Uma Aprendizagem ou O Livro dos Prazeres

Lóri is a primary school teacher in Rio de Janeiro who is lonely and afraid of intimacy, and she meets Ulisses, a philosophy professor. Their relationship develops slowly over a series of conversations, as Ulisses refuses to hurry things and makes her wait until she is ready for love and for physical closeness. Clarice Lispector writes in a more lyrical, optimistic register here than in much of her work, tracing Lóri's self-discovery, her fear of joy and her gradual freedom. The title refers to a learning process and to the pleasures of life.

It suits readers who like introspective, philosophical novels in poetic prose. It is a good entry to Lispector's more tender side.

Deep, inward-looking, contemplative, open-ended and thought-provoking; a moderate read.

Best for readers like The Mindful Reader. Which reader are you?