Description
Book SynopsisA book as rich and sprawling as the seductive metropolis it evokes, Rio de Janeiro builds a kaleidoscopic portrait of this city of extremes, and its history of conflict and corruption. Award-winning novelist, ex-government minister and sociologist Luiz Eduardo Soares tells the story of Rio through the everyday lives of its people: gangsters and police, activists, politicians and struggling migrant workers, each with their own version of the city. Taking us on a journey into Rio's intricate world of favelas, beaches and corridors of power, Soares reveals one of the most extraordinary cities in the world in all its seething, agonistic beauty.
'Luiz Eduardo Soares is the most insightful observer of Rio I have ever read. He had the unique combination of expert analysis, a compassionate gaze, and a gripping writing style. This is a book that will take its place among the great city chronicles of our time.' Suketu Mehta
Trade ReviewLuiz Eduardo Soares is the most insightful observer of Rio I have ever read. He had the unique combination of expert analysis, a compassionate gaze, and a gripping writing style. This is a book that will take its place among the great city chronicles of our time. -- Suketu Mehta
The picture built by Soares through first-hand tales of political corruption and Rio's drug gangs is almost guilt-inducingly compelling ... Soares's portrait of Brazil's byzantine corruption is as thrilling and depressing as
The Wire -- Robert Collins * Spectator *
A vibrant, incisive book on Rio, which challenges the tourist-brochure clichés ... A polyphonic portrayal of the Brazilian metropolis as seen through the eyes of its inhabitants -- Juanita Coulson * Lady *
With months to go before it hosts the Olympics, the country is in chaos; the Rio 2016 infrastructure and political system is a mess. Luiz Edoardo Soares is well placed to explain and illustrate ... he casts a melancholic gaze at Brazil's most famous city ... Remarkable -- John Kampfner * Observer *
A fascinating account... What makes this book different is that Soares has been a player himself, so we get an insider's account... Recommended, even if you are not going -- Paddy Kehoe * RTÉ Ten *
