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3.8 AVERAGE
3.8 AVERAGE
This book tells the story of a life-changing summer in the life of 18-year-old Viridiana. Viridiana lives in a sleepy town in Baja California wedged between the desert and the wild sea. She dreams of escaping her predictable existence of marrying and taking over her mother’s shop. A world of intrigue and opportunity opens when she gets hired to translate for glamorous American ex-pats who rented a house at the edge of town. She immediately falls for their charms, but things quickly take a different turn than she had expected.
When I first picked up this book, I expected a run-of-the-mill thriller but found much more in this book. The perspective of the main character is beautifully captured. The book is full of the yearning of youth and the big questions of identity and fate. It also strongly anchored in the local community and their expectations of proper behaviour. The book feels like a slice of life from a particular time at a particular place in the world that is not often depicted in mainstream Western culture. The thriller story that is driving the narrative is well thought-through. I found the motives and characters believable and genuinely wanted to know what happens next. In contrast to many other novels in the genre, the book does not build up tension through cheap tricks that are then insufficiently resolved or fall flat at the end. Altogether, I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book and am keen to check out other books by this author.
When I first picked up this book, I expected a run-of-the-mill thriller but found much more in this book. The perspective of the main character is beautifully captured. The book is full of the yearning of youth and the big questions of identity and fate. It also strongly anchored in the local community and their expectations of proper behaviour. The book feels like a slice of life from a particular time at a particular place in the world that is not often depicted in mainstream Western culture. The thriller story that is driving the narrative is well thought-through. I found the motives and characters believable and genuinely wanted to know what happens next. In contrast to many other novels in the genre, the book does not build up tension through cheap tricks that are then insufficiently resolved or fall flat at the end. Altogether, I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book and am keen to check out other books by this author.
CW: unpleasant sexual experiences and pressure, graphic violence, description of dead animals.
This is the second book I have read from Moreno-Garcia and she is so talented. This is a noir crime-thriller set in Baja California in the 1970s. It is very cinematic and I found myself actually compelled to sit and read through the second half in one sitting because it really heated up (the way that noir often does).
There are some really interesting themes explored in the story, and the main character is relatable as a somewhat depressed and bored 18 year old feeling constricted by traditional expectations and the pace of her small, desert town. This author has a great way of writing a relatable character who isn’t likable or pliant with smoothed down edges, and I really appreciate that because it’s so realistic to actual people. Our narrator bites her nails, lies badly, is naive and easily fooled, and generally gets herself into a big mess, but you can see why and how she does this, and it makes the story very engaging even when there isn’t a ton of plot happening.
I was concerned at the 85% mark that the ending wouldn’t land for me, but it really did and I was pleasantly surprised with the way she tied it all together. So excited to continue to read from this author because she is so incredibly talented and works with settings and background that you don’t often get to see in English-language fiction.
This is the second book I have read from Moreno-Garcia and she is so talented. This is a noir crime-thriller set in Baja California in the 1970s. It is very cinematic and I found myself actually compelled to sit and read through the second half in one sitting because it really heated up (the way that noir often does).
There are some really interesting themes explored in the story, and the main character is relatable as a somewhat depressed and bored 18 year old feeling constricted by traditional expectations and the pace of her small, desert town. This author has a great way of writing a relatable character who isn’t likable or pliant with smoothed down edges, and I really appreciate that because it’s so realistic to actual people. Our narrator bites her nails, lies badly, is naive and easily fooled, and generally gets herself into a big mess, but you can see why and how she does this, and it makes the story very engaging even when there isn’t a ton of plot happening.
I was concerned at the 85% mark that the ending wouldn’t land for me, but it really did and I was pleasantly surprised with the way she tied it all together. So excited to continue to read from this author because she is so incredibly talented and works with settings and background that you don’t often get to see in English-language fiction.
Check out this review and more on my blog!
I received an eARC of Untamed Shore from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
By this point I think we all know that I’m Silvia Moreno-Garcia trash, and I’m so pleased to say that her first thriller, and first non-speculative novel, is a novel I really enjoyed.
Set in Mexico in the late 1970s, Untamed Shore follows 18-year-old Viridiana, who longs to leave Baja California for Mexico City, where she can put her fluency in four languages to use in a job that doesn’t involve leading ungrateful tourists around her hometown or working in her mother’s shop. When three Americans arrive for the summer and Viridiana is hired as, essentially, a PA, she seizes the opportunity they bring her for excitement from the humdrum of her life, until the summer takes a dark, deceitful turn.
