao peito, punho ao alto, liberdade, liberdade, como a mágoa que fez morada no peito do agora Fernando, outrora outro nome, outrora outra vida.
Quando perdemos o único fio visível da nossa história, como reencontrar o caminho de regresso? Como desenhar um futuro? Como não abeirar o abismo?
Vanja e Fernando e um fio inventado que os une. Do Rio ao Colorado, essa linha tão ténue, tão forte, puxando e trazendo atrelada um emaranhado de outros fios condutores, gastos e velhos, por vezes vindos de lugar nenhum, ainda assim fazendo lembrar o que talvez fosse melhor esquecer.
Vanja procura o pai que nunca teve e vê em Fernando o pai que gostaria de ter.
Fernando procura perdão pelos erros feitos e vê em Vanja a redenção que gostaria de merecer.
Adriana Lisboa e a mestria das suas palavras-poesia levam-nos pelos trilhos de um Brasil passado e assolado pela ditadura militar e de um Colorado de agora. Dá-nos a força de Vanja, a ternura de Carlos e a peculiaridade de Fernando numa busca por partes que faltam para tapar vazios e dar seguimento à vida.
Azul-corvo como um céu sobre um Araguaia distante deixado para trás, como o sangue toldado de quem morreu a lutar, certeza ao peito, punho ao alto, liberdade, liberdade, como a mágoa que fez morada no peito do agora Fernando, outrora outro nome, outrora outra vida.
Quando perdemos o único fio visível da nossa história, como reencontrar o caminho de regresso? Como desenhar um futuro? Como não abeirar o abismo?
Vanja e Fernando e um fio inventado que os une. Do Rio ao Colorado, essa linha tão ténue, tão forte, puxando e trazendo atrelada um emaranhado de outros fios condutores, gastos e velhos, por vezes vindos de lugar nenhum, ainda assim fazendo lembrar o que talvez fosse melhor esquecer.
Vanja procura o pai que nunca teve e vê em Fernando o pai que gostaria de ter.
Fernando procura perdão pelos erros feitos e vê em Vanja a redenção que gostaria de merecer.
Adriana Lisboa e a mestria das suas palavras-poesia levam-nos pelos trilhos de um Brasil passado e assolado pela ditadura militar e de um Colorado de agora. Dá-nos a força de Vanja, a ternura de Carlos e a peculiaridade de Fernando numa busca por partes que faltam para tapar vazios e dar seguimento à vida.
December 1, 2020
I loved the writing and the feelings of diaspora it evoked, but the plot dragged, and I couldn't stay interested.
August 31, 2018
A story from the present (when her mother dies, a 13 year old girl from Brazil moves to her stepfather in Colorado, where she start to search her biological father) is mixed up with the story from the past (about Brazilian history and guerrilla movement). The main thread is a sense of belonging and strange moments that accompany the life in new, foreign country. This aspect is very well represented through three main characters, who carry their foreignness in their own way. The weakness of this story is its structure. The story of the girl is constantly interrupted in a very rough way with a story about the past and such a way of narration is ineffective and intrusive. Strong premise, but weak execution.
November 4, 2014
Vanja’s mother isn’t the type of woman who stays in one place. Once she decides to leave, she goes and goes and doesn’t look back. It’s not that she’s a gypsy, she’s no senseless wanderer traveling without direction; it’s just that when she gets tired of something, it’s over.
She’s always been this way. She’ll move between Brazil, America, settling in a place for as long as she can. It’s the same with men. She loves them until she has to leave them, a switch that happens instantaneously. Fernando, for instance. They were married six years until it just…ended. She flew off so quickly, moving to America, meeting a man named Daniel and falling for him.
It’s Daniel that gets her pregnant, fathering Vanja. But she never sees him again. It’s Fernando’s name written as the father on Vanja’s birth certificate.
Which isn’t a big deal. At least until Vanja’s mother dies, leaving the 13-year-old girl alone, with a dad somewhere in America.
Staying with Fernando, her father in name even though she had never met the man, Vanja plans to track down her biological dad from a new base in the United States. At least, that’s the reason she gives to us as the reader. In truth, Vanja carries on the life of her mother, leaving her home in Rio de Janeiro at the drop of a hat, easily casting aside her possessions and material weights.
