The Bad Girl

The Bad Girl by Mario Vargas Llosa. Translated from the Spanish by Edith Grossman and published by Picador; Farrar, Straus & Giroux, New York, 2006.

1. I read this book for my Book Club.

2. I finished it because, in addition to wanting to be able to discuss it, I was engaged in the personal and psychological drama, as well as the historical overview of Peru. While most of the story takes place in Paris, it references the main character's roots in Peru and the political changes over the span of the story. A young man of 15 meets a girl, falls for her, and then she proceeds to come in and out of his life for the next 40 years.

3. I would give the book to someone with an interest in South America and Paris, but also one who is fascinated by human motivation and love - the effects of a deeply felt connection (or is it an obsession?!)