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The Old Man Who Read Love Stories Paperback – July 14, 1995

by Luis Sepúlveda (Author)
4.7 4.7 out of 5 stars 155 ratings
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In a remote river town deep in the Ecuadoran jungle, Antonio José Bolívar seeks refuge in amorous novels. But tourists and opportunists are making inroads into the area, and the balance of nature is making a dangerous shift. Translated by Peter Bush.
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Previous page
  1. Print length
    144 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publication date
    July 14, 1995
  4. Dimensions
    5.25 x 0.36 x 8 inches
  5. ISBN-10
    0156002728
  6. ISBN-13
    978-0156002721
  7. See all details
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Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

In a remote Ecuadorean river town, an elderly widower-who finds comfort in reading romance novels brought to him by the visiting dentist-joins in the hunt for an enraged ocelot whose cubs were killed by a gold prospector.
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Mariner Books; First Edition (July 14, 1995)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 144 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0156002728
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0156002721
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 4.3 ounces
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.25 x 0.36 x 8 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.7 4.7 out of 5 stars 155 ratings

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  1. Peter Bush

    Peter Bush

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  2. Luis Sepulveda

    Luis Sepulveda

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Customer reviews

4.7 out of 5 stars
4.7 out of 5
155 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars Great read!
Reviewed in the United States on January 23, 2024
Verified Purchase
Got back to this book after reading it over 25 years ago. So good! Sepulveda never fails!
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Driftless Dame
5.0 out of 5 stars Loved this book
Reviewed in the United States on February 6, 2024
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This tiny little thing packs a punch! There are so many nuances in this beautiful book! There are characters, you love and characters, you love to hate! And the best news is, it’s a short little read that leaves you wanting more.
One person found this helpful
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c
5.0 out of 5 stars Compelling story, gorgeous writing.
Reviewed in the United States on July 8, 2019
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Vivid, crisp and poetic. Has that South American almost-but-not-quite fantasy feel. Somehow rich and spare at the same time.

An engrossing story that conveys some of the ways experience can shape perspective. It touches on cultural and environmental issues and on consciousness, but the story is front and center and the book is hard to put down.

A lot of writing pontiffs say that one should never to open a story with the weather. This is an example of why some rules were made to be broken. If you can write like Sepulveda, open however you please.
4 people found this helpful
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malik chisolm
4.0 out of 5 stars the story is good so far
Reviewed in the United States on March 1, 2016
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the story is good so far. I am not good at analyze a book, but my experience with the story, is so far good.
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Bre
5.0 out of 5 stars Best Assigned Reading Book
Reviewed in the United States on December 12, 2016
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This was a very good book that I had to read for my English 101 course. My professor picked the book because it was the shortest book and based on her previous students they tended to like this book compared to the other reading list options.

Sepulveda's writing style is very descriptive and captivating, The different character voices had me in awe as they didn't all sound the same. I have never stepped foot in a jungle let alone one in Ecuador.

There are eight chapters total in the book and I'm sure it could be read in under 3 days total. There are very graphic and violent scenes that can be little disturbing throughout the book. There is strong language in this book which expresses a variety of curse words but does not contain any F-bombs. There is also sexual content but mostly expressing the differences in culture.

I do not recommend this book to younger audiences such as under highschool age. But to anyone else I DO recommend to give this book a chance and by the end of the first chapter the real stuff literally had me turning the pages. Sepulveda;s characters are very 3-dimensional espcially the old man.
3 people found this helpful
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nala
5.0 out of 5 stars 100% worth the two hours it will take you to read
Reviewed in the United States on August 16, 2023
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One of my favorite books of all time
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Jenna
5.0 out of 5 stars Great Book
Reviewed in the United States on January 26, 2022
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I had to read this book for a class, expecting to be bored out of my mind, but I could not put it down. Although a short read, a great book. Very graphic descriptions but overall, loved the story behind it.
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BookCocktails dotcom
5.0 out of 5 stars Natives Know Best
Reviewed in the United States on September 21, 2010
Verified Purchase
Antonio Jose Bolivar Proano aka "old man" forgot he knew how to read. Reading had been so foreign to him. The only time he read was during election time which occurred very seldom in El Idilio==a town with few inhabitants. Being able to read was a requirement for voting, a process Antonio did not fully understand. It was not until two government officials set up a table to give the inhabitants of El Idilio the opportunity to cast their secret ballot for the upcoming presidential election that Antonio remembered he could read. This new and exciting revelation sent Antonio on a mission to find books he could enjoy reading.

"It was the most important discovery of his whole life. He could read. He possessed the antidote to the deadly poison of old age. He could read. But he had nothing to read."

After traveling to El Dorado and going through numerous books in the library, Antonio finally comes across a book that keeps his attention.

Sepulveda takes the story further inserting wit, humor, and sarcasm, to explore the issues of a "civilized population" attempt to belittle and force their way of life on unsuspecting natives or the "uncivilized population." Though it is the "uncivilized population" who have mastered and understands what it takes to live in the jungles, it is the "civilized population" who finds themselves inept in surviving the same terrains.
2 people found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

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Kitsunebi
5.0 out of 5 stars Come da descrizione
Reviewed in Italy on February 10, 2021
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Perfetto
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Kizzy_123
5.0 out of 5 stars Lovely story!
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on July 4, 2020
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I highly recommend this book. I loved it. It's only a short story but I didn't want it to end. Nothing complicated. A simple story wonderfully told.
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5.0 out of 5 stars A Desert Island Pick.
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on January 14, 2017
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A book i consider a literary and personal reference.
One of the books that has touched me the most. Sepulveda's writing is grounded in deep humanism and humility.
And his humanism is one which embraces the Earth and the consciousness of the natural world.
This book is sadly, so relevant to our off-kilter times. The forests are crying.
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Stefano
4.0 out of 5 stars Emozionante
Reviewed in Italy on September 9, 2013
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Bello ed interessante, semplice e lineare porta il lettore in una realtà totalmente diversa al di là del mondo..decisamente consigliato
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Davinder
4.0 out of 5 stars Good
Reviewed in Germany on April 13, 2021
Verified Purchase
Delivery/price is good. The book is a bit hard to read.
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