‘Dona Flor and Her Two Husbands’ Is a Spicy Brazilian Cinema Classic
Bruno Barreto’s romantic charmer Dona Flor and Her Two Husbands is rich with sensuous detail that fills every scene with dizzying amounts of culture, music, and atmosphere.
magic realism
‘Happy as Lazzaro’ Is a Subtly Affecting Epic Fable
Happy as Lazzaro is well-attuned to exploitation and misery, but it doesn’t beckon audiences to shed tears. The real vision is more cynical.
Rainbow Rowell’s ‘Landline’ Is Part Magic, Part Soap Opera, and All Popcorn
This novel plays hopscotch with different genres, and that’s part of its appeal.
Haruki Murakami’s ‘1Q84’ Creates a World that Bears a Question
Haruki Murakami’s 1Q84 is largely an excursion into the underbelly of the very strange. However, a great deal of satisfaction can be obtained simply by getting lost in this long novel’s push and pull.