45 pages • 1 hour read
Aura
A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more. For select classroom titles, we also provide Teaching Guides with discussion and quiz questions to prompt student engagement.
Book Brief
62
Novella • Fiction
Mexico City • 1960s
1962
Adult
18+ years
Super Short Summary
Aura, set in Mexico City in the 1960s, follows Felipe Montero, a young historian hired by an old widow, Consuelo Llorente, to edit and publish her late husband's memoirs. Captivated by Aura, Consuelo's beautiful niece, Felipe takes up residence in the widow's dark, time-warped house, where his obsession with Aura and the unfolding history in the memoirs entangle him in a surreal and mysterious experience.
Mysterious
Dark
Fantastical
Unnerving
Romantic
Reviews & Readership
Review Roundup
Carlos Fuentes's Aura is praised for its atmospheric and poetic prose, effectively drawing readers into its mysterious and eerie narrative. The novella's use of second-person narration is both lauded for its immersiveness and critiqued for occasionally feeling disorienting. Some find the story's ambiguity intriguing, while others feel it leaves too many questions unanswered.
Who Should Read Aura?
Readers who enjoy Aura by Carlos Fuentes are typically drawn to Gothic fiction, magical realism, and richly atmospheric narratives. They may also appreciate works like Gabriel García Márquez’s One Hundred Years of Solitude and Edgar Allan Poe’s eerie short stories. Ideal for those fascinated by haunting tales and psychological depth.
62
Novella • Fiction
Mexico City • 1960s
1962
Adult
18+ years
Continue your reading experience
Subscribe now to unlock the rest of this Study Guide plus our full library, which features expert-written summaries and analyses of 8,000+ additional titles.