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3.82 AVERAGE
3.82 AVERAGE
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
3.5 stars
This book is heavy in subject matter and as a read if that makes sense...Timely in topic of children being separated at the border. The multiple lost children throughout the story helps the cohesion of the book. This family watches a flight take off with children who are detained and being sent back to South America...this was a powerful image that will stay with me.
This book is heavy in subject matter and as a read if that makes sense...Timely in topic of children being separated at the border. The multiple lost children throughout the story helps the cohesion of the book. This family watches a flight take off with children who are detained and being sent back to South America...this was a powerful image that will stay with me.
Narrated by: Valeria Luiselli, Kivlighan de Montebello, William DeMeritt, Maia Enrigue Luiselli
DNF at 30%. Just could not get into the writing style. Felt very pretentious and chock full of literary references to the point that it just felt heavy handed. The children dont sound like children. The story of migrant "lost" children was just in the background and thats what I really cared about. Lots of seemingly random flashbacks to moments that dont seem to matter in the context of any of the main storylines. Ex: She talks about her friend who is trying to come up for a solution for women's periods in space. Like okay? What does that have to do with your marriage falling apart or the lost children or the Apache people. Idk. Maybe I'm just not patient enough to get to the meat or to understand the connections but I just don't care anymore. This book is decently long and I can tell it wont be for me.
Me habían recomendado mucho a Luiselli desde hace años, hace poco me topé con este libro y decidí que era momento de leerla. Es una historia melancólica, un último viaje familiar antes de que la familia se termine. A veces la historia es muy irreal, sobre todo la mamá, todo está muy pensado, todo cabe perfectamente y no me parece verosímil.
Es un libro pesadísimo de leer. Tiene demasiadas referencias, es demasiado descriptiva, en detalles innecesarios. Las elegías de los niños perdidos al principo me las saltaba y ya solo al final empecé a leerlas porque eran más cortas y la historias se juntan/fusionan. La parte en la que el niño me gustó mucho más que la que narra la mamá.
Es una novela muy bien armada, pero quizás demasiado bien armada, y a veces muy inverosímil. La escritura de Valeria no me ha encantado, y se nota mucho que es filósofa, que pesadez de escritura luego.
Quiero darle otra oportunidad a Luiselli pero no creo que sea pronto.
Estoy aberta a sugerencias.
Es un libro pesadísimo de leer. Tiene demasiadas referencias, es demasiado descriptiva, en detalles innecesarios. Las elegías de los niños perdidos al principo me las saltaba y ya solo al final empecé a leerlas porque eran más cortas y la historias se juntan/fusionan. La parte en la que el niño me gustó mucho más que la que narra la mamá.
Es una novela muy bien armada, pero quizás demasiado bien armada, y a veces muy inverosímil. La escritura de Valeria no me ha encantado, y se nota mucho que es filósofa, que pesadez de escritura luego.
Quiero darle otra oportunidad a Luiselli pero no creo que sea pronto.
Estoy aberta a sugerencias.
I had lots of trouble with this novel. First, I switched from the audio to print because I hated the monotone narration of the author. Second, this would have made a better essay or long article about immigration, it just didn't work as a plot device. Lastly, I enjoyed the intellectual asides and very frequent references to literature and non-fiction books, but frankly it sometimes read like a college philosophy paper. Luiselli is a talented writer and captures the moments of marriage and parenthood with wonderfully crafted observations, although at times it ventured into the realm of stream of consciousness. The author would have been better served overall with a strong editor to corral all the multiple themes in this novel. I've read reviews that mention this novel is autobiographical and based on a similar trip taken by Luiselli and her family. However, I found the characterizations of the children to be totally unrealistic, even for precocious ones, and can't imagine them being modeled on real children.
this was a book that was languishing on my to-read shelf for so long that by the time i got around to reading it, i had completely forgotten what drew me to it initially, and was so pleassantly surprised when it turned out to be so wonderful (i am delighted to be my own best recommendation-generator!). it follows a couple, two sound documentary makers, and their children as they drive from New York to southern Arizona. there are the obvious points of its brilliance - the harsh commentary it gives of the tragedies of border-crossing, the tender depiction of a family falling apart, the clever switching between childish and adult narrative voices - but also its peppered with ruminations on sound and its significance which tickled the musicologist in me.