Fragmented
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Overall, a rather disappointing book, though the writing is quite good and there are particularly good passages/sections throughout. The trouble is that 'Alentejo Blue' is a fragmented novel with no real central narrative drive or plot to pull together the disparate strands. It reads like a collection of linked short stories set in the same Portuguese area.
Each chapter focusses on a different character living or staying in Alentejo. Inevitably with any book of this kind, some characters are more interesting and easy to identify with than others. I found the first two sections particularly hard going and almost stopped reading, although some of the subsequent sections were better.
I've never been to the area so can't comment on accuracy, but I wouldn't say that it was particularly strongly invoked. With a book of this kind, where location is the unifying theme, you would hope to finish reading and feel like you've visited yourself. But I can't say that I really know much more about Alentejo than before, except that it is hot and rural, which I could probably have guessed.
Every time I felt like I was getting to know a character and becoming interested in their story, their section finished and another character was introduced. I felt I had little 'investment' in the book and this meant I wasn't excited about getting home to read it. The one very tenuous linking storyline was the anticipated return of a wealthy local man, but this wasn't much exploited and the ultimate conclusion was flat, dull and disappointing. I found the returnee character extremely unbelivable as well.
I would say that Ali is a good writer in terms of style, and I would try another of her books. But this novel (if you can call it that) lacks the coherency to make it anything more than an OK read.
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How does she do it?
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This book is awesome. I'm a Brit living in Canada but have been intimately connected with the south of Portugal since the 60s.
I can't begin to fathom how Monica Ali did it. She got into the minds, language, innuendo and naked emotion of the Alentejo to give us a refreshing, behind the scenes, look at this loveable parallel world. If you don't love this book it's because you just don't get it. Do yourself a favor and read it. It's everything that "facing reality" isn't.
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Not sure if this is actually a novel...
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Alentejo Blue is certainly a work of fiction which runs for just shy of 300 pages - but that isn't enough to make a novel. It's really more like a collection of short stories all set in the same rural Portuguese village. There is occasionally some wonderful use of language in the description, but this fails to make up for the fact that it just doesn't hang together. I can't help feeling that it would have been a more absorbing and satisfying read if more time and attention had been given to fewer characters, rather than skimming the surface and risking stereoptype and characature in the process. Or perhaps the range of characters and perspectives would work if there were a strong plot driving there interactions, but ultimately this is a book about a place where nothing happens. I hope Ali can pull something rather meatier out of the bag for her next offering.
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A worthy successor
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I have to admit I only bought this book because I loved Brick Lane so much. I have never been to Portugal so have no idea if these interlinked stories are representative of a way of life. However, I did enjoy it. This is a very different book to Brick Lane - rather than being drawn into a very tightly knit family - here we are given a brief but intense look at many different people all linked by the village they live in (or pass through). There is no logical conclusion to the stories we hear but the lack of a contrived ending only makes each story more believable. They are not written as separate short stories but Ali has shown that her writing skill could be used in this medium. A page turner but a very different experince to Brick Lane.
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Go and read something less boring instead
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Having loved Brick Lane I was very eager to read this but it was a huge disappointment - so much so that I don't normally write reviews for Amazon but I am compelled to say "save your money!"
This book comes with a very big "So what?!" It reads like a random collection of short stories which are badly thought out, lacking in plot and with weak characters. There are character links between the stories but they are so shallow and predictable.
Like most books I read, I could not wait to finish this book- but for all the wrong reasons - it is boring and I actually became desperate to get my teeth into something decent and revive my dying brain cells.
As for the insight to the Alentejo region.... it feels like Ms Ali was struggling for an idea for her second book, and so whilst on a two week holiday to the region she came up with the not so bright idea of Alentejo Blue. My cat's water bowl has more depth and her research appears to be nothing more than hiring a villa in the region for a fortnight and walking around blindfolded with ear plugs in.
Sadly, we see this all too often... great first novel plus a two book deal / huge pressure to deliver to the same level equals total flop.
It is no great surprise to say that I won't be recommending this to anyone.
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United States | 
United Kingdom | 
Canada