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gudrqa's review against another edition
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
ENGLISH BELOW
Ciężko opisywać wydarzenia, które osobiście dotknęły ludzi, fabularyzując je, i zachować powagę tych zdarzeń, nie umniejszając osobom, które na prawdę przeżyły tragedię. Na szczęście ta historia nie wchodzi głęboko w opisy ludzkich tragedii. Raczej omawia je z szacunkiem, nie wchodząc w szczegółowe opisy. To dla mnie duży plus - informacyjnie, a nie sensacyjnie.
Minusem jest na pewno fakt, że osoba autorska nie pochodzi de facto z Urugwaju i nie opisuje życia, którego doświadczyła.
Także używane jest, bardzo dziwne, amerykańskie mam wrażenie, podejście z wtrącaniem słów po hiszpańsku, tak jakby bohaterki nie rozmawiały ze sobą po hiszpańsku i my nie czytali wersji przetłumaczonej tak czy inaczej (nawet w rodzinie ukraińsko-żydowskiej są wstawki hiszpańskie o dziwo). Słowa te też nie są przetłumaczone w dopiskach, dlatego czasem trzeba je tłumaczyć czytając książkę. Nie jest w dopisku także wytłumaczone dlaczego to słowo akurat jest ważne aby było po hiszpańsku.
Ogólnie książkę dobrze się czyta, ale jest trochę zbyt bezpośrednia w niektórych momentach, a końcówka jest na prawdę już mam wrażenie wymuszona jakby kończył się termin oddania pracy semestralnej.
ENGLISH
It’s hard to describe events that personally impacted people, making them into a plot, and keeping their respect, not taking anything from the people that lived through a tragedy. Thankfully this history doesn’t go deep into descriptions of human suffering. Rather describes them with respect, not going into detailed descriptions. This for me is a big plus - informing, without sensationalizing it.
Minus is a fact that the author is not de facto from Uruguay and doesn’t describe their life.
Also there is this weird, I feel that it’s an American, style of adding words in Spanish, as if the characters in the book weren’t already speaking Spanish and we weren’t reading the translated version (even weirder that Ukrainian-Jewish family also uses there added spanish words). These words aren’t translated in footnotes either, so that sometimes there is a need to translate them while reading. It’s also not explained in the footnote why some of these words might be important to keep in Spanish.
Generally the book is easy to read but it’s sometimes too straightforward and the ending feels forced as if there was a deadline at a university to finish it.
Ciężko opisywać wydarzenia, które osobiście dotknęły ludzi, fabularyzując je, i zachować powagę tych zdarzeń, nie umniejszając osobom, które na prawdę przeżyły tragedię. Na szczęście ta historia nie wchodzi głęboko w opisy ludzkich tragedii. Raczej omawia je z szacunkiem, nie wchodząc w szczegółowe opisy. To dla mnie duży plus - informacyjnie, a nie sensacyjnie.
Minusem jest na pewno fakt, że osoba autorska nie pochodzi de facto z Urugwaju i nie opisuje życia, którego doświadczyła.
Także używane jest, bardzo dziwne, amerykańskie mam wrażenie, podejście z wtrącaniem słów po hiszpańsku, tak jakby bohaterki nie rozmawiały ze sobą po hiszpańsku i my nie czytali wersji przetłumaczonej tak czy inaczej (nawet w rodzinie ukraińsko-żydowskiej są wstawki hiszpańskie o dziwo). Słowa te też nie są przetłumaczone w dopiskach, dlatego czasem trzeba je tłumaczyć czytając książkę. Nie jest w dopisku także wytłumaczone dlaczego to słowo akurat jest ważne aby było po hiszpańsku.
Ogólnie książkę dobrze się czyta, ale jest trochę zbyt bezpośrednia w niektórych momentach, a końcówka jest na prawdę już mam wrażenie wymuszona jakby kończył się termin oddania pracy semestralnej.
ENGLISH
It’s hard to describe events that personally impacted people, making them into a plot, and keeping their respect, not taking anything from the people that lived through a tragedy. Thankfully this history doesn’t go deep into descriptions of human suffering. Rather describes them with respect, not going into detailed descriptions. This for me is a big plus - informing, without sensationalizing it.
Minus is a fact that the author is not de facto from Uruguay and doesn’t describe their life.
Also there is this weird, I feel that it’s an American, style of adding words in Spanish, as if the characters in the book weren’t already speaking Spanish and we weren’t reading the translated version (even weirder that Ukrainian-Jewish family also uses there added spanish words). These words aren’t translated in footnotes either, so that sometimes there is a need to translate them while reading. It’s also not explained in the footnote why some of these words might be important to keep in Spanish.
