a nicely written and mostly entertaining book, but there were just a few too many moments in the book where i found the author either overshooting the moment or trying something -funny i guess? Not sure it wasn't my kind of humour if that is what the author was trying for- but overall it was a good book.

The Invisible Life of Euridice Gusmao is a gem of a book. It is heartwarming and endearing, a light and easy read with lots of humour and life affirming tones. Euridice's story is told over several decades. She is an exceptionally clever person but whose limits and dreams are held back by the times she lives in... most women of her time aspire only to making a good marriage and being a good wife and mother. Euridice can turn her hand to anything and, not only will she excel at it, it will be a success. Her husband, however, only wishes for the stability of good wife and mother, and the routine of all that comes from having a stay at home partner to look after his needs. Euridice aspires to more and wants to escape the traditional roles set out for women during those times.

Euridice and her sister, Guida are both extremely likeable characters. There are vivid descriptions throughout the book of the vibrant culture and history of Rio and these give you a picture of how you imagine Rio and Brazil to be, the city of Carnival and its vibrancy of colours and sounds.

This is a superb quirky and life affirming read, it at times made me laugh and also want to cry a little too. I loved it and would love to read more by this author.

I found this book very contradictory, or maybe from the blurb I misunderstood what it was about. The style of writing is charming and even at times humorous, but I just couldn't figure out what the point of it all was. I don't need a neat bow, but the end sort of tapered off to nothing and left me feeling confused and dissatisfied. Some of the snapshots into village life however were very entertaining.

Stunning bright, zesty and energetic...If ever a cover promises a lively bunch of characters within its pages then this one does its job.

Martha Batalha as her debut novel has written a heartwarming tale, drawing heavily from her family background, about the lives of two sisters living in Brazil over three decades from the 1940’s through to the revolution in the 1960’s.  Bringing this story to life is a sparkling cast of diverse, complex characters, both men and women who often flawed are shadowed by difficult, and at times awfully grim circumstances. Making this story of substance anything but a heavy read is the easy and engaging writing style full of warmth, humanity, humour and wit that flows effortlessly throughout.  Batalha skilfully presents the reader with an intelligent, culturally informative and thoroughly enjoyable reading experience.

Euridice a dutiful wife, caring mother, and inspirational woman of her time oozes with charm, compassion and a ceaseless creative drive. All of which is quite an achievement when you meet her husband, Antenor who provides such negative support.

‘It was a simple ceremony, followed by a simple reception, followed by a complicated honeymoon. There was no blood on the sheets, and Antenor grew suspicious.’
‘...Antenor decided there was no need to take his wife back to her family. She knew how to make the bits of onion disappear, she washed and ironed well, seldom spoke, and had a terrific rear.”

You will also encounter the spinster Zélia a spiteful vengeful woman damaged by life’s injustices who delights in gossip and thrives on the misfortune of others.

‘Since she couldn't be the Holy Spirit, Zélia contented herself with a lower post, proclaiming herself prophet...That one there is going to drag her husband into bankruptcy, she decreed with her pointy chin.’

TILoEG’s pages are crowded with such huge personalities, so believable and full of presence and life that the pages must have struggled to contain them within. Batalha’s characters, especially the women will remain in my thoughts for some time.

The Invisible Life of Euridice Gusmao would make an ideal choice for a book group read, funny, heartbreaking with plenty to discuss from a cultural, historical, and women’s struggle for independence (from within and outside of the family) perspectives.

A delightfully engaging and satisfying read beautifully translated by Eric M. B. Becker.  I loved every moment of TILoEG and so eager to share the delight of this sparkling debut with whomever I can.

This is an extraordinary novel about the gifted and vivacious Euridice Gusmao, set in the Brazil and Rio of the 1940s through to the 1960s. Euridice is the every woman of that period, and drawn from the women from the author's family, and the stories relayed in the book are rooted in truth. Her childhood sees her having to accommodate those who could not bear or tolerate her talent and rail against her parents over their refusal to let her to take up an offer to develop her playing of the recorder. Her sister, Guida, is the opposite of Euridice, non academic, but is more knowing of the world, fashion, make-up, and boys. The sisters are inseparable, supporting each other, until the day Guida leaves to elope with Marcus, a medical student from an elite family. This changes everything in the family, the parents grieve over her loss and their suffering induces Euridice to become the good daughter, to marry Antenor and be the perfect and obedient wife to him, and to bury and repress her true self deep within her. Through the years she continues to miss her beloved sister.