Fernando’s a mystery to her, but also, maybe the only man who truly knew her mother. A former guerilla fighter, the man is now living quietly in Colorado, working as a security guard and cleaner, keeping his profile low. Vanja doesn’t know much about his past � her mother told her so little about her husband � but over the course of the novel, his story (as well as much of her mother’s story) is revealed.
Of course, it’s scary at first, showing up at the doorstep of a man to whom Vanja has no real claim. And it’s weird living in America, a country where you have to ask people if you may pet their dog before rubbing its tummy, where you have to be careful not to brush shoulders on the sidewalk. Vanja adopts quickly, though, thanks in no small part to the English her mother taught her as a child.
Also brightening her time in the U.S. � the 9-year-old neighbor boy Carlos, a precocious little kid that is happy to carry on conversations with Vanja in Spanish, and eventually, step in as a sort of surrogate brother.
The story starts off with a pseudo-orphan leaving home, coming to America just to track down the rest of her family. Quickly though, it’s evident she’s had a family all along, just waiting for her to discover them, and willing to help her discover her the truth about herself along the way.
She’s always been this way. She’ll move between Brazil, America, settling in a place for as long as she can. It’s the same with men. She loves them until she has to leave them, a switch that happens instantaneously. Fernando, for instance. They were married six years until it just…ended. She flew off so quickly, moving to America, meeting a man named Daniel and falling for him.
It’s Daniel that gets her pregnant, fathering Vanja. But she never sees him again. It’s Fernando’s name written as the father on Vanja’s birth certificate.
Which isn’t a big deal. At least until Vanja’s mother dies, leaving the 13-year-old girl alone, with a dad somewhere in America.
Staying with Fernando, her father in name even though she had never met the man, Vanja plans to track down her biological dad from a new base in the United States. At least, that’s the reason she gives to us as the reader. In truth, Vanja carries on the life of her mother, leaving her home in Rio de Janeiro at the drop of a hat, easily casting aside her possessions and material weights.
Fernando’s a mystery to her, but also, maybe the only man who truly knew her mother. A former guerilla fighter, the man is now living quietly in Colorado, working as a security guard and cleaner, keeping his profile low. Vanja doesn’t know much about his past � her mother told her so little about her husband � but over the course of the novel, his story (as well as much of her mother’s story) is revealed.
Of course, it’s scary at first, showing up at the doorstep of a man to whom Vanja has no real claim. And it’s weird living in America, a country where you have to ask people if you may pet their dog before rubbing its tummy, where you have to be careful not to brush shoulders on the sidewalk. Vanja adopts quickly, though, thanks in no small part to the English her mother taught her as a child.
Also brightening her time in the U.S. � the 9-year-old neighbor boy Carlos, a precocious little kid that is happy to carry on conversations with Vanja in Spanish, and eventually, step in as a sort of surrogate brother.
The story starts off with a pseudo-orphan leaving home, coming to America just to track down the rest of her family. Quickly though, it’s evident she’s had a family all along, just waiting for her to discover them, and willing to help her discover her the truth about herself along the way.
September 23, 2024
Fantastic book that I read for a class on Latin American literature in translation. It’s a beautiful story. Fernando was my favorite character and his story in the book is incredibly well done. Of all the books we read in this class, this one shined above all the rest.
///
Review on reread (September 23, 2024):
I think about this book often. I don’t know why exactly this book stuck with me so strongly, or why it continues to stick with me. I guess I could say any number of things: the poetic writing, the magnetic characters, the engaging story, the insightful narration, or some other combination of adjective + literary term. I think that, above all else, this is a story that feels real and feels important. I love the relationship between Vanja and Fernando. And Vanja and Carlos. And Carlos and Fernando. And Vanja and her mother. And Vanja’s mother and Fernando. And June and Vanja and Carlos and Fernando and Isabel and the countless other characters and non-characters and objects of this world. This is a story about connection, coincidental or by chance or intentional or forced or otherwise. The characters are engaging and real. I like them so much that I feel like I should draw all of them, just to see if how I imagined them in my head could translate to the real world (I did try to draw Fernando and did a so-so job). Anyway, I cannot recommend this book enough. It’s probably not for everybody, but it was perfect for me, and maybe that’s good enough. I don’t know exactly why I reread it right now. It just felt like the right book to reread at this moment in time.