Generally the book is easy to read but it’s sometimes too straightforward and the ending feels forced as if there was a deadline at a university to finish it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Infidelity, Suicide, Forced institutionalization, Lesbophobia, and Alcohol
Moderate: Rape, Sexual violence, Violence, and Medical trauma
Minor: Miscarriage, Torture, Excrement, Antisemitism, and Death of parent
nahanarts's review
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
medium-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? It's complicated
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Homophobia, Misogyny, and Suicide
Moderate: Rape
kalizahira's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
I loved this book! While quite slow-paced with moments of high tension, it captures several queer experiences very poeticly. While it covers many tragic subjects, life under the dictatorship and various ways homophobia shapes lives. It was in my opinion a great example of by lesbians, for lesbians. I learned more about Uruguay but I mostly delighted in the descriptions of discovering queer community for the first time, ff learning about yourself, and being able to let your guard down and build friendships as your authentic self. Though quite sad these moments made me feel very seen. The voices seemed super authentic to me.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Homophobia, Rape, and Suicide
bellist's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
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? No
3.75
I did ultimately enjoy this book, but I think it could’ve been shorter. The themes and general talking points got fairly repetitive after a while. But the writing was good, and the characters were vivid and compelling. It’s a fascinating and emotional tribute to queer life under authoritarian rule. I didn’t know anything about La Process, and I enjoyed learning more about Uruguayan/South American history.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Rape, Suicide, and Police brutality
kaynova's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
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
5.0
am i typing this review while in tears? yes, but that’s my business. this work of fiction was so extraordinary; i loved every single one of the characters even through their flaws that reminded me no experience is like the other. their friendship—family—transcends time, to see them grow as humans and as cantoras (a word i didn’t know existed until this book to identify sapphic women). to see each woman grapple with what does it mean to be a woman in love, family, friendship, and to the world, made me as an uterus person feel seen. with la venus and her bisexuality and the need to be a mother to flaca the glue to their group but also the glue to her own family, this felt like a memoir to women and knowing you are not alone. absolutely loved this and now i need to own the physical copy, to feel the weight of love in the palm of my hands.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Confinement, Domestic abuse, Homophobia, Infertility, Miscarriage, Rape, Sexual assault, Suicide, Torture, Forced institutionalization, Medical trauma, Lesbophobia, Sexual harassment, and War
howdyhoward's review against another edition
3.0
I really appreciated the historical perspective and lesbian representation. I learned a lot about the Uruguayan dictatorship which I didn't know about before, huge win for historical fiction. Besides that this was really boring. The only times I felt remotely engaged was when something tragic was happening which is more about the plot than the writing. I think I didn't like the writing? The characters were fleshed out and I understood them but I never connected with them on an emotional level. The whole thing felt very distant. And boring. Mostly very boring.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Confinement, Rape, Suicide, Torture, and Forced institutionalization
hannahleewhite's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Homophobia, Sexual violence, and Suicide
Moderate: Forced institutionalization
Minor: Adult/minor relationship
biblioghoul's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death and Suicide
Moderate: Homophobia, Rape, Forced institutionalization, and Lesbophobia
Minor: Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Biphobia, Confinement, Infidelity, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Torture, Police brutality, Medical content, Grief, Outing, Alcohol, and Sexual harassment
tracey1981's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.75
This is a beautiful book about friendship and building intentional community during hard times, in this case the dictatorship in Uruguay in the 1970s. 5 women friends, all cantoras (which means singer, but was also code for lesbian in that era), vacation together at Cabo Polonio, eventually buying a vacation home there that they visit over the years. The book sees them go through transitions in life, politics, relationships with one another as friends and sometimes as lovers, as well as with other lovers and family members, over the years and decades that follow. It’s well-written and gave me insight in to a history I didn’t know.
Probably a 5 star book but the experience was 4-4.5 stars for me because it might have been the wrong time for me to read a heavier book and I found it very hard to stay in to the audio even though the narration was good. I wish I’d read it on paper, maybe at a time when I could handle the harder parts of the story better.
Probably a 5 star book but the experience was 4-4.5 stars for me because it might have been the wrong time for me to read a heavier book and I found it very hard to stay in to the audio even though the narration was good. I wish I’d read it on paper, maybe at a time when I could handle the harder parts of the story better.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Homophobia, Pedophilia, Rape, Sexual violence, Suicide, Torture, Police brutality, Religious bigotry, Medical trauma, and Lesbophobia
Moderate: Infidelity
dasweinz's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-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? It's complicated
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual violence, Torture, and Violence
Moderate: Suicide