"Kiss of the Spider Woman" by Manuel Puig

Amazon Customer: This was such an amazing book oh my god I was sobbing at the end.

United States on Nov 13, 2022

Person B: It did have a bit of highlights in the book especially in the end but it was as described. Love the actual contents of the book. Beautiful story with so much to analyze.

United States on Oct 20, 2022

Dale: Everybody wanted over $15 for this book. I got a good used copy on Amazon for half the price.

United States on Nov 16, 2021

Charlotte Good: A must read if you are in Argentina ... touching, unusual and an excellent read. Recommended.

United Kingdom on Sep 02, 2016

PseudoNymph: Wonderful book. Easy to read, it's written primarily as a dialogue between two characters, which you will quickly get the hang of. Don't worry about trying to puzzle out the meaning all at once - let the book unfold. The stories within stories talk to each other at different levels. Yes, it's postmodern, but it's not pretentious. It's just the opposite. Heartfelt and unique, easy to read (it's mostly in conversational style), only 2 characters to worry about, and beautifully elaborating on ethics and humanity. Most of all, it's a great story. Read it!

United Kingdom on May 21, 2015

Mrs. Sylvia Warhurst: I had to read this for an OU course. The title makes it sound exciting and adventurous - it isn't. It's about two men in jail, one of whom tells a story. There are endless footnotes taken from contemporary studies of homosexuality, and some of the footnotes take up more page space than the text of the book.

United Kingdom on Jan 23, 2015

Orlando Rodriguez: I absolutely love this book, it's superb and once I was done, I felt a connection with the characters that I cried. It's easy to read, and you'll distinguish the characters easily. It's broken up in chapters which creates it easy to have break and stop reading. It took me four days to read, I couldn't put the book down keeps you intrigued the whole time.

The shipping from owlsbooks was horrid. I ordered two day shipping, since I have prime and the book was prime eligible. I ordered the 13th, slated to arrive the 15th, well, I got it the 18th. Not pleased whatsoever.

However my rating is solely for the book, not the shipping. Shipping is 1 star, book is 5.

United States on Nov 22, 2014

Kindle Customer: I chose to read this book because I was going to Argentina for a holiday. The book has an Argentinian author and it concerns the harsh political regime in that country, not so long ago.
The style is wonderful, easy to read, amusing and unique and yet, at the same time, it describes imprisonment and torture. You have to read it, to feel the full impact of Puig's raw and 'punchy' style. You'll be thinking about it for a long time after you finish!

United Kingdom on Apr 17, 2013

Linda Linguvic: This book was written in 1978 and subsequently became a movie which I will never forget. And now, reading the book after all these years, I can even appreciate it more. It is set in an jail in Argentina in a time of political upheaval Two men share a jail cell. Valentin is a revolutionary. Molina is a gay window dresser who has been jailed for seducing a young boy and he is obsessed with movies. To fight boredom, Molina tells Valenin detailed stories of romantic movies. They go through a lot together including food poisoning and their friendship grows. But all is not as it seems as they live their fantasy lives and we are soon surprised to discover that one of the men is working for the government.

How this all turns out is the stuff of good literature. It is hard to put the book, which is more than the sum of its parts, down as the extensive footnotes as well as the movie plots are part of the magic that the author has created.

There are surprises and twists and turns of the plot and it all ends badly. But the story is a small work of art and will continue to haunt the consciousness of everyone who reads it..

United States on Oct 02, 2012

Barbbro2000: As other reviewers have stated, this book is set in a prison cell in Argentina . The 2 characters are an unlikely pair, Molina an effeminate homosexual and Valentin a member of a guerrilla organistion. It is a tale of their growing relationship, that the enforcement of the prison cell has foisted upon them.

It is an easy book to read,and while it deals with complex issues, I never felt overwhelmed by them.

From Molina's first story about the Panther woman, who is afraid to kiss her husband, in case she murders him, the theme of love, fear and betrayel are set.

Puig has written a brilliant book, that deserves all the acclaim it has gotten. It will leave you thinking, not only about who we love, but also why we love, and I mean to include ideologies as well as people.

The sub text of Freudian's take on homosexuality is interesting too.

I would recommend to anyone who enjoys a good book, but it does have an adult theme, so be aware of that.

United Kingdom on Oct 26, 2007