Eva Peron

Rating:
Summary: Unfortunate dramatization of an already dramatic story
Review: EVA PERON by Alicia Dujovne Ortiz is not a good book. It is not helped by the fact that, as others have noted, it was originally written in another language. As is often the case, something was lost in the translation. In addition to being overly dramatic, at times tabloid-ishly so, it is plagued with historical inaccuracies: it uses the terms "dictator" and "fascist" to refer to Peron. Such accusations are by now passe to the serious biographer of Peron and Evita. As Robert D. Crassweller points out in PERON AND THE ENIGMAS OF ARGENTINA, "Peronism was not fascism ... (it was) an authoritarian populist movement, strongly colored by Catholic social thought (and) by nationalism [pp. 220-223]."

After reading EVA PERON by Alicia Dujovne Ortiz, I was left wondering what the point of it was. Why was this book published? It really has nothing of substance to offer. Obviously, it was published to coincide with the release of Madonna's movie EVITA and to capitalize on the renewed interest in the historical Eva Peron.

For a serious biography of Evita, I recommend EVITA: THE REAL LIFE OF EVA PERON. For an interesting anthropological study of Evita's importance to Argentine society, I would recommend EVA PERON: THE MYTHS OF A WOMAN.

Rating:
Summary: Didn't like it that much...
Review: Eva Peron was one of the most fascinating figures of the 20th Century. She inspired both fanatical devotion and vehement opposition, but rarely anything in between, especially among Argentinians. Consequently, there are wildly different versions of her story -- some viewing her as "Santa Evita," others as a personification of sin and corruption. Till now, most biographies of Evita have been biased toward one party line or the other, and some scraped up the most sensational versions of every incident. Alicia Ortiz goes out of her way to compare opposing stories and offer reasonable conclusions as to where the truth really lies. Refusing to gloss over Eva's weaknesses or overlook her amazing strengths, Ortiz gives a very human and enlightening portrait of a remarkable woman. Considering that the author's father was a political prisoner of the Peron regime, her fairness is all the more impressive. Ms. Ortiz also examines the unique mindset of that Argentinian culture, explaining the sexual and political chemistry that were key factors in Eva's rise and fall. The translator retains many idiomatic aspects of Spanish prose, as well as the tango lyrics that reflect key aspects of the Argentinian spirit (but normally defy translation into English). Not always an easy read, but absorbing and satisfying -- easily the most thorough and well-balanced book on Eva Peron to date.

Rating:
Summary: A biography which lapses into romantic best-seller style
Review: I have yet to find an entirely satisfactory biography of Argentina's controversial first lady once widely revered as a saintly Madonna. This book is written chronologically, from the subject's birth in an unremarkable Argentinean provincial town, to her death and the return of her body to Argentina in 1974. It strives to be balanced and to summarize the evidence around various controversial points regarding the life of Eva Peron.

Unfortunately, this book, written by a Paris-based Argentinean-born journalist, while thoroughly entertaining, can hardly qualify as a serious historical or political analysis of Eva Peron and her times. Having only read the English version, it is hard to judge whether the translation is awkward is some places, or whether the original prose also lapses into a saccharine style of romantic best sellers. Even as a journalistic book on this subject, you might find a better, more articulate, and shorter account (which does draw from this book by Ortiz) in Looking for History: Dispatches from Latin America, by Alma Guillermoprieto (which I have also reviewed of this website).

There are some interesting photos in this book, but if it is photos of Evita and her times which interest you, I would recommend Evita: An Intimate Portrait of Eva Peron, by Tomas De Elia, which I have also reviewed on this site.

Rating:
Summary: Very Informative
Review: I liked Ortiz's style of showing all viewpoints about Eva. Although she comes off as negative about Eva Peron, she still manages to recount the positive things about her. I loved the details that she was able to provide that I haven't seen anywhere else. She had tons of sources and I think that this biography is one of the best out there.

Rating:
Summary: Fantastic, Amazing
Review: This book is by the far the best Evita Peron book. As a huge fan of the life of Eva Peron, I have read all the current books on Evita, and this one is the most imformative. I love all the pictures in this book, and the information is great. This is a must for anyone who loves history, and especially, Eva Peron.

Rating:
Summary: Fantastic, Amazing
Review: This book is by the far the best Evita Peron book. As a huge fan of the life of Eva Peron, I have read all the current books on Evita, and this one is the most imformative. I love all the pictures in this book, and the information is great. This is a must for anyone who loves history, and especially, Eva Peron.

Rating:
Summary: THE BEST BIOGRAPHY OF EVA PERON AVAILABLE
Review: This book written by someone who is from Argentina is best book ever written about Evita.The fact of it being translated is all the more interesting and fun to read. I enjoyed the details,hardships and realities brought forth about Eva Ibarguen,Eva Duarte,Eva Duarte-Peron and Eva Peron! It's incredible! Makes you indentify with her and the photos enclosed are beautiful...I wish I could get ahold of all the photos of her..Even the scandalious ones!

Rating:
Summary: Missed opportunity
Review: This was an extremely disappointing read. The story has such potential, but the writer is over her head, unskilled in even the most basic rules of sentence and paragraph construction. In addition, she has trouble expressing her point of view (nothing wrong with having one, but her writing reveals deep ambivalence rather than clarity of tone).