And yes my favorite character is still Fernando.
///
Review on reread (September 23, 2024):
I think about this book often. I don’t know why exactly this book stuck with me so strongly, or why it continues to stick with me. I guess I could say any number of things: the poetic writing, the magnetic characters, the engaging story, the insightful narration, or some other combination of adjective + literary term. I think that, above all else, this is a story that feels real and feels important. I love the relationship between Vanja and Fernando. And Vanja and Carlos. And Carlos and Fernando. And Vanja and her mother. And Vanja’s mother and Fernando. And June and Vanja and Carlos and Fernando and Isabel and the countless other characters and non-characters and objects of this world. This is a story about connection, coincidental or by chance or intentional or forced or otherwise. The characters are engaging and real. I like them so much that I feel like I should draw all of them, just to see if how I imagined them in my head could translate to the real world (I did try to draw Fernando and did a so-so job). Anyway, I cannot recommend this book enough. It’s probably not for everybody, but it was perfect for me, and maybe that’s good enough. I don’t know exactly why I reread it right now. It just felt like the right book to reread at this moment in time.
And yes my favorite character is still Fernando.
August 3, 2017
The synopsis of this book is somewhat misleading. Although the story follows Vanja, a great portion of it is about the communist guerrilla fighters from Brazil. The author has a rambling writing style that quickly became wearisome. I got very little out of this book.
August 2, 2017
It's really hard for me to give this book a solid rating, and it might change. Crow Blue by Adriana Lisboa chronicles the life of a displaced thirteen year old; Vanja and her journey as she is coming to terms with her mother's death as well as being on a mission to find her biological father. She ends up staying with her stepdad, Fernando, a former guerrilla, who has a significant influence on the way this story is told, and that is where my problem lies with this book.
*minor spoilers* (but no story is given away)
The narration of the book switches between a first person perspective of Vanja and a seemingly omnipresent third person perspective who accounts history on the Araguaia Guerrilla War and a little bit on Fernando's part in it, but very little. I always dreaded the sections on the way, because its purpose was mostly to info-dump the reader with history and thus fill the pages, rather than actually give depth to the character of Fernando, which is, I think, the intended purpose of these passages. And so overall, the transition from Vanja's story to, basically, text out of a history textbook felt jarring, and slightly awkward; there was no established connection between Fernando's past in the war to Fernando's present and hence to Vanja.
If the book was comprised of only Vanja's perspective I would have easily given this book a solid 4 stars, maybe a 5. I absolutely ADORED her as the novel's protagonist. Her outlook on life and growing up were so spot on, I would find myself nodding vigorously at her accurate observations of adults and empathizing with her concerns about growing up and how it happened. She was also very clever; her thoughts a conglomeration of -very- quotable prose and giggle-worthy sarcasm. And boy, little Carlos has me cracking up on multiple occasions. I don't know if I have ever read such an accurately written 9-1o year old (or however old he was). Fernando was likable as a character, but the aforementioned lack of connection to his war-ridden past had me frustrated.
I thought the ending of book was appropriate given how realistic the book was supposed to be, and the author's ability to shift in between time-periods and thus give the reader a bigger outlook on the lives of the characters and what happens to them years later, but I think the synopsis on the back of the book is very misleading and makes one go into this book with expectations that will not necessarily be met. This book does not focus on the search for Vanja's father, let me just tell you that now if you are planning on reading this book. It is more of an exploration of family, culture, belonging, and what it means to grow up under unexpected circumstances. If one was to ignore the dull anecdotes about the Araguaia War throughout the book, then this would just be a coming of age story, and a beautiful one at that.
(Rio de Janeiro, Brazil to Colorado, USA)
*minor spoilers* (but no story is given away)
The narration of the book switches between a first person perspective of Vanja and a seemingly omnipresent third person perspective who accounts history on the Araguaia Guerrilla War and a little bit on Fernando's part in it, but very little. I always dreaded the sections on the way, because its purpose was mostly to info-dump the reader with history and thus fill the pages, rather than actually give depth to the character of Fernando, which is, I think, the intended purpose of these passages. And so overall, the transition from Vanja's story to, basically, text out of a history textbook felt jarring, and slightly awkward; there was no established connection between Fernando's past in the war to Fernando's present and hence to Vanja.
