Villa Pacifica by Kapka Kassabova

Villa Pacifica Reviews

• 
  Tripfiction

  Novel set on the West Coast of South America
  
  
  
  My review opens with a comment from the Villa Pacifica guestbook: “Everyone who stays here writes something down. Those who don’t, either never arrived, or never left”
  
  I had been eyeing this title up for a little while but there seem to be only a few copies on sale. Anyway, suffice it to say, I did eventually track one down and it is quite an unusual novel.
  
  Ute is a travel writer (Lonely Planet, no less) and arrives at the fairly luxurious Villa Pacifica with her husband Jerry. She is writing a travel guide and that is her main reason for being in the area. Jerry starts to enjoy the relaxed atmosphere and settles into a writing routine. She, on the other hand, is ready to explore and make her notes. Yet, she feels, something is not quite right.
  
  She wanders along the shore to Puerto Seco (meaning dry port), the local village which is dead, save for the local Cafe El Fin del Mundo – the end of the earth. Arid, end of the world it certainly is…. these names all filter into her subconscious and underline her unease about the area.
  
  At Villa Pacifica on the other side of the estuary is an animal sanctuary, where wild animals are given a home after being trafficked. It almost feels like a metaphor, the caged animals are almost like the caged people at the Villa Pacifica. Predator Max, from the USA, is someone who is larger than life and soon has the residents side stepping and avoiding him. His japes drag others into life-threatening situations.
  
  Ute suffers from outbreaks of eczema, it seems that this affliction is an outward expression of her internal emotional turmoil. Finally, El Niño hits and this is a storm that is well known for affecting the mental equilibrium of the people caught in its path….
  
  This is a novel that certainly has something about it. The author’s observational skills are good and she captures nuances. The story keeps a good pace and takes the reader on a journey through South America but also through Ute’s psyche where reality and dreamland cross over.
• 
  Jane

  I was really enjoying Villa Pacifica up until Part 3 when I had to reread it in case I had missed a vital part that gave me a clue as to what the hell was going on with Ute after she left Villa Pacifica in the rain storm and arrived in Agua Sagrada. The Postscript didn't shed any light either so for me it was a disappointing ending to a promising book. Maybe I should have read Part 3 after "rolling up a joint with some mossy-looking substance from a cloth pouch."
• 
  Karla Morín

  El libro tres me confundió, esta muy fumada esta historia... Chamanes, mariguana y latinos....
• 
  Jim

  "So, you are a writer?" Liz turned to Jerry. "What are you writing now?"
  "Well, I'm writing a story called Villa Pacifica," Jerry said. "It's about a bunch of strangers who are drawn together by chance in a place not too dissimilar to here."
  "Am I in it?" Tim wanted to know.
  "is it funny?" Eve asked.
  "What happens at the end? Max asked. "Somebody get killed?"

  This was an interesting book with a strange ending. There is a lot of geographical diversity here, the action is set in an eco retreat on the Pacific Coast of South America, in an unspecified country (could be Colombia, Ecuador or Peru). The protagonist, Ute is from Finland her husband is from England. There are a mix of nationalities at Villa Pacifica and the author herself was born in Bulgaria, educated in New Zealand and now lives in the Scottish Highlands.
  The relationships of the characters are strained and there is the dark brooding stormy menace of El Nino. The weird parts: I don't know if they arose from too many pot smoking sessions tsungki is mentioned or whether Ute's mind is playing tricks on her or if it is a play on magical realism. The author seems to provides us with a few alternate endings.
  This is a haunting and exotic tale, that will play on your mind long after you have put it down.
• 
  Jayne Charles

  What a fascinating, exotic, thought provoking book. So glad I read it. On the surface it's a story about stumbling upon a little-known holiday "resort" in the back of beyond in South America, and instructive as to the way "professional" travellers go about investigating a location, meeting and talking to the locals, not just following the beaten track. On another level it's a depiction of relationships in a literally and figuratively heated environment. There are some very compelling characters, notably Max the bighead you can't help but detest, and Carlos with his Gaucho hat, the guy everyone wants to go to bed with, even some of the men.
  
  There is something eerie about the place, but exactly what does not become clear until the very end. This is the sort of book that leaves a lasting impression on the reader. Some books I've forgotten six months after I've read them, but I've a feeling this one will stay with me for years.
  
• 
  Michael

  There's a haunting quality to the novel which reminds me of "State Of Wonder" by Ann Patchett and to a lesser extent, "The Beach" by Alex Garland. Yes you have a mysterious cluster of housing in the middle of the hills. There is a beach. There is a mountaintop. Hippies abound. Artisans. Animals.
  
  An interesting fact was that the book was originally published in New Zealand in 2010 but has been re-published for the UK market (modified?)
  
