877. Pereira Declares: A Testimony

Pereira Declares: A Testimony
Antonio Tabucchi
1994
Around 210 pages

We are bopping all over the place in 1994. I wonder how long we can go out without an English guy. If we get past three entries, it might be a record.

Our story follows Pereira, a journalist for the culture column of a small Lisbon newspaper, as he struggles with the dictatorial regime of Antonio Salazar. Tabucchi is Italian but fell in love with Portugal, which is completely understandable. I'm also not faithful to my homeland, and in another life I'm sure I was a little British schoolboy at Eton.

So I don't have a huge opinion on this one. I don't really know much about Portuguese history, and once again, the author took for granted that I knew more than I did, which is really quite flattering. I do love characters who devote their lives to literature, and I thought he handled the ending well. It was even optimistic, which is rare in these parts.

But I found the writing style to be a little stale, and I like more dialogue in my novels. So another entry that didn't offend me with its quality, but didn't knock my mismatched socks off either. 

RATING: ***--

Interesting Facts:

Adapted to film in 1996.

Salazar Slytherin was named after Antonio Salazar. Well, that's interesting to me at least.

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