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3.82 AVERAGE
3.82 AVERAGE
The first 70% of this book was probably one of the best books I ever read. The last 30% was ambitious, and it was good but it kinda lost me. No pun intended. I feel like I’ve read a number of literary novels recently where the first part blows me away and then the author decides to change the point of view for the next part and I really wish they hadn’t.
I read along with this book while listening to the audio version and I must say this has some of the most creative audiobook directing I’ve ever heard. Also, I usually hate when authors read their book, but this author did a magnificent job.
I read along with this book while listening to the audio version and I must say this has some of the most creative audiobook directing I’ve ever heard. Also, I usually hate when authors read their book, but this author did a magnificent job.
adventurous
challenging
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
One minute its great the next your like eh. It had real potential aswell
Valeria Luiselli es, sin duda, una de las mejores plumas de la actualidad. Su prosa es sencilla, pero profunda. La historia que cuenta en este libro te atrapa desde el principio, y los cuatro personajes que llenan sus páginas respiran en cada párrafo, se sienten vivos. Una belleza de principio a fin.
The project that the characters undertake is very flawed but it doesn't mean that Valeria Luiselli's project is flawed.
at first, I had little patience for it, because, to me, it felt like the project the characters are undertaking is so flawed. This road trip was just privileged people traveling around the country on a vacation, but sort of recording some things that had some social justice aim to them, so they had funding for it. Also, I felt like some of the observations they made especially in Appalachia were so classist, I had a hard time getting through them. (The scene with the toddler getting fed french fries). But then I decided that even though the characters' project is very flawed, it doesn't mean that Luiselli's project is flawed. So then I started to enjoy it more and free myself up to immerse myself in it more and to understand what she is doing with it. It ended up haunting me.
at first, I had little patience for it, because, to me, it felt like the project the characters are undertaking is so flawed. This road trip was just privileged people traveling around the country on a vacation, but sort of recording some things that had some social justice aim to them, so they had funding for it. Also, I felt like some of the observations they made especially in Appalachia were so classist, I had a hard time getting through them. (The scene with the toddler getting fed french fries). But then I decided that even though the characters' project is very flawed, it doesn't mean that Luiselli's project is flawed. So then I started to enjoy it more and free myself up to immerse myself in it more and to understand what she is doing with it. It ended up haunting me.
‘Lost Children Archive’ is a very actual novel in so many ways. Through the journey of a family across the USA, Luiselli give us a book about filial relationships, the migration issues in America, about personal and social identity, about self discovery, coming of age, motherhood... every page in it provides a layer of read. And within This complexity, the narrative of the author is simple, down to earth and engaging. Luiselli narrates this story through images. It was so easy to imagine what the characters of this novel were going through and the trip they were making. This is a novel about life, and its best asset is that it is full of it.
"I suppose that documenting things—through the lens of a camera, on paper, or with a sound recording devise—is really only a way of contributing one more layer, something like soot, to all the things already sedimented in a collective understanding of the world" (55).
"You just have to find your own way of understanding space, so that the rest of us can feel less lost in time" (103).
"All I see in hindsight is the chaos of history repeated, over and over, reenacted, reinterpreted, the world, its fucked-up heart palpitating underneath us, failing, messing up again and again as it winds its way around a sun. And in the middle of it all, tribes, families, people, all beautiful things falling apart, debris, dust erasure" (146).
Oh boy, LOST CHILDREN ARCHIVE floored me. The layers, the echoes, the maps, the threads: I'd never read anything quite like this, so much delicate overlay. The history of Apacheria tied into the present-day migrant crisis tied into one family's dissolution, much of it all very rooted in the unique perspective of children. The blurbed reviews resonated (e.g., Maggie Nelson does On the Road, empathetic, intellectual, inventive), but there was something about them that failed to capture what a gut-punch LOST CHILDREN ARCHIVE is, both at the personal and geopolitical level. I'm grateful for what Luiselli has documented here—and how.
"You just have to find your own way of understanding space, so that the rest of us can feel less lost in time" (103).
"All I see in hindsight is the chaos of history repeated, over and over, reenacted, reinterpreted, the world, its fucked-up heart palpitating underneath us, failing, messing up again and again as it winds its way around a sun. And in the middle of it all, tribes, families, people, all beautiful things falling apart, debris, dust erasure" (146).
Oh boy, LOST CHILDREN ARCHIVE floored me. The layers, the echoes, the maps, the threads: I'd never read anything quite like this, so much delicate overlay. The history of Apacheria tied into the present-day migrant crisis tied into one family's dissolution, much of it all very rooted in the unique perspective of children. The blurbed reviews resonated (e.g., Maggie Nelson does On the Road, empathetic, intellectual, inventive), but there was something about them that failed to capture what a gut-punch LOST CHILDREN ARCHIVE is, both at the personal and geopolitical level. I'm grateful for what Luiselli has documented here—and how.
adventurous
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
‘Lost Children Archive’ is a book that comes into the category of appreciating what the book is about, but I didn’t feel the same way about the book itself. It’s a book which focuses on the topic of child immigration interwoven with the story of a family going on a road trip. The first half is from the POV of the mother, who is planning to do a project on the subject but is also trying to help a woman find her two children who were crossing the border from South America. The second half of the book is from the POV of the 10 year old son of the family.
I really enjoyed the POV of the son, which seemed so innocent and who just doesn’t want the family to be torn apart. The mother’s POV was really well done as well, where her helplessness on this whole issue was portrayed with the perfect words. There is a lot of symbolism in the book, and some times that does feel a little overdone. Though the book oscillates between different topics, I feel that the writing just got a little too
I really enjoyed the POV of the son, which seemed so innocent and who just doesn’t want the family to be torn apart. The mother’s POV was really well done as well, where her helplessness on this whole issue was portrayed with the perfect words. There is a lot of symbolism in the book, and some times that does feel a little overdone. Though the book oscillates between different topics, I feel that the writing just got a little too
Did Not Finish
I listened to over a third of this but just couldn't go on. I felt like I was reading an art installation instead of a novel. It seemed like there was a distance between myself and the book that I just couldn't bridge, particularly between myself and the characters and plot. I couldn't get into Luiselli's other book, The Story of My Teeth either, although with this one I at least got to hear her narrate her work, which was a plus. I wouldn't say this is pretentious, but it's not necessarily not pretentious either.
I listened to over a third of this but just couldn't go on. I felt like I was reading an art installation instead of a novel. It seemed like there was a distance between myself and the book that I just couldn't bridge, particularly between myself and the characters and plot. I couldn't get into Luiselli's other book, The Story of My Teeth either, although with this one I at least got to hear her narrate her work, which was a plus. I wouldn't say this is pretentious, but it's not necessarily not pretentious either.