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3.18 AVERAGE
3.18 AVERAGE
While I found the familial drama entertaining and my need to know how everything played out compelled me to finish this book I have to admit it didn't impress me much.
The Alvarado family experiences a tumultuous year following an accident that occurs while the matriarch Kelia is babysitting her twin granddaughters. It did not skimp on the drama because everything that could've happened did.
This included a drowning incident, multiple divorces, marital strife, secret businesses, a life-threatening brain tumor, kleptomania, an illegal embryo transfer, ongoing trauma due to rape, extramarital affairs, gentrification, a bi-coastal non-traditional marriage and a coming out of a non-binary character.
Interwoven in this story is the complex LA weather pattern and how it's been impacted by climate change.
And while this story wasn't boring by any means it just didn't hit for me and left me wanting more. I generally seek a lot of complexity and depth with characters and events when reading a contemporary/literary fiction novel. Events and circumstances should put characters in challenging positions that force them to reevaluate, grow, evolve, and change. I also seek to find a key takeaway from the overall theme and feel of the story. But this didn't accomplish that for me.
The reason I felt this book missed the mark could partially be due to my having grievances with all the characters. It wasn't that they were unlikeable which is fine as long as they are dynamic, complex, and have a good backstory I don't mind that so much. But in this case, these characters lacked these qualities and they didn't have any major growth or progression.
I mean these major life events happened to them and we didn't spend much time diving into the far-reaching consequences of their actions, behaviors, and decisions. We rush through them to hop onto the next dramatic event. It was all very superficial.
I feel Keila and Oscar had the biggest character arc whereas the daughters/sisters had minimal growth. We see little peeks at them trying to work on their flaws but we don't see how it manifests in their lives. I wish I could've witnessed their progression in more depth so that I could understand these characters more. Their lack of complexity made them come across as flat and one-dimensional.
However, I did appreciate the familial growth as they went from living separate lives distant from each other to unification and being more involved with one another.
Themes surrounding gender identity and sexuality were explored providing LGBTQIA+ representation but as I'm not part of this community I can't attest to whether this representation is accurate or not.
Additional themes focused on the environment and climate change are also prominent in this book. This discussion emphasized the necessity for individual and societal responsibility for caring for the environment and earth to preserve our planet and ensure a safe home for future generations.
And while these themes were important they didn't help with connecting me to the story or making me feel more invested. It felt like they were just thrown into the mix to add to the drama and upheaval experienced by this family.
This book left me feeling meh. It didn't wow me but it wasn't awful. So, I come away feeling indifferent to all that I read and experienced.
Check out my full review on my blog: https://www.kathleenhaagenson.com/la-weather-by-maria-amparo-escandon/
The Alvarado family experiences a tumultuous year following an accident that occurs while the matriarch Kelia is babysitting her twin granddaughters. It did not skimp on the drama because everything that could've happened did.
This included a drowning incident, multiple divorces, marital strife, secret businesses, a life-threatening brain tumor, kleptomania, an illegal embryo transfer, ongoing trauma due to rape, extramarital affairs, gentrification, a bi-coastal non-traditional marriage and a coming out of a non-binary character.
Interwoven in this story is the complex LA weather pattern and how it's been impacted by climate change.
And while this story wasn't boring by any means it just didn't hit for me and left me wanting more. I generally seek a lot of complexity and depth with characters and events when reading a contemporary/literary fiction novel. Events and circumstances should put characters in challenging positions that force them to reevaluate, grow, evolve, and change. I also seek to find a key takeaway from the overall theme and feel of the story. But this didn't accomplish that for me.
The reason I felt this book missed the mark could partially be due to my having grievances with all the characters. It wasn't that they were unlikeable which is fine as long as they are dynamic, complex, and have a good backstory I don't mind that so much. But in this case, these characters lacked these qualities and they didn't have any major growth or progression.
I mean these major life events happened to them and we didn't spend much time diving into the far-reaching consequences of their actions, behaviors, and decisions. We rush through them to hop onto the next dramatic event. It was all very superficial.
I feel Keila and Oscar had the biggest character arc whereas the daughters/sisters had minimal growth. We see little peeks at them trying to work on their flaws but we don't see how it manifests in their lives. I wish I could've witnessed their progression in more depth so that I could understand these characters more. Their lack of complexity made them come across as flat and one-dimensional.
However, I did appreciate the familial growth as they went from living separate lives distant from each other to unification and being more involved with one another.
Themes surrounding gender identity and sexuality were explored providing LGBTQIA+ representation but as I'm not part of this community I can't attest to whether this representation is accurate or not.
Additional themes focused on the environment and climate change are also prominent in this book. This discussion emphasized the necessity for individual and societal responsibility for caring for the environment and earth to preserve our planet and ensure a safe home for future generations.
And while these themes were important they didn't help with connecting me to the story or making me feel more invested. It felt like they were just thrown into the mix to add to the drama and upheaval experienced by this family.
This book left me feeling meh. It didn't wow me but it wasn't awful. So, I come away feeling indifferent to all that I read and experienced.
Check out my full review on my blog: https://www.kathleenhaagenson.com/la-weather-by-maria-amparo-escandon/
I don't get why there is such buzz about this book. It's very soap opera / telenovela-y and the dialogue is just not believable most of the time. But then the characters make references to telenovelas and soap operas in a non-ironic was which was kind of hilarious. I liked it enough to finish it though?
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Under normal circumstances I’m not sure I would have liked this book, but considering its relevance in light of the recent LA fires, the election (this was written soon after 45/47 was elected the first time), and the overall realities of living in CA myself, I formed an odd connection to it. Not to the plot, which I thought was meh at best, but to the setting and descriptions of places I know and love in a state I know and love so well. So in that way, it’s a great love letter to CA. And, fittingly, centered around an immigrant family that is itself a metaphor of the melting pot that is SoCal (Mexican Jews? Why not?!). So if you’re not a Californian, this book probably isn’t for you. If you are, it’s a good comfort read.
emotional
medium-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
I liked it enough to finish it but was very disconnected with most of the characters, even confusing the sisters a few times. So much jumping around and unbelievable storylines. It did read very soap opera-ish with ridiculous plot points. The idea was good and I wanted to know how it ended but found myself confused or rolling my eyes a lot.
emotional
inspiring
reflective
sad
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Great audiobook performance! A slice of life story that was worth sticking through to the end. I loved learning about the heritage of Mexican Jews.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Cancer
3.5 Overall enjoyable read. It dragged on and became too corny near the end re climate change but if you go in knowing the book is inspired by telenovelas, you can have a good time.
