Hopscotch
Hopscotch
Fiction | Novel | Adult | Published in 1963
Book Brief
Beta573
Novel • Fiction
•
Magical Realism•
Latin American Literature1950s; Paris, France, and Buenos Aires, Argentina.
1963
Avon Books
Mass Market Paperback • 1984
Adult
18+ years
Super Short Summary
Argentine intellectual Horacio Oliveira drifts through Paris, caught in a passionate but unstable relationship with La Maga, a Uruguayan woman whose intuition challenges his relentless overthinking. Their nights unfold among the expatriates of the Serpent Club, amid jazz, vodka, and philosophy. Mirroring Oliveira’s restless search for meaning and connection, the novel invites readers to follow either a linear route or an alternative sequence through its chapters.
Challenging
Playful
Contemplative
Nostalgic
Exciting
Reviews & Readership
51,408 ratings
Loved it
Mixed feelings
Not a fan
Review Roundup
Reviewers admire Hopscotch as a daring, structurally inventive novel whose shifting voices, linguistic play, and multiple reading paths reward adventurous readers. Gregory Rabassa’s English translation receives particular praise for preserving its array of voices and calculated madness. Yet even admirers warn that the metaphysical digressions and supplementary chapters can feel arduous or add little to the plot. Harsher critics find the characters emotionally inaccessible, while others argue that the dense references and deliberately difficult style test readers’ patience.
Who Should Read Hopscotch?
Hopscotch is best for adventurous readers who enjoy formal experimentation, literary theory, philosophical questions, and linguistic complexity. Its alternative reading paths invite active participation, while its shifting styles and points of view reward patience with unconventional fiction. It may especially appeal to readers who do not require a novel to meet fixed expectations. Those who primarily want emotionally engaging characters or a plot-centered narrative may find the experience frustrating, since the book is more interested in challenging narrative conventions than in simply telling a story.
51,408 ratings
Loved it
Mixed feelings
Not a fan
Horacio’s young Uruguayan lover, an intuitive single mother who seeks acceptance among the intellectuals of the Serpent Club.
Horacio’s longtime friend in Argentina, regarded as his double and securely married to Talita when Horacio reenters his life.
Traveler’s educated, self-possessed wife, whose resemblance in age to La Maga complicates her relationship with Horacio.
An admired avant-garde novelist whose unconventional writings inspire intense discussion among Horacio and the other Serpent Club members.
A role-playing Serpent Club member attracted to La Maga and jealous of Horacio, while concealing his origins behind invented stories.
A French painter in the Serpent Club and perhaps the member who comes closest to being Horacio’s genuine friend.
An American Serpent Club member, devoted husband to Babs, and enthusiastic jazz listener who drinks heavily with the group.
573
Novel • Fiction
•
Magical Realism•
Latin American Literature1950s; Paris, France, and Buenos Aires, Argentina.
1963
Avon Books
Mass Market Paperback • 1984
Adult
18+ years
We’re just getting started
Add this title to our list of requested Study Guides!