If the book was comprised of only Vanja's perspective I would have easily given this book a solid 4 stars, maybe a 5. I absolutely ADORED her as the novel's protagonist. Her outlook on life and growing up were so spot on, I would find myself nodding vigorously at her accurate observations of adults and empathizing with her concerns about growing up and how it happened. She was also very clever; her thoughts a conglomeration of -very- quotable prose and giggle-worthy sarcasm. And boy, little Carlos has me cracking up on multiple occasions. I don't know if I have ever read such an accurately written 9-1o year old (or however old he was). Fernando was likable as a character, but the aforementioned lack of connection to his war-ridden past had me frustrated.
I thought the ending of book was appropriate given how realistic the book was supposed to be, and the author's ability to shift in between time-periods and thus give the reader a bigger outlook on the lives of the characters and what happens to them years later, but I think the synopsis on the back of the book is very misleading and makes one go into this book with expectations that will not necessarily be met. This book does not focus on the search for Vanja's father, let me just tell you that now if you are planning on reading this book. It is more of an exploration of family, culture, belonging, and what it means to grow up under unexpected circumstances. If one was to ignore the dull anecdotes about the Araguaia War throughout the book, then this would just be a coming of age story, and a beautiful one at that.
(Rio de Janeiro, Brazil to Colorado, USA)
July 9, 2020
O romance de Adriana Lisboa é narrado principalmente pela personagem Vanja, que, aos treze anos e após a morte da mãe (Suzana), se muda para os Estados Unidos para viver com Fernando, ex-marido da mãe, e procurar Daniel, seu pai. O encontro com Daniel, apenas mencionado ao fim da trama, se torna secundário à medida que Vanja se aproxima de Fernando, do menino vizinho Carlos e de antigas amigas de Suzana. A Vanja que narra essa história, ainda que reproduza a percepção e lógica infantil, tem vinte dois anos, o que se percebe através das revelações que ela faz sobre o futuro (seu presente) dos personagens. As memórias de Vanja, então, se entrelaçam com outra história, a da guerrilha do Araguaia, narrada em terceira pessoa.
O principal ponto de contato entre essas duas histórias é Fernando, desertor da guerrilha que vivera e dentro da qual se apaixonara. Há, no entanto, várias desconexões entre as duas narrativas: Fernando foi guerrilheiro antes de conhecer e se casar com Suzana e se separou dela antes de Vanja nascer. Além disso, a ditadura militar brasileira já acabara há anos quando Vanja se muda para a casa dele. As aproximações entre as duas histórias aparecem mais sutilmente: Vanja perde Suzana de maneira súbita e definitiva e, mesmo que esse não seja seu objetivo mais explícito, tenta construir memórias sobre a mãe a partir das respostas de seus amigos. Assim também é que o romance reconstrói a guerrilha do Araguaia como um capítulo de uma história nacional à qual Vanja não tinha dado muita atenção na escola. Ambas as reconstruções dialogam com a ideia de repetição. Assim como Suzana, Vanja também perde a mãe cedo e se muda para os Estados Unidos; Suzana abandona Fernando como ele havia abandonado a guerrilha e sua companheira Manuela. As narrativas não são saudosistas: há uma crítica e um distanciamento em relação ao passado.
Foi interessante observar que Azul-corvo segue o que parece ser uma tendência contemporânea na representação da resistência: o foco nas relações interpessoais e afetivas que muitas vezes ficavam à margem dos manifestos desse movimento. Não há um juízo de valor da guerrilha (da ditadura sim: atrocidades disfarçadas de progresso), apenas a possibilidade de mostrar a humanidade de seus integrantes.
