Fazendas: The Great Houses And Plantations Of Brazil

Fazendas: The Great Houses and Plantations of Brazil

From BooklistThis well-designed picture book succeeds on two important levels: engaging the reader through the beauty of its pages and imparting knowledge, albeit cursory, about its subject. It is about Brazil's sugar and coffee plantations and the cattle ranches in the South. The name of a rural plantation or property in Brazil is usually preceded by the term fazenda, the ranches are called estancias. Pires provides a solid introductory essay that traces the development of these plantations and ranches. Although he discusses colonization by the Portuguese, the impact of various other European countries' adventures on the country, and the importation of slaves, his emphasis is on life in the casa-grande, or "great house." At this point, photographer Nicolas Sapieha takes center stage, though Pires' presence hovers via his fine captions. The areas represented are Rio de Janeiro, Sao Paulo, Minas Gerais, Pernambuco, Bahia, and Rio Grande do Sul. The fazendas themselves are well preserved, with new furnishings thoughtfully added, and the land is well kept. The past wealth of a few and the labor of many are evoked through these graceful pictures. Bonnie SmothersLooks at the history and development of Brazilian coffee and sugar plantations