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"Hugo's Last Mistress..."
This critic must first declare an interest: he was obliged to study a great deal of Hugo's vast literary output whilst still a High School student, and never once thought in terms of mistresses !

There is no doubt whatsoever that Hugo was a prolfic and outstanding figure in French literature of the early nineteenth century; yet here, once again, the critic must declare a further interest ! It is his fascination with the verve and the sheer volume of Ms Bowlova's own writing, even when her work appears in languages other than her native Brazilian Portuguese.

The work defies attempts to place it in a particular genre, since it has about it a... More > kaleidoscopic quality of historic and purely imaginative qualities. One is tempted to delve into historic antecedents, but is taken up instead by the narrative. There is a suspension of disbelief, as in theatrical presentations. And there is a wealth of sensitive poetic composition reflecting the author's abiding concern with woman as victim and victor.

This critic is color-blind, yet appreciates the delicate illustrations stemming, possibly, as in other publications, from Ms Bulova's childhood years.

And it has to be said that spirituality forms the very warp and woof of the work. Readers may not believe in past lives; but the author brings them into the realm of what we choose to call, so superficially, 'normal', everyday reality.

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