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elsanore's review against another edition
4.0
I listened to the audio book of I, Juan de Pareja with my two children as part of our homeschool. Johanna Ward's narration is excellent and uses the continental Spanish pronunciation as well as varying character voices.
The book is historical fiction, based on the life of the painter Juan de Pareja who was enslaved and eventually freed by the painter Diego Velasquez. The author described the creation of several famous paintings by both men as well as their personal lives. Themes of slavery and court life make this book a worthy read while studying these topics, although the language concerning slavery is not what we would use today because it was written in 1965.
The book is historical fiction, based on the life of the painter Juan de Pareja who was enslaved and eventually freed by the painter Diego Velasquez. The author described the creation of several famous paintings by both men as well as their personal lives. Themes of slavery and court life make this book a worthy read while studying these topics, although the language concerning slavery is not what we would use today because it was written in 1965.
whitneydrew's review against another edition
3.0
I enjoyed this book. It made me want to take a deeper look at the life of Velasquez.
evrlore's review against another edition
3.0
3.5
had to read the book for school and we finished it today in class, it was pretty good but i marked it down because it was tiring because of the fact we had to read it for class
had to read the book for school and we finished it today in class, it was pretty good but i marked it down because it was tiring because of the fact we had to read it for class
prof_shoff's review against another edition
2.0
Informative but not especially captivating story of Velasquez’ slave. The first person narrative is somewhat stilted, even allowing for the supposed language of the period, but it does offer entry into the lives of the people surrounding the great painter.
grllopez's review against another edition
4.0
This is a sweet story about the Spanish artist, Diego Velasquez, narrated by his slave/assistant, Juan de Pareja. My review:I, Juan de Pareja.
betsygant's review against another edition
3.0
The only thing that would've made reading this even more enjoyable is if I had a little kid to read this aloud to. Fun kids'book!
twicebaked's review against another edition
3.0
I don't totally remember this story but I do remember being sick and feeling sick and the only thing that I could do was lie on the couch all day feeling miserable. The highlight of the day was this book. It was the only one I wanted to read. Everything else left me nauseated because they were either too exciting that they made my stomach tighten up from all the adrenaline or they were so boring I fell asleep and then woke up feeling worse than ever with my hair a tangled mess and my head feeling tight and stuffy. This book was better than medicine itself - it was neither of those things.
This book was not boring. This book was not exciting. This book was a plodder - it follows a sweet, simple, calming story line that will leave sick people feeling better, and better people feeling cozy inside. I think it was part of why I got well so fast. :P
This book was not boring. This book was not exciting. This book was a plodder - it follows a sweet, simple, calming story line that will leave sick people feeling better, and better people feeling cozy inside. I think it was part of why I got well so fast. :P
nuckollsjake's review against another edition
I was immediately turned off by the book. I'm just not interested in the time period, the content, and truly... the characters... BUT... and a huge BUT here. I'm reading all the Newbery's and by the end, I had shed tears and was sad to leave Juan, Lolis, and his new found life. I guess that's why it won awards, eh? But I do wonder if I would have chosen it over the others considered that year.