"Massive linguistic, pictorial, and descriptive novel emulates possible impact of the Amazonian forest on humans living in that milieu - the waters, sounds, animals, insects, humidity, heat, coldness, shade, and brightness. The leitmotif of the narrative is the immense samaumeira tree that for centuries served as a point of reference for both mariners and land travelers. The gradual disappearance of the tree due to predators infuses the novel with a nostalgic feeling of abandonment and sadness comparable to the feelings experienced by the indigenous population when forced to leave the area at the foot of the Andes, fleeing the Spaniards, and entering the forest so aptly described here"--Handbook of Latin American Studies, v. 58.