Antenor seeks a traditional housewife, whilst he fulfills the role expected of a man as the breadwinner and decision maker. He mistakenly believes Euridice was not a virgin on their wedding night, and he just cannot let this go, castigating Euridice, and bringing this up constantly with his whisky nights that become a recurring ritual for him. Their children, Cecilia and Afonso, are the apples of their eyes, Euridice ignites a lifelong passion to learn within them, but being a housewife and mother is not enough. She becomes passionate about cooking and sewing, but her dreams of taking them further are crushed by Antenor who forbids her to pursue them. The bitter and unhappy neighbourhood gossip, Zelia, comes from a family that have been cursed, thanks to the amorous activities of her father. She targets Euridice, spreading untrue rumours as is her wont, bringing strife and trouble in her wake.

Guida's life turns out to test her to her limits, as suffering. pain and poverty become her lot. Her son, Chico, is the light of her life, for whom she will do anything. She becomes close to an ex-prostitute, Filomena, supporting each other, through hard times until Filomena dies of cancer. Guida eventually turns up at Euridice's with her son. Euridice is overjoyed to see her sister, and from that point, the lives of both sisters take a turn for the better as they become closer to their true selves, irrespective of society and family judgements and expectations. This is a touching and moving read, packed with larger than life eccentric characters that make this a compelling novel. Euridice is a woman that you cannot help but be charmed by, and you feel for her as her dreams turn to ashes, until the return of Guida. I love the way the author has weaved the harsh historical realities of women, capturing the attitudes of the time, and their burdens. She spices it up with the regional traditions of magical realism with flair, along with the colour and vibrancy of the place and the community. An absolutely brilliant novel that I highly recommend. Thanks to Oneworld for an ARC.

4.5 Stars

In the “Dear Readers” section at the beginning of this book, Martha Batalha, the author, notes that much of the stories woven into this thoroughly enjoyable debut novel actually did take place. There are small historical snippets place within for you to more fully feel, understand the place and time and tempo of this life.

And then she goes on to say:

”But the parts of this book most faithful to the truth can be found in the lives of the two protagonists, Euridice and Guida. Many like them can still be found. They’re the women who show up to Christmas parties and spend the bulk of their time sitting there quietly, with their napkins in their hands. They’re the first to arrive and the first to leave. They discuss the seasoning of the cod croquettes, the numerous different desserts and the wine – never drinking too much. They’re the ones who ask you how your husband is doing, if their great-niece has a boyfriend yet, or when another great-nephew will be on the way.”

“The lives of Euridice and Guida have drawn inspiration from the women in my family, and perhaps yours as well.”

There’s a bit of some of our favourite quirky literary characters in Euridice, she’s well-read, and strong-willed like Jo March, independent and compassionate like Britt-Marie, and a bit on the quirky and sometimes, somewhat oblivious side, at times, like Eleanor Oliphant. She’s the best of all of those, and throw in a pinch of Julia Child, who has found her way into at least one story that I know with her love of cooking, magically transformed recipes. Add the aura and beauty of Rio to their life, a healthy dose of magical realism, and you have the story of two sisters, with the men in their lives in the background directing, or trying to, everything they do. A story that is reminiscent in style of a feminine version of Gabriel Garcia Marquez with less sex, and a wink of humour.

There are a host of other characters from the neighborhood busybody who makes loud pronouncements about Euridice spending money and bringing disaster upon their family, to the pharmacist who gets creative with filling prescriptions. You can see from these declarations what others think of her, and whether or not this affects her, or if she cares.

Beautifully written, this story is really Euridice’s inner life, her inner world, her thoughts and hopes and dreams. Oftentimes those thoughts take you back and forth through time, as thoughts often do, other times the focus is turned to her sister’s life, her friends or people she encounters through her life, here and there weaving in their stories of actual events that took place, showing us how life really was in that place and time.

A women living in the 1940s who values herself, who knows her worth is beyond the value placed on her by others, and by holding onto that self-affirming status, and believing in herself, she grants herself the rights she wishes for. In doing so, she sets herself a bit apart, fingers are pointed, people talk, but now that she is seen, no longer invisible, and she also serves as an inspiration to others.


Pub Date: 07 Sep 2017

Many thanks for the ARC provided by Oneworld Publications

This book was written so beautifully that I struggled to put it down in order to complete my every day tasks such as eating, sleeping etc.

Batalha serves up such touching and extraordinary characters here. The format is fantastic and reminded me a bit of Elizabeth Strout, but with more humor. An utterly striking narrative.

The women in this book learn to grow stronger day by day and do not give up on each other. This is not a story of an invisible life but rather a story of an amazing life that should not be overlooked.