Machado de Assis - Rated 
Firstly, the novel is not principally intended to be an exposition of nineteenth-century Brazilian society, despite what several critics have said. That would make it pretty boring. It has more to do with the failure of memory, the inescapability of origins and the nature of the novel itself. Machado lampoons (for want of a better word) the idea of the novel as a reflection of reality; after all, Bento is very nearly a madman - on this point I'm sure Graciliano Ramos is directly indebted to Machado. This mocking approach to Realism, incidentally, gives the novel a very modern feel. Bento suffers under the illusion that he can dig up the past in a scientific, observational manner (confer his son, Ezequiel, who becomes an archaeologist). A further level of irony is that while the novel is written in the first person, we can see more of the picture than the narrator because he lets things slip. So the novel is, with a twist that Machado would have appreciated, more real than anything he could have written in the 'objective' third person because the reader is included in the creative process. There are ambiguities as well as ironies, much as in life. The novel is also interesting as a tragedy. I suspect that Bento tries very hard to give his own story the same weight as Othello's. As I believe, he fails to compare himself satisfactorily with great tragic figures from the past or in literature (look at the statues in his home). This is because Machado knows that he is writing something better, something which doesn't need to call on past precedent because it is new. The tragedy part is very modern, because he doesn't actually kill Capitu. In fact, the only thing that really ends up murdered is his own soul. I would argue that the basic content of Dom Casmurro could have been set anywhere. The major points of the story and characterisation could have occurred in Europe or North America.If Machado is condemning society, then that society is still - even now - omnipresent. And he was very much a part of it in his own lifetime. Finally, please bear in mind that the book is also very funny. Look at José Dias for reference on that point, not to mention the flights of fancy. Oh, and about whether Capitu really was unfaithful - who cares?
espresso or macchiato? - Rated
One of the chapters is simply called "The Cup of Coffee"-- a dark, delicious page of a chapter that will probably lead you into the kitchen, wondering what sort of coffee Machado de Assis would have drunk. It would have been fast, you tell yourself as you fill your stovetop machine, standing up at one of those long counters in the back of a well-known cafe. One quick sip. A small white cup. That much is obvious. But as the black liquid begins to bubble up, you start to think about the dollop of foam that separates the sweet tang of espresso from the subtleties of a morning macchiato, and you ask yourself, as your reach for the milk, would Machado...?
A universal literature masterpiece - Rated
Machado de Assis is perhaps the greatest Portuguese language romancist, and certainly the most important Brazilian author. This book is his best work. In a very short manner, it could be desribed as a "Brazilian Ottello", but it mustn't be be considered as a version of the Shakespeare classic, but a unique story, very reach in itself. Machado has an amazing ability to make the reader feel like his characters, and involves us in a tram where the complete uncertainty and blind jealousy is thrilling, and rises our deepest passionate feelings, for or against the main character. This book is a definitely a must read for everyone who enjoys good literature.
A Masterpiece of World Literature - Rated
Machado de Assis is probably one of the most underrated authors literature departments around the US-and other countries-have (not) encountered. He is an absolute requirement for anyone who wishes to consider him/herself well-read. Called "Othello of the Southern Cross" by Helen Caldwell (who wrote the excellent The Brazilian Othello of Machado de Assis-A Study of Dom Casmurro, Berkeley:University of California Press, 1960) this narrative is, among other things, about a man's weakness and fear before the possibility of living life fully (see chapter called 'Are you Scared?). There is a fascinating element of vicariousness- the way Bento Santiago (Saint and Iago, as Caldwell cleverly points out) projects his guilt, sexuality, desires and ambition upon Capitu, and Escobar... For those who missed the point (reader from NY- give it another try) I recommend a different approach, a different translation, or perhaps a course in Portuguese...(why not? Discover a rich and abundant culture!) This is true art.
A lifelong favorite - Rated
When I first read this book, back in 1987, I was about to marry the girl who had lived next door ever since I was 10. I instantly knew the book would be a lifelong favorite because of the wonderful, simple, and short descriptions of childhood love in one of the early chapters. The question of unfaithfulness Machado created in my mind was only a scholarly one, it did not touch me as emotionally as the passages of childhood love, simply because it was unconceivable that such a thing would happen to us. I was convinced of Capitu's innocence and appreciated it enormously that Machado does not provide us with a clear-cut verdict. Now, 10 years later, I have reread the book because my Capitu is gone and all I have left are questions so similar to Dom Casmurro's that it is frightening. The book has a completely new meaning to me, and Capitu's guilt is screaming at me from virtually every page. I now even more appreciate it that Machado does not provide us with the truth, because such, apparently, is life. This is a book to read slowly, let it soak in gently into your soul during a couple of days if not weeks, and when done, have your love read it, and then talk about it for weeks. It also is a book to keep and read again years later. A new, different version of you will probably find rather different things in it. Both translations, in 1987 I read a Dutch translation, and recently an English one, manage to make clear that Machado had a way with words that is very intriguing. Sometimes so much is said with so few simple words. The real book is written between the lines.
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