The Book of Chameleons: A Novel

Beautifully-written, creative book chronicling a gecko's perspectives on the intersection of memory, fantasy, and reality. The book is supposedly written from the perspective of Jorge Luis Borges, a famous writer from Argentina. One of my all-time favorite books, I would definitely recommend it.

I dropped the English class that required it because the teacher was not all that good. Even though I have never read the book, I have heard people say that it was a good read.

My fav book for many years now. It's neat, tight and highly imaginative. I plan to teach it to my creative writing students. Made me interested in Portuguese--Lusophone Lit

Read for school, book was in perfect condition

Interesting book with a "clin d'oeil" to Borges.

This short little novella is told from varying view points, and one of them a lizard who, in another life, was a human. It is a murder mystery involving the chameleon, an albino, a woman, and a mysterious foreigner. Interwoven in the story is memories, fantasies, and realities. The chameleon is central to the story and witnesses all the characters and their interactions with each other.This is a cute little book. It was a quick read - and like most novellas, it isn't long enough for me to get invested in the characters. But it is well written and easy to follow and I enjoyed it.

We’re in Angola after that country won independence from Portugal. But even though the fighting is over there is still political upset and people trying to settle old scores. There are so many folks who want to run away from their pasts that our main character, an African albino, has a business inventing new past lives for people. He’ll give you old family photos and biographical sketches of your mother, father, siblings and tell you what your childhood was like. Most of the plot in this short book consists of interactions with the main character’s “clients” and the women he brings home, with some surprises in both departments. We learn a little bit of the horrors of the war. (Splendor of Portugal by Antonio Lobo Antunes, which I reviewed, gives us more about war in Angola.) And did I say the narrator is a gecko? A bit strange but a good read that has won several literary prizes.

A very confusing and boring book. It was a chore to read it. This is one of those books that are written to make some kind of elitist, intellectual point. It is not accessible at all. Stay away from it. read something enjoyable.