O principal ponto de contato entre essas duas histórias é Fernando, desertor da guerrilha que vivera e dentro da qual se apaixonara. Há, no entanto, várias desconexões entre as duas narrativas: Fernando foi guerrilheiro antes de conhecer e se casar com Suzana e se separou dela antes de Vanja nascer. Além disso, a ditadura militar brasileira já acabara há anos quando Vanja se muda para a casa dele. As aproximações entre as duas histórias aparecem mais sutilmente: Vanja perde Suzana de maneira súbita e definitiva e, mesmo que esse não seja seu objetivo mais explícito, tenta construir memórias sobre a mãe a partir das respostas de seus amigos. Assim também é que o romance reconstrói a guerrilha do Araguaia como um capítulo de uma história nacional à qual Vanja não tinha dado muita atenção na escola. Ambas as reconstruções dialogam com a ideia de repetição. Assim como Suzana, Vanja também perde a mãe cedo e se muda para os Estados Unidos; Suzana abandona Fernando como ele havia abandonado a guerrilha e sua companheira Manuela. As narrativas não são saudosistas: há uma crítica e um distanciamento em relação ao passado.
Foi interessante observar que Azul-corvo segue o que parece ser uma tendência contemporânea na representação da resistência: o foco nas relações interpessoais e afetivas que muitas vezes ficavam à margem dos manifestos desse movimento. Não há um juízo de valor da guerrilha (da ditadura sim: atrocidades disfarçadas de progresso), apenas a possibilidade de mostrar a humanidade de seus integrantes.
February 19, 2021
Following her mother's death, Vanja arrives in Colorado at the age of thirteen, uprooting herself from her home in Brazil to live with Fernando, her mother's first husband. Though her ultimate hope is to find her biological father, the novel takes a touching, meandering path toward that end. Vanja finds Lakewood, a suburb of Denver, to be nothing like Rio, but she acclimatizes fairly easily (though she can't help but compare her new � odd, yet sort of charming � environs with her former idyllic life on Copacabana Beach). Vanja's narrative includes a colorful cast of supporting characters, but it is also interrupted by the darker, parallel story of Fernando's past. The book is beautifully and delicately written. One quibble, which is perhaps more on the translator, is the frequent use of the phrase "as if" � unfortunately, as happens with these things, once I started to notice it, I began seeing it constantly.
July 6, 2024
Adriana Lisboa, said to be one of the leading contemporary authors in Latin America. I decide to read her book Crow Blue � a combination, I discover, of both a coming-of-age tale and a sociocultural-focused narrative of understanding one’s place in the world through one’s roots. It is an interesting book, but there always lies danger when a grownup writes in a teenager’s voice, which is precisely what happens with this book. The protagonist is a 13-year girl who loses her mother and is whisked away to live in the US with her stepfather � who happened to be a guerrilla during the dictatorship in Brazil. It does not make complete sense that she would go to live with him in the US but hey, stranger things have happened. It effectively describes the experience of an immigrant and the sense of being trapped between two worlds; this is the sphere in which the book reads the most smoothly. The story is fed from Adriana’s own experience living as an immigrant in Colorado (albeit in much more privileged circumstances than the characters in the book, which often creates a slight sense of artificiality). For me, the sentiment of the book functions better than the narrative � there are excellent moments to the story, however there are also sections that do not carry across so well. A bit like life itself.
I read this book as part of our project Virtual Nomad that explores and celebrates food, writing, cinema and music from different countries.
I read this book as part of our project Virtual Nomad that explores and celebrates food, writing, cinema and music from different countries.
June 13, 2018
Denne boka brukte jeg overraskende mye tid på, tatt i betraktning hvor tynn og liten den ser ut. Og det skyldes rett og slett at jeg syntes den var drepende kjedelig. Altfor mye pjatt, skravl og rotete framstilt. Lite engasjerende karakterer, og dårlig framdrift i historien. Det som da sikkert burde fokuseres rundt Vanja tok avsporinger i alle retninger, om Fernando, om Carlos, om June, om Manuela - og ikke minst mye bla bla bla om gerilja-virksomhet i skogen i Brasil.
KJE.DE.LIG. Den påstår å være en historie full av varme og kjærlighet, men jeg syntes det var en langdryg historie full av unødvendig fyllstoff og snikksnakk.
Denne kommer jeg ikke til å lese igjen, ikke til å anbefale videre og er sjeldent nok en bok jeg er overlykkelig over å være ferdig med. (Men jaggu trasset jeg meg til å lese hele. Liker antageligvis selvpining.)
