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3.94 AVERAGE
3.94 AVERAGE
adventurous
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
4.5
This took a while to get through and was a difficult read at times, but I think it was ultimately worth it. I really like queer historical fiction related to music so I'm not really surprised I liked this. I also really lie reading about complicated, flawed women in fiction. The friendship at the center of this is nowhere near perfect, but that's realistic. Unhealthy friendships exist and the people in them don't always realize they're unhealthy.
I loved the bisexual rep in this. I could tell Dores was bisexual and not pansexual without the word being on the page, which is rare. There's also so much discussion of privilege related to class, skin color, sexuality, and even talent.
The author shows many different kinds of music in Brazil and outside it at this time and how it relates to culture, privilege, and politics. The book also explored who owns a song and whether or not getting credit for writing a song matters. It was really interesting to learn about a music tradition different from the Western music traditions I'm more familiar with. Music isn't just part of the book's plot and characters. The writing includes metaphors related to music an often uses music to explain what's happening or what characters are feeling. The writing is also very poetic, which is fitting with Dores being a lyricist.
The thing that keeps this from a full five stars is that the pacing can feel a little slow for me, but I understand why, with this being such a character driven story. I just expected to reach certain points in the plot faster than we did, especially since the pacing sped up so much towards the end.
This took a while to get through and was a difficult read at times, but I think it was ultimately worth it. I really like queer historical fiction related to music so I'm not really surprised I liked this. I also really lie reading about complicated, flawed women in fiction. The friendship at the center of this is nowhere near perfect, but that's realistic. Unhealthy friendships exist and the people in them don't always realize they're unhealthy.
I loved the bisexual rep in this. I could tell Dores was bisexual and not pansexual without the word being on the page, which is rare. There's also so much discussion of privilege related to class, skin color, sexuality, and even talent.
The author shows many different kinds of music in Brazil and outside it at this time and how it relates to culture, privilege, and politics. The book also explored who owns a song and whether or not getting credit for writing a song matters. It was really interesting to learn about a music tradition different from the Western music traditions I'm more familiar with. Music isn't just part of the book's plot and characters. The writing includes metaphors related to music an often uses music to explain what's happening or what characters are feeling. The writing is also very poetic, which is fitting with Dores being a lyricist.
The thing that keeps this from a full five stars is that the pacing can feel a little slow for me, but I understand why, with this being such a character driven story. I just expected to reach certain points in the plot faster than we did, especially since the pacing sped up so much towards the end.
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
My first 5-star read of 2019! I cannot recommend this novel highly enough. I will admit that I put off reading it for far too long because the size intimidated me a bit, (it's under 500 pages, but it looks huge in person) and I really wish I hadn't. This book has it all - brilliant writing, engaging story line, bright, dimensional characters....despite it's size, I flew through it in two days.
Many of you who know me well know what a research geek I am. I was so enraptured by this story, even realizing that it was fictional, that I had to dig deeper. I spent some time reading interviews with the author and discovered that two of the main characters had a loose basis in reality. The author originally intended to write about Carmen Miranda, however, she realized quickly that she didn't want to be tied down to a specific timeline and trajectory, so she moved to a fictional character. (Google Carmen, you'll realize who she is immediately - the original 1940's Brazilian Bombshell!) Reading more about Carmen and that time period, along with listening to samba all morning, has made this book come even more alive in my head, where it will be stuck, I'm sure, for a long time to come.
Many of you who know me well know what a research geek I am. I was so enraptured by this story, even realizing that it was fictional, that I had to dig deeper. I spent some time reading interviews with the author and discovered that two of the main characters had a loose basis in reality. The author originally intended to write about Carmen Miranda, however, she realized quickly that she didn't want to be tied down to a specific timeline and trajectory, so she moved to a fictional character. (Google Carmen, you'll realize who she is immediately - the original 1940's Brazilian Bombshell!) Reading more about Carmen and that time period, along with listening to samba all morning, has made this book come even more alive in my head, where it will be stuck, I'm sure, for a long time to come.
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
3.5 stars rounding up to 4 because this was a time in history and topic new to me. This follows two women who have dreams of becoming famous singers. It’s set in Brazil in the 1930’s to 1940’s. I enjoyed most of the story. I sort of rolled my eyes at one part of the story that seems to be becoming a trope in books set in this era but otherwise a fun read, enjoyed the main character.