  Don't treat it as a page turner and you might be awashed/transported into the tropics. Just watch out for El Nino.
• 
  Tessa B

  
  
  The writing itself is good and yet by the end I found it very confusing and yet understood all at once... I'm glad that I read it but it has left me feeling hollow, maybe because of the confusing ending or maybe because the story is incredibly unnerving!
• 
  Thebanshees

  You spend 90% of the book asking yourself "gosh, when is something finally going to happen?" Then, in the last 10%, you get it's happening, it's happening, right there... but perhaps it was already too late :(
• 
  Clodagh

  Wow. This book turned out to be weird. I like it!
• 
  Linda

  Once I started this book I found it difficult to put down; I became drawn into and captivated by the developing story. The individual characters are vivid and believable, and their human frailties and strengths are well portrayed as they deal with the enforced intimacy of living in a luxury resort, set in an otherwise poverty stricken region.
  
  The story is haunting, full of tension, and the plot has many twists and turns, as well as moments of “madness”. It conveys an evocative sense of time and place, and I particularly enjoyed the “magic realism” underlying the story telling.
  
  I thought that the author’s use of metaphors and similes was generally well done, but occasionally one would strike me as rather over-blown, e.g. “the sun was an egg poached in the clouds”. However, this was a minor irritation because essentially I felt engaged by the writing and I find that I am still thinking about the characters and the story.
  
  
  
• 
  Lorrie

  I felt like the branding on this novel did it a disservice. I absolutely loved the story and the writing - haunting and strange and beautiful, like A Summer of Drowning by John Burnside, or State of Wonder by Ann Patchett. The cover art made it seem like popular 'women's fiction,' so my expectations were quite low.
  
  Absolutely gorgeous book.
• 
  BooksnFreshair (Poornima Apte)

  
  http://booksnfreshair.blogspot.com/20...
• 
  Cynthia

  Weird and cool book.
• 
  Ryan

  An entertaining 'light' read that immerses the reader in the heady scents and exotic locale of a fictional coastal region somewhere in South America. We follow the protagonist - a travel guide writer, and her WASPish husband as they meet the colorful and quirky characters on their adventure of exploration, both physical - into the astonishingly varied surrounding environs of dry and cloud forests, its beaches and sad little town; as well as uncovering the more spiritual and supernatural aspects of the place and its effects on their mental state.
  
  The story really takes a dramatic turn in the last few chapters, when it goes from the realm of travel writing into science fiction, as the concept of time itself is stretched and twisted such that the sequence of events becomes confused. One is left wondering if its really all in the character's head as she slowly loses her sanity and enters the spiritual dimension (with some help from artificial substances). There are also two endings to the story, open to the reader's intepretation, and purposefully ambiguous. A speedy and exciting page-turner of a climax that builds up very quickly from the langorous beginning.
  
  Kassabova is a talented writer, and combined with a story that takes place in a harsh but beautiful setting, makes for an exciting ride that will continue to haunt the reader long after the last page has been turned.
• 
  Chris

  I picked this book from the library because I have read some of her works, but also because she bought a painting from a good friend. This is a travel novel in a gothic Latin American setting. The characters have delicious flaws and are not at all what you expect. The tropical setting, with the political and eco fanatics makes an exotic read. It is well crafted, and gripping. To anyone who is well travelled and knows about the guide book industry this will have a special relevance, but the unravelling of the lives is careful and not what you would predict.
• 
  Doreen

  I picked this at random from the library's 'new' shelf, though it isn't all that new. I was gripped from early on and really enjoyed the unsettling atmosphere and the interesting range of characters holed up in an unpromising part of South America. The ending was as unsettling as the beginning. Not surprised to discover that the author has also contributed to a number of travel guides and I'm looking forward to reading more of her novels.
• 
  Staci

  The dialogue is flat and mechanical. The characters are one-dimensional and uninteresting and far too many pages are wasted on describing them when the focus could have been put to developing what might have been a good sci-fi storyline. The twist is decent but not enough to make reading this worthwhile.
• 
  David Kenvyn

  This is about everything that can go wrong with a holiday when you get involved with a series of completely inexplicable events. To explain any more would be to give the plot away. You really must read this book for yourself, and give yourself a fantastic treat. I choose my words carefully here.
• 
  Daniela

  I didn't actually mind this book, the writing was very clever however I found the ending of the story almost a little disturbing. However the story kept me captivated right till the end as I wanted to know what was going to happen. It was a very interesting story and I felt like I learned a lot through reading this. Good library borrow!
• 
  Claire

  Weird ending
• 
  The Book

  Disappointing - good to read in the middle, plenty of excitement and anticipation, but the ending fizzled out. The writing was pretty cringeworthy in places, too. Not an author I'll read again.
• 
  Kristie Saumure

  Lovely book by a talented New Zealand author. I liked the atmosphere she created at this isolated South American "resort".
• 
  Zlatina

  A gripping story about several people, tourists at the end of the world where time literally goes by at a different speed for them than for the locals...
• 
  Stoyan Nenov

  доста приятно четиво, а и добре написано.
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  Tricky

  Книгата е интересна, странна и леко магическа(от към обстановката) / Дали ми хареса... хъм може да се каже, давам 3.5 звезди, повече просто не мога. Края на книгата е супер странен, очаквах да е по-различен!