The poetry is definitely missing from this novel. It is beyond me how Sergio Ramirez could portray Ruben Dario, the greatest Nicaraguan poet and one of the greatest Hispanic poets ever, as a womanizer and a drunkard. He is a disgusting character. To make things worse, Ramirez does not reveal Ruben Dario's brilliance as a poet, omitting the poem that gives the book its title (Sergio: not everybody reading the book knows the poem by heart). The good side of the book is the story relating to Somoza's assassination, though the sexual innunedoes are very strong here too. Whether or not the assassination plot is fact-based, it is interesting and sort of a cliffhanger. Rigoberto Lopez-Perez, the hero/assassin, has a poignant story; the description of Somoza's first lady is unforgettably humorous. Nevertheless, this could have been a better book.

Whether you are Nicaraguan or not and whether you know or do not know about their history, this is something you definitely need to read. Ramirez wrote an excellent story from history's point of view with a great touch of imagination. Furthermore, there are touches of humor throughout the whole story that will suit the reader in the right moment. The author has succesfully written a story which contains history as well as fiction. I do not want to say more for it will be better for you to discover what a great story this. Yo will also enjoy the book for it is rich in culture ...

This Prize Award Winner book, can be read quickly, and yet it leaves you with the impression of having lived during Ruben Dario times. The depiction of the colonial city of Leon, the characters and dialogs are crafted with so superb mastery that they come alive and quite vivid. You feel their presence. And this is the purpose of Literature, to provide an experience. I saw "Shakespeare in Love" movie and did not feel like living in Shakespeare times. This is because good litearature is more powerful than Hollywood , because your imagination participates in depicting an image that the movies can't

I found that though this book offered some cute lighthearted insights to relationship astrology, they missed the boat on facts and truly diagnosing a relationship's merit with astrology. There is no mention of the idea that aspects or other parts of the couple's charts will have any importance in the relationship chart, which is simply not true.

This book explains 144 patterns of Mars/Venus combination in each sign. The focus is on their sexual implication. Their interpretation is quite detailed and each pattern is supported by a case study of celebrity's experience. Hence, I think that this book can be of great use, if you are interested in the sexual meanings of planets, which are usually overpassed in other astrological books.

I loved this book. It's a great icebreaker -- fun and great for parties. I've got other Birthdate and astrological characteristics books, but this one is the most fun. The Perrys' wit is tongue-in-cheek and I can tell they're just the kind of people I'd like to invite to a dinner party. I'll be looking forward to their next endeavor.