4.5
Estou a uma bela hora aqui pensando sobre o que eu acabei de ler. Tive que vir fazer esse texto no computador pq preciso falar.
Não vou ser saudosista e dizer que é perfeito, muitas partes acabei tendo a sensação de que o livro estava longo demais, mas ainda assim que sensação de estar em casa que me deu lendo esse livro. Eu particularmente estou mundo na vibe de livros sobre fama (principalmente o lado mais obscuro dela) e o livro cobre bem esse assunto ao mesmo tempo que fala do surgimento do samba de roda, dos dias antigos na lapa, do contexto de um Brasil mudando de um país de grande influencia estrangeira para um pais com própria identidade, seu reconhecimento fora, o surgimento da bossa nova, fala sobre gênero, sexualidade, raça, privilégios, amizade feminina e muito mais. Marquei um milhão de frases, a escrita é ótima e os personagens são muito reais.
Eu amei muito e me animei a ler mais literatura brasileira (apesar desse livro não estar nessa categoria). Fiquei meio chocada quando parei pra perceber que de todos os livros que eu li esse ano, só 2 se passavam no meu pais. E é isso. Obrigada pela atenção. Alguém publica esse livro em português urgente!!!!!!!
Estou a uma bela hora aqui pensando sobre o que eu acabei de ler. Tive que vir fazer esse texto no computador pq preciso falar.
Não vou ser saudosista e dizer que é perfeito, muitas partes acabei tendo a sensação de que o livro estava longo demais, mas ainda assim que sensação de estar em casa que me deu lendo esse livro. Eu particularmente estou mundo na vibe de livros sobre fama (principalmente o lado mais obscuro dela) e o livro cobre bem esse assunto ao mesmo tempo que fala do surgimento do samba de roda, dos dias antigos na lapa, do contexto de um Brasil mudando de um país de grande influencia estrangeira para um pais com própria identidade, seu reconhecimento fora, o surgimento da bossa nova, fala sobre gênero, sexualidade, raça, privilégios, amizade feminina e muito mais. Marquei um milhão de frases, a escrita é ótima e os personagens são muito reais.
Eu amei muito e me animei a ler mais literatura brasileira (apesar desse livro não estar nessa categoria). Fiquei meio chocada quando parei pra perceber que de todos os livros que eu li esse ano, só 2 se passavam no meu pais. E é isso. Obrigada pela atenção. Alguém publica esse livro em português urgente!!!!!!!
Two teenage girls escape their convent lives and head to Rio de Janeiro to become singing stars. One is a very talented singer and the daughter of a wealthy sugar baron, the other started life as a kitchen girl and isn’t so obviously talented. Together they establish a life in the big city singing on the corner outside the local radio station and hoping to be discovered. They are indeed discovered by a group of musicians who seek to create the real samba music that comes from their roots.
The two girls, Graca and Dores, don’t always see eye-to-eye but ultimately they “were together, making music simply for the sake of making it, living a rare moment when [we] could both be successful and genuine sambistas.”
Decades later the reader is guided through this colorful narrative as Dores thinks back to the girl she was, recalling the friends, the music, Graca, the Blue Moon boys, and the memories.
It’s the prefect rainy day read—it’s pretty much a great any day read.
The two girls, Graca and Dores, don’t always see eye-to-eye but ultimately they “were together, making music simply for the sake of making it, living a rare moment when [we] could both be successful and genuine sambistas.”
Decades later the reader is guided through this colorful narrative as Dores thinks back to the girl she was, recalling the friends, the music, Graca, the Blue Moon boys, and the memories.
It’s the prefect rainy day read—it’s pretty much a great any day read.
emotional
inspiring
reflective
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Some heavy content wrapped in light, airy prose that is easy reading but substantive. Most reviews describe a fairy tale feeling, which seems right - characters not quite of this world but compelling.
Maybe 3.5* but I rounded down to 3* because it was a little too long. It took me a little while to really get into this story, but I did find myself become absorbed in the lives of Graca and Dores. I felt myself getting frustrated with Graca and how everyone gave in to her because she was more talented, prettier, etc. and how everyone seemed to lose themselves, including Graca herself, to feed her ego. I'm glad I finished the book just in time for book club, because I believe there could be so much discussion that can occur about the friendships, each relationship with Vinicius, Graca's father, Madame L., Hollywood, etc.