KJE.DE.LIG. Den påstår å være en historie full av varme og kjærlighet, men jeg syntes det var en langdryg historie full av unødvendig fyllstoff og snikksnakk.
Denne kommer jeg ikke til å lese igjen, ikke til å anbefale videre og er sjeldent nok en bok jeg er overlykkelig over å være ferdig med. (Men jaggu trasset jeg meg til å lese hele. Liker antageligvis selvpining.)
March 14, 2019
"Crow Blue", by Adriana Lisboa. Category: A book set in Brazil. Translated from the Portuguese by Alison Entrekin. Lisboa ia an up and coming writer in Brazil, also a musician and a sort off Renaissance person. This one is set half in Brazil and half in Colorado and New Mexico. A child seeks her other family, after her mother dies. There is a painful and deep insight to the war between the Military Junta and the communist guerrillas some 40 yrs ago. She uses language wonderfully (and has a great translator), painting realities you can easily imagine. Good book, and I still felt something missing. It is sort of like she paints a masterful still-life, and left me wanting more action or movement.
February 21, 2021
A historia se trata de uma garota, Eva, que busca o seu pai depois da morte da sua mãe. Ela mora no Rio de Janeiro mas se muda para os Estados Unidos para morar com o ex-marido da sua mãe. O ex-marido era guerrilheiro comunista quando era mais jovem e tem muitos flashbacks durante a história sobre sua luta na mata brasileira contra o governo e também do seu primeiro amor que conheceu aí, entretanto não acho que tenha relevância para a história. Acho que a ideia é para o leitor conhecer mais o personagem, mas acho que isso não melhora a narrativa. Gostaria de saber mais sobre a história de Eva, sobre tudo da sua vida actual e sua vida depois da busca pelo seu pai ao invés de flashbacks na mata. Apesar disso, em geral gosto do livro e do personagem de Eva.
January 25, 2019
Livro interessante e bastante cinematográfico com um tema central pouco explorado - brasileiros no exterior à procura de um recomeço. Algumas passagens me pareceram desnecessárias; a autora busca criar um ar poético com sua prosa excessivamente rebuscada e a última parte do livro vira uma confusão de pulos temporais com o mesmo ponto de partida e chegada (algo provavelmente intencional numa tentativa de manter o fôlego até a última página). Embora a autora faça uma abordagem interessante sobre os conflitos no Araguaia durante a Ditadura Militar, eu teria gostado mais da leitura se conhecesse melhor outros personagens.
August 17, 2019
Sometimes I need to paraphrase Paul Simon - "Slow down you read too fast. You gotta make the novel last." So it is with 'Crow Blue', a novel to be read sentence at a time because each sentence might be a little poem. Or it might not.
This is a lovely book. Written in the first person there are two, almost distinct, voices. The one of thirteen years - curious, cute, exploring, mixed-up - the other, of 21, now grown-up and reflective. There is a plot. Well, more than one actually. The plotlines enmesh (it's a word the character discovers).
Translated sensitively from Portuguese by an Australian. Surprise--an Australian? Why should I be surprised? Cultural cringe?
This is a lovely book. Written in the first person there are two, almost distinct, voices. The one of thirteen years - curious, cute, exploring, mixed-up - the other, of 21, now grown-up and reflective. There is a plot. Well, more than one actually. The plotlines enmesh (it's a word the character discovers).
Translated sensitively from Portuguese by an Australian. Surprise--an Australian? Why should I be surprised? Cultural cringe?
March 29, 2019
Started off good enough but became a jumbled mess of flashbacks from so many different voices I wasn't sure who was narrating. I did learn a bit about Brazil and Colorado, two places I have not been to but surely I could have discovered them in a better way than this mess. Vanja was not a likable character so that made it difficult to stick with the story.
January 31, 2021
Having finished this book I am grateful for only one thing I did not pay for it. Supposedly the story of How Vanja left Rio to travel to Colorado in search of her father. In actuality it is a mess of narrative knotted and having little or no relevance to this search. It has neither narrative or characterisation to support this tangled mess - this is one author i won't seek out again
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