The Smile of the Saints is a sequel of Laura in the City of the Saints. In the second novel, the author continues showing the life of Laura, main character in both novels, bettraying himself an his character in the process.

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Four years have passed, and Laura decided to return to home to stay with her husband. He's a pig, and he fucks her again and again, the whole night of Laura's return, since the sun rises next morning. Laura, although her suffering and her husband's sour breath, didn't found it so bad, which is a normal thing, because the character is dead, the author have killed her. Deads feel nothing, if such dettail is necessary.

Kids get born and Laura follows the recommendations of her contemporary moral autorities, which means that she is so submissive and just accepts everything her husband does.

The plot just colapses, not even the author shows so much interest of it. Conflicts are not really such things, because they have no possible solution. Years passes like sight, and we know that the husband will not change until the day he dies, and you realize that in the middle of the novel. Civir War alwo passes, such Revolt of the Masses...

I read the novel with greaf and sorrow. It is so short, but that didn't help me to finish it. Laura goes around and around and she finished in the first place she starts. If in the first novel Laura cloded hersef in a convent, in the second novel Laura recluded herself in her home, besides her husband who is not worthy of her, but the Author shows as a better person in his own and especial way just because he is nor good nor bad person, poor thing...

Teresa and Laura, the sisters in law, they just go ahead and do the best they can. They all know that they are bad and unworthy of compassion, and their selfestim simply don't exist. Their worst sin is not loving a man. Same Ms Oriol, the widow, as she revealed Laura in one of their last conversations.

Sadness and humiliation stop the men, but are a source of strengh to the women. However, The story of Laura is anything but a funeral, because she is dead, she is just an automat who lives for others. The author, ambivalent but merciless, just can't stop rubbing in our face how incapable of loving Laura is, when the novel is barely ending. Magem, the old crazy friend of Laura dies, and she found herself feeling nothing.

They say that El somriure dels sants (The Smile of the Saints) was Miquel Llor trying to ingratiate to people who was so offended by Laura a la ciutat dels sants (Laura in the city of the saints). Maybe. Hard thing trying to put yourself in that time, so who knows. Transforming Laura in the worst of all was maybe his best shot.

Review of The Smile of the Saints (1947), by Miquel Llor (catalan writer)

Una vez leí en un libroBy Fernando Daniel BrunoJan 25, 2021