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A review by booksbythewindow
Trafalgar by Angélica Gorodischer
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
For full review: https://booksbythewindow.wordpress.com/2022/08/10/trafalgar/
Summary: The eponymous Trafalgar is a travelling merchant, journeying to far off planets and solar systems to sell things from Earth to whoever he happens to come across. Trafalgar is comprised of a series of short stories, each of which involves Trafalgar telling one of his friends all about one of his many adventures. The narrative is told from the perspective of one of Trafalgar’s friends, probably from the perspective of Angélica Gorodischer’s self-insert character, although this aspect of the novel was never particularly clear to me. The narrator is often retelling encounters with Trafalgar which she was not present for, sharing stories which have clearly been told and retold by the friends of Trafalgar who are so fascinated by him.
Overall Thoughts: There were some elements of Trafalgar that I enjoyed, but for the most part I found this short novel to be a slow read with characters that I could not connect or sympathise with. The character of Trafalgar is in no way sympathetic: a womanising attention-seeker who seems to have little respect for the different people and cultures that he meets along the way, particularly the women who he sees solely as sexual objects. I disliked the character of Trafalgar from the very first story and my opinion of him only worsened as the novel continued. There is no doubt that Gorodischer is a strong writer, and there were definitely elements of Trafalgar that I enjoyed, the final chapter and final lines in particular. Gorodischer’s descriptions of each planet, through Trafalgar’s words, paint a really clear picture of the different cultures and societies, with each feeling completely distinct from the others.
Summary: The eponymous Trafalgar is a travelling merchant, journeying to far off planets and solar systems to sell things from Earth to whoever he happens to come across. Trafalgar is comprised of a series of short stories, each of which involves Trafalgar telling one of his friends all about one of his many adventures. The narrative is told from the perspective of one of Trafalgar’s friends, probably from the perspective of Angélica Gorodischer’s self-insert character, although this aspect of the novel was never particularly clear to me. The narrator is often retelling encounters with Trafalgar which she was not present for, sharing stories which have clearly been told and retold by the friends of Trafalgar who are so fascinated by him.
Overall Thoughts: There were some elements of Trafalgar that I enjoyed, but for the most part I found this short novel to be a slow read with characters that I could not connect or sympathise with. The character of Trafalgar is in no way sympathetic: a womanising attention-seeker who seems to have little respect for the different people and cultures that he meets along the way, particularly the women who he sees solely as sexual objects. I disliked the character of Trafalgar from the very first story and my opinion of him only worsened as the novel continued. There is no doubt that Gorodischer is a strong writer, and there were definitely elements of Trafalgar that I enjoyed, the final chapter and final lines in particular. Gorodischer’s descriptions of each planet, through Trafalgar’s words, paint a really clear picture of the different cultures and societies, with each feeling completely distinct from the others.