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msilkwolfe's review
3.0
2.5ish?? Hmm. I was disappointed with this one! The jacket makes it sound goooooood, but the actual book didn’t seem to reflect the jacket. The language is really beautiful and the observations about human behavior were really nuanced. But the plot left a lot to be desired, as did the main character. I don’t always have to like or sympathize with main characters by any means, but this one was a misogynistic asshole and it was hard for me to look last that...
lizaroo71's review
3.0
I’m not sure I’m the audience for this book. It’s existential in a way my mind can’t wrap itself around. Definitely engaging writing - A fraught situation - unreliable narrator(s)? I’m not sure I understand what is really going on with this man at the center of the story. This is a story about love gone wrong, desire, obsession and the inner workings of a man unhinged.
I’ll leave it at that.
I’ll leave it at that.
henrymarlene's review
3.0
ust finishing this book before my morning exercise. This was a very intimate and unsettling book of moments and observations. Marcos stumbles on a series of letters to a former resident of his apartment, written by a woman who is clearly struggling with the end of her relationship. Marcos' own relationship is in tatters after divorce; these letters compare and contrast to Marcos, and express emotional and physical pain and an abusive relationship. I think I finally understood the premise of the book as I finished it, but it didn't sit well with me; so much rawness of emotion. I held Marcos' efforts with his daughter in contempt. I was baffled by his obsession with the letter writer, and I an still not sure what I would have expected if he solved that mystery, based on Marcos' own character. I was concerned for the woman in the letters and her experience. I wonder if the original un-translated book would have had more rhythm to it. Possibly the English language (not the translation) does not do justice for the raw emotion in this book.
brooke_review's review
4.0
Have you ever read something that was not meant for your eyes? Something so intimate and clearly intended for someone else, yet you could not pull your eyes away? Such is the premise of Carola Saavedra's recently translated novel from 2008, Blue Flowers, which chronicles what happens when a recently divorced man starts receiving letters at his address that are not written to him.
The letters come in blue envelopes with no return address. Only the letter A. Inside are the lamentations of a woman left utterly broken to pieces by the man she loved who so cruelly left her. These letters are not addressed to Marcos, but he reads them anyway; whether to provide himself a distraction from his ordinary life or maybe out of sheer, morbid curiosity, we do not know. What is apparent though is that the writer is pouring herself out in these letters. Letters so intimate, they make Marcos feel almost voyeuristic. But continue to read he does as the letters come to his apartment day after day. Marcos soon finds himself enveloped in this woman's broken and brutal relationship, and he spends his days obsessing over her and trying to determine the reason why she is writing these letters. As Marcos becomes more entrenched in her tragic relationship, he feels propelled to discover her true identity and put to rest the mystery behind the letters.
Blue Flowers is a dark and dangerous novel, taking readers right into the throes of a damaged relationship, the woman broken beyond repair, and the man with a front row view of the destruction. Alternating in chapters between A's letters and Marcos' current state of affairs, Blue Flowers slowly unravels bits and pieces of A's relationship with her former partner, and explores how Marco relates the letters to his own life. A's letters are passion-packed, a last ditch effort to salvage the embittered pieces of a failed relationship, a final plea. Marcos, while generally unlikable as a character, helps move the story along by ruminating over A and her relationship, providing an alternate perspective to the letters' contents.
After reading through reviews of this novel on Goodreads, it should be said that this book is not for everyone. Some readers love it, while others hate it. I personally enjoyed this story a good bit, but I also love books that are heavy on the emotion and highlight the darker sides of love and lust. Readers should not enter this novel expecting a light, feel-good, or even suspenseful story. You will receive none of that here. Instead, read this book if you enjoy literary fiction that strips characters raw and exposes all of the broken pieces we would rather keep hidden away for fear of judgment.
Note - I listened to a Penguin Random House audio production of this novel, which I recommend. The female narrator does an excellent job of bringing depth, emotion, and just a tad bit of insanity into her performance of A's letters, making this story all the more believable.
Thank you to NetGalley and Riverhead Books for an ARC of this novel in exchange for an honest review.
The letters come in blue envelopes with no return address. Only the letter A. Inside are the lamentations of a woman left utterly broken to pieces by the man she loved who so cruelly left her. These letters are not addressed to Marcos, but he reads them anyway; whether to provide himself a distraction from his ordinary life or maybe out of sheer, morbid curiosity, we do not know. What is apparent though is that the writer is pouring herself out in these letters. Letters so intimate, they make Marcos feel almost voyeuristic. But continue to read he does as the letters come to his apartment day after day. Marcos soon finds himself enveloped in this woman's broken and brutal relationship, and he spends his days obsessing over her and trying to determine the reason why she is writing these letters. As Marcos becomes more entrenched in her tragic relationship, he feels propelled to discover her true identity and put to rest the mystery behind the letters.
