Usually my comments focus on an author's skills, characters, and/or style. Not so today. Although I will give a quick nod to Atunes' remarkable literary gifts, that isn't what stood out to me in reading this work. What struck me was my emotional reaction. The last several chapters were difficult for me to read. In those chapters Atunes turns his attention to his character's reactions to aging, loss, death, and memory. Now in my 70's and having far too much time to ponder these topics, I struggled to cope with the intensity and accuracy of Atunes' portrayal of these challenges. I did not read the words as much as I shared the emotions of the characters on a very personal level. For these characters, as for me, there aren't any easy answers.

Even if you aren't in a point in life to share that experience, I would still recommend the book as an extraordinary, albeit challenging,read. ( )

Evocative exploration of mid-late 20th century Portugal, particularly in relation to the Carnation Revolution. Review at: whisperinggums.wordpress.com: http://whisperinggums.wordpress.com/2009/09/08/antonio-lobo-antunes-the-natural-... ( )