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The Savage Detectives
- A Novel
- Narrated by: Eddie Lopez, Armando Durán
- Length: 26 hrs and 57 mins
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The Savage Detectives
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Summary
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Editor reviews
Confused? Exhilarated? A little of both? Welcome to the world of Roberto Bolaño, the late, great Chilean novelist whose popularity continues to rise despite his untimely death in 2003 at the age of 50.
For many Bolaño fans, especially in this country, all the excitement started here with The Savage Detectives, a sprawling, sexy, melancholy, kinetic, kaleidoscopic frenzy that clocks in at over 27 hours. First off, this is not a detective book. So if you're looking for a straightforward whodunit, look elsewhere. The only detective here is the listener, who must carefully follow along as Bolaño's novel takes one unlikely twist and turn after another.
Fans of Haruki Murakami and Thomas Pynchon will love Bolaño's literary acrobatics. On a literal level, The Savage Detectives is simply a series of first-person monologues delivered by dozens of different people. At first, the novel's focus seems unclear. But gradually, the plot begins to revolve around two "poets" (although some characters say they're nothing more than glorified drug dealers) who revive a branch of poetry called Visceral Realism: Ulises Lima and Arturo Belano, who may (or may not) be the author's adventurous alter ego. Some characters know both men well. Others have brief encounters with them that last only days or hours. Some characters love or revere them. Others dismiss them as crackpots or lunatics. This multi-faceted narrative paints a vivid portrait of both men. And yet, the more we learn about them, the more mysterious they become.
The audiobook (with text translated from Spanish into English) features two readers. Eddie Lopez performs the part of a precocious college student who initially appears to be the novel's sole narrator. But roughly a quarter of the way into the book, Armando Durán brings to life a choir of voices spanning several decades and continents. Durán deserves a gold medal for this amazing feat, making each monologue sound distinct and believable, no matter the accent, age, gender, or mood of the speaker.
Getting into the chaotic rhythm of The Savage Detectives may take some time to adjust to for some listeners. But once you're tuned in, you'll experience one of the most thrilling, satisfying literary rides of your life. Ken Ross
Critic reviews
What listeners say about The Savage Detectives
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
- Bluesview
- 10-09-11
The Savage Detectives - a journey
This is very different, very sexual in parts but not gratuitously so. The book slowly becomes addictive and I found no trouble listening to long tracts at a time. It is not written in a form I have come across before: the story evolving from the narratives of the various characters but each character is convincing and it did not occur to me that Bolano obviously created each separate character. The female parts are read by the 'male' narrators, which through me when I first realised it was happening but I got used to it and quite enjoyed this aspect of the narration. The narrators are excellent and, of course, there is not the requirement to figure out the pronunciation of the Spanish, where it occurs. It is a wonderful book, yes it is long but as it progresses one is the more pleased for the length and sad when it reaches its conclusion. Everything is convincing. Read it - it will stay with you.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Malcolm
- 26-10-20
Savagely Brilliant
This novel, particularly in its audiobook form, is spellbinding and alive with life itself. The narrator brings the interwoven narratives to life with a crackling voice that was better than my own internal reading voice. It's a visceral and sensual story packed with politics, people, poetry and sex. Listen to it and fall in love with Roberto Bolano's visions of a Latin America very few of us know but a humanity we all recognise.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
- Welsh Mafia
- 14-08-10
Ulises' Homeric Epic
A brilliant introduction or primer for South American literature, infused with Spanish sensitivities and pre-occupations. This book drifts on and on, beautifully written easy to follow but ultimately difficult to fathom, leaving the reader to wonder where they have sailed to and what is the meaning and message of it all....if in fact the purpose of the Visceral Realists is that there is no message and meaning, since there is no poetry. Much as Murakami has done for modern Japanese writing, so too Bolano seems to have taken an important step in bringing the world of Chile, Colombia and Mexico City into the cosmopolitan mainstream literati cosmos. The world so familiar and yet so fresh shouts and whispers out from the page and left me wanting more - forward and back to explore the early works and look forward to picking up 2666 later this summer. As with all new challenges, hard work to work hard through this novel, but new, exciting and very rewarding to get to know Bolano.
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Niels Geybels
- 09-12-22
Great story!
This is required reading for all Bolaño fans. I enjoyed this a lot, but 2666 might be his magnum opus.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance3 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Rowan the author
- 09-03-24
Quality of writing
An infernal, confusing, inspirational book with touches of genius and long passages, meandering. Deeply influenced by borges also original… Wondrous strictly for lovers of literature and even then quite a pain in the ass but I’m glad I’ve done it. Very very well read indeed !!!!
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
- Moose Molloy
- 05-10-09
Discover a whole new world of fiction
After a relatively accessible and direct opening section, the plot abandons itself to a succession of non-chronological witness statements which eventually interact to produce a gripping, disconcerting novel. For anyone tired of the heavy hand of Anglo-saxon conformity this book will be most welcome, as long as you can see the humour in it - if you don't laugh somewhere early on, give it up. But it's also a 'serious' work of fiction in every sense.
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4 people found this helpful
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
- nasim
- 07-04-13
just like Borges
An avid reader, Bolaño often expressed his love for Borges and Cortázar's work, and once concluded an overview of contemporary Argentinian literature by saying that "one should read Borges more.
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Overall1 out of 5 stars
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Performance1 out of 5 stars
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Story1 out of 5 stars
- Amazon Customer
- 07-05-19
Waste of time.
Had to give up half way through, there's a chapter where every second sentence is someone German dude saying "my good friend ulises", and I couldnt bring myself to listen any longer. do yourself a favour and don't get this.
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Overall1 out of 5 stars
- Curates egg
- 15-06-10
Or on the other hand.....
Being Latin American and award winning ought not to be a passport to universal acclaim.
Despite being extremely well narrated, this remains a deeply boring tale about unattractive characters. 'Real' they may be....even 'visceral'...that doesn't make them beings that you want populating your imagination.
Lots of four letter words and strong sexual references make this not the audio to have on in the kitchen while the family has dinner!
My advice? If you want to move out of the Anglo Saxon arena try Carlos Ruiz Zafon. As for me ? I think it?s back to Miss Marple for an hour or two to wash my mind out!
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall1 out of 5 stars
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Performance1 out of 5 stars
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Story1 out of 5 stars
- Clare
- 12-09-13
Not for me
Would you try another book written by Roberto Bolaño or narrated by Eddie Lopez and Armando Durán ?
perhaps I should persist but I'm not going to not a book for me, it might be the names (unfamiliar to my western ear) but I found this very difficult to follow
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