Blue Flowers is a dark and dangerous novel, taking readers right into the throes of a damaged relationship, the woman broken beyond repair, and the man with a front row view of the destruction. Alternating in chapters between A's letters and Marcos' current state of affairs, Blue Flowers slowly unravels bits and pieces of A's relationship with her former partner, and explores how Marco relates the letters to his own life. A's letters are passion-packed, a last ditch effort to salvage the embittered pieces of a failed relationship, a final plea. Marcos, while generally unlikable as a character, helps move the story along by ruminating over A and her relationship, providing an alternate perspective to the letters' contents.
After reading through reviews of this novel on Goodreads, it should be said that this book is not for everyone. Some readers love it, while others hate it. I personally enjoyed this story a good bit, but I also love books that are heavy on the emotion and highlight the darker sides of love and lust. Readers should not enter this novel expecting a light, feel-good, or even suspenseful story. You will receive none of that here. Instead, read this book if you enjoy literary fiction that strips characters raw and exposes all of the broken pieces we would rather keep hidden away for fear of judgment.
Note - I listened to a Penguin Random House audio production of this novel, which I recommend. The female narrator does an excellent job of bringing depth, emotion, and just a tad bit of insanity into her performance of A's letters, making this story all the more believable.
Thank you to NetGalley and Riverhead Books for an ARC of this novel in exchange for an honest review.
dwcofer's review
1.0
The idea for the novel was good. The blurb sold the book, but unfortunately, the book failed to deliver the promises of the blurb. The idea of a man receiving anonymous letters from a woman he does not know written to someone else is intriguing. However, Saavedra's execution of the idea fell flat.
The chapters alternate between the letter received by Marcos and his reactions to the letter. However in some of Marcos' chapters, he barely reflects on the letter he just received and in other chapters he is heavily influenced by the letter. The letters are extremely long for a letter, lasting eight to ten pages. Not long for a book chapter, but long for a letter. The letters ramble, go off on tangents, and are incoherent. No one would write a letter such as these.
The book was difficult to finish. I literally had to force myself to trudge through it. Fortunately, it is only 200 pages long and not a lengthy trek. The ending unfortunately was no better than the rest of the book, a huge disappointment. It is too bad the blurb oversold the book, or perhaps the book failed to live up to the hype. I really liked the idea and was anxious to see what an author would do with the concept.
The chapters alternate between the letter received by Marcos and his reactions to the letter. However in some of Marcos' chapters, he barely reflects on the letter he just received and in other chapters he is heavily influenced by the letter. The letters are extremely long for a letter, lasting eight to ten pages. Not long for a book chapter, but long for a letter. The letters ramble, go off on tangents, and are incoherent. No one would write a letter such as these.
The book was difficult to finish. I literally had to force myself to trudge through it. Fortunately, it is only 200 pages long and not a lengthy trek. The ending unfortunately was no better than the rest of the book, a huge disappointment. It is too bad the blurb oversold the book, or perhaps the book failed to live up to the hype. I really liked the idea and was anxious to see what an author would do with the concept.
jules_222's review
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
2.0
i read it in 2 days, the letters interested me but they were pretty repetitive, nothing at all happens in marcos part of each chapter and the end made reading the book feel useless cause it was so open ended and just not satisfying at all
lsmith36's review against another edition
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
First Read:
I really loved the letters in this book. I enjoyed seeing the main character, Marcos, struggle with love and the changes in his life. He’s not a likable character, but his struggles and obsession with the woman who wrote these letters is very human.
Second Read:
Still breathless. This second read showed me how interconnected the chapters in this book are. Marcos is sad and insufferable, but feels so real. There's so many quotes in this book that haunt me. There's so much to unpack in this story, so I'll certainly be reading this a third time.
I really loved the letters in this book. I enjoyed seeing the main character, Marcos, struggle with love and the changes in his life. He’s not a likable character, but his struggles and obsession with the woman who wrote these letters is very human.
Second Read:
Still breathless. This second read showed me how interconnected the chapters in this book are. Marcos is sad and insufferable, but feels so real. There's so many quotes in this book that haunt me. There's so much to unpack in this story, so I'll certainly be reading this a third time.
taygivs's review
3.0
Ooooh. This one was unsettling and uncomfortable in a good way. It’s a searing, intimate, examination of two people recently at the end of relationships and all the violence, heartache, trauma, and obsession that follows. I wasn’t wild about the ending (but didn’t hate it!) and didn’t always understand what was happening but otherwise found it absolutely enthralling from beginning to end (I read it in one sitting). The translation is so well done.