spanish but not really

Captain Pantoja and the Special Service was written by Mario Vargas Llosa in 1973. I decided to read this novel because I'd heard of the author before, namely about the book "The Time of the Hero." I really wanted to like this book, but truthfully I was in two minds about it. Depending on factors such as whether I was fresh out of class about colonialism or social dynamics, how tired I was, or my mood, my opinion about it shifted. I can completely see why it would be funny for people, and I found it funny too when I was reading it in a more lighthearted state. But I also sometimes couldn't ignore the misogyny of it all, so I sometimes found it harder to enjoy. That said, I think it is a well-written piece of satire that makes good use of euphemism and absurdity to illustrate comedy, so I wasn't dwelling on the unsavoury tones of the book for too long. I suppose Captain Pantaleon Pantoja's role in the book could be summarised by the phrase "one thing led t...