The High Mountains of Portugal

A Novel

De: Yann Martel

Narrado por: Mark Bramhall

Duración: 10 h y 52 m

Resumen del Editor

The author of the best-selling Life of Pi returns to the storytelling power and luminous wisdom of his master novel.

In Lisbon in 1904, a young man named Tomás discovers an old journal. It hints at the existence of an extraordinary artifact that - if he can find it - would redefine history. Traveling in one of Europe's earliest automobiles, he sets out in search of this strange treasure.

Thirty-five years later, a Portuguese pathologist devoted to the murder mysteries of Agatha Christie finds himself at the center of a mystery of his own and drawn into the consequences of Tomás' quest.

Fifty years on, a Canadian senator takes refuge in his ancestral village in Northern Portugal, grieving the loss of his beloved wife. But he arrives with an unusual companion: a chimpanzee. And there the century-old quest will come to an unexpected conclusion.

Filled with tenderness, humor, and endless surprise, The High Mountains of Portugal - part quest, part ghost story, part contemporary fable - offers a haunting exploration of great love and great loss, asking questions about faith and lack of faith that are at the heart of all of Yann Martel's novels.

©2015 Yann Martel (P)2015 Random House Audio

Reseñas de la Crítica

"Narrator Mark Bramhall delivers a confident performance of Yann Martel's exploration of faith and personal tragedy.... Bramhall is achingly convincing as the grief-stricken Tomás." ( AudioFile)

A good light read

A story about the odd things people suffering from grief do; and how those actions affect others and intertwine. Three separate stories all connected by that same theme.

Still processing...

The High Mountains of Portugal is a book that stays with you. I just finished it and throughout the week I've pondered its meaning and tried to tie the story together and understand the symbolism. The reader is excellent and once again Mr. Martel has painted a beautiful story to mindfully and thoughtfully gaze upon.

This is NOT a book for all

If you could sum up The High Mountains of Portugal in three words, what would they be?

fascinating, bitter-sweet, touching

Which scene was your favorite?

the part of autonomy

If you could rename The High Mountains of Portugal, what would you call it?

I won't change a word!

Any additional comments?

This is NOT a book for all. It's a book for whoever searching for believes or meanings of life.
I enjoyed a lot during the reading.

I'm NOT a believer. I'm Chinese. But cultural difference doesn't stop me enjoy reading this book. I have certain knowledge of Buddhism, Daoism, and Christianism, and I can find them all within this book. For me, the ultimate goal of any religion(even psychology) is to give you inner peace, consolation, and I can find those in this book. Religion is only the skin the author use to convey his idea, and much more were showed beneath it.

So, I suggest those who want to read this book but are religion-averse, to keep this in mind: it's not about religion, it's about the pain everyone might encounter, and ways to deal with it, and the rare sparkles in life. If you can focus on those feelings, you won't mind much if the language is religious or non-religious, or if the author is trying to propagandize religion or not.

One more reason of me loving this book is that the second part talks about Agatha Christie's book and the theory the author made to explain why everyone is guilty in the bible is a mind blown to me. It actually makes a lot of sense.

Masterful weaving of a storyline.

Plot was tight, intertwined sequential narratives; theme spiritual searching and religious questioning. A book that had me thinking and feeling, all the while enjoying the story.

Very different book.

Read this book for a book club. It was not an easy book to get through. Writing, creativity and symbolism was amazing. Gives you lots to think about and ponder! Bramhall was easy to listen too. Would I recommend it? Only if you are looking for a thought provoking book!

Very strange but very engaging.

Martel’s weird imagination gives us a very engaging book. The performance is excellent. I recommend.

Did not disappoint.

I have been haunted for years by the Life of Pi. This book had more of that weird, charming and sometimes unsettlingly dreaminess that I loved. Wonderful characters and although the pacing was somewhat uneven it did not lose my interest at any point.

Well - its kinda worth the read but ....

Would you recommend this book to a friend? Why or why not?

Maybe to the right person. Its quite contrived and hard to understand the point of its telling.

Would you ever listen to anything by Yann Martel again?

Maybe i love the life of Pi

What about Mark Bramhall’s performance did you like?

Hi performance was good the story was just lacking.

Could you see The High Mountains of Portugal being made into a movie or a TV series? Who should the stars be?

No

An Amazing Achievement

Would you listen to The High Mountains of Portugal again? Why?

Definitely. I've already listened to numerous parts of the book multiple times. The writing is beautiful. The magical realism needs to be experienced more than one time to catch multiple meanings.

What was one of the most memorable moments of The High Mountains of Portugal?

I cannot say without spoilers. Each of the 3 sections is quite memorable on its own. Together the three sections produce a sort of mystery. The ending was awesome.

Which character – as performed by Mark Bramhall – was your favorite?

If I say, I will spoil the last third of the novel. Actually in my Book Club, I will ask which was your favorite character. I predict multiple answers.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?

I fear that no film can equal the impact of this audible book.

Any additional comments?

This is a book that is meant to be savored and shared with friends. It spans comedy and tragedy, many of the great themes of life and love (human and animal love). A native Portuguese speaker must judge the performer's pronunciation of Portuguese, but it was very beautiful and musical to my uneducated ear. I LOVE THIS BOOK.

crazy magic

each individual story is compelling, but the tie- in at the conclusion...deeply satisfying to the soul