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3.18 AVERAGE
3.18 AVERAGE
Damn, that was good.
Very nicely written, interesting bunch of characters, and -- for me -- loving poetry that makes Los Angeles the story.
I loved it!
* * *
"Why? Because immigrants operated them. They had brought their homeland’s flavors in their suitcases and were adding them to the never-ending gastronomic experiment that took place every day in Los Angeles. She loved to observe, but more important, to participate in the frequent overlap between different cuisines, resulting in an endless continuum of delight and surprise. Multiply that by more than one hundred and fifty countries and you had yourself Angeleno cuisine."
Very nicely written, interesting bunch of characters, and -- for me -- loving poetry that makes Los Angeles the story.
I loved it!
* * *
"Why? Because immigrants operated them. They had brought their homeland’s flavors in their suitcases and were adding them to the never-ending gastronomic experiment that took place every day in Los Angeles. She loved to observe, but more important, to participate in the frequent overlap between different cuisines, resulting in an endless continuum of delight and surprise. Multiply that by more than one hundred and fifty countries and you had yourself Angeleno cuisine."
Really lands between 3 and 4 stars. Love the family story and their background but some implausible ideas that were hard for me to get past
Was a sold 4 until the last 4 chapters. It got political/environmental. It just felt like it was thrown in at the end. IMO it would have been better if that would have been developed earlier in the book. Felt like it was just written in to be able to check off a list of things included in the book, but what do I know. I’m just a reader. Not an author. Made this more like a 3.5 for me.
The Alvarado family is a wealthy family living in LA. Husband & Wife Oscar and Keila, decide that they no longer want to be married, but make a commitment to try to work things out before completely calling it quits. Their daughters Patricia, Olivia & Claudia also are not completely happy with their marriages. This book tells the story of family secrets & how the Alvarados work to hide them. I’m still trying to decide how I feel about this book. I loved the setting and reading about familiar LA neighborhoods, especially beautiful Rancho Verde where Oscar and Keila live. I also loved all of the food & the Jewish culture of Keila’s character. But overall, something was missing from the plot. Much of it was predictable.
I didn’t actually finish this one, made it halfway through. So many references to LA that felt unnecessary, like the 405, the 101,, La Cienega, etc. Repeatedly. It felt very, “Prove that you’ve been to LA” but takes away from the story. Reminded me of The Californians SNL soap opera skit.
Finished L.A. Weather by Maria Amparo Escandon
My take = Meh
My take = Meh
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I feel like I was invited to spend a year with the Alvarado family and now I have been sent home. Funny, sad, interesting, and unputdownable. A great story about sisters.
This book follows a Mexican American family with three adult children and two grandchildren through the ups and downs of life including infidelity, gender questioning, divorce, accidents, medical emergencies, and the impacts of climate change. All of which reminds them of what is really important in life.
reflective
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:
Complicated