I love the way Moreno-Garcia writes about Mexico, and from the very first page of this novel the atmosphere feels sinister, oppressive, like something’s waiting to happen just around the corner. And when you sign up to read a thriller, you know something is going to happen. The heat seems unrelenting, and you can always count on characters in extreme weather conditions, whether they be hot or cold, to become irritable with one another. Maybe even dangerously so.
This is a thriller that takes its time, Moreno-Garcia never rushes things, and yet I read it in two days. It’s incredibly readable, but you won’t find the kind of thriller here in which a new dead body’s turning up every five minutes and the hunt is on to find the killer. This isn’t a whodunnit, we already know who, but a novel about class, consequences and learning to hold your own.
Viridiana, like all of Moreno-Garcia’s heroines, is such an interesting protagonist to follow. At times she’s a little frustrating – more than once I wanted to give her a shake and say, ‘dammit, woman, open your eyes!’ – but she’s also only 18 and, though very intelligent, isn’t particularly worldly yet, which means it’s so much easier for her to be taken advantage of. Especially by a group of Americans who can go anywhere and do anything because they’re wealthy and white.
By the end of this novel, though, I guarantee you’ll be cheering Viridiana on. There’s very little I want to say about the plot because it’s not a particularly complex one, and it doesn’t need to be, but there are little twists and turns throughout that I don’t want to ruin. Ultimately Untamed Shore reads like a coming-of-age novel in the guise of a thriller, and Viridiana’s growth from the very first page to the very last, whether for good or for bad, is so compelling. She’s ruthless when she needs to be, and I love her for it.
I worried that I might miss the elements of fantasy or sci-fi that I’m used to encountering in Moreno-Garcia’s work, but this novel has proven that I’ll read basically anything she writes – I’d probably read her shopping list, to be honest – and I’d happily read another thriller from her in future. If I wasn’t already excited for [b:Mexican Gothic|48366686|Mexican Gothic|Silvia Moreno-Garcia|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1575673549l/48366686._SX50_.jpg|73647361] (spoiler: I was), I certainly am now!
I received an eARC of Untamed Shore from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
By this point I think we all know that I’m Silvia Moreno-Garcia trash, and I’m so pleased to say that her first thriller, and first non-speculative novel, is a novel I really enjoyed.
Set in Mexico in the late 1970s, Untamed Shore follows 18-year-old Viridiana, who longs to leave Baja California for Mexico City, where she can put her fluency in four languages to use in a job that doesn’t involve leading ungrateful tourists around her hometown or working in her mother’s shop. When three Americans arrive for the summer and Viridiana is hired as, essentially, a PA, she seizes the opportunity they bring her for excitement from the humdrum of her life, until the summer takes a dark, deceitful turn.
I love the way Moreno-Garcia writes about Mexico, and from the very first page of this novel the atmosphere feels sinister, oppressive, like something’s waiting to happen just around the corner. And when you sign up to read a thriller, you know something is going to happen. The heat seems unrelenting, and you can always count on characters in extreme weather conditions, whether they be hot or cold, to become irritable with one another. Maybe even dangerously so.
This is a thriller that takes its time, Moreno-Garcia never rushes things, and yet I read it in two days. It’s incredibly readable, but you won’t find the kind of thriller here in which a new dead body’s turning up every five minutes and the hunt is on to find the killer. This isn’t a whodunnit, we already know who, but a novel about class, consequences and learning to hold your own.
Viridiana, like all of Moreno-Garcia’s heroines, is such an interesting protagonist to follow. At times she’s a little frustrating – more than once I wanted to give her a shake and say, ‘dammit, woman, open your eyes!’ – but she’s also only 18 and, though very intelligent, isn’t particularly worldly yet, which means it’s so much easier for her to be taken advantage of. Especially by a group of Americans who can go anywhere and do anything because they’re wealthy and white.
By the end of this novel, though, I guarantee you’ll be cheering Viridiana on. There’s very little I want to say about the plot because it’s not a particularly complex one, and it doesn’t need to be, but there are little twists and turns throughout that I don’t want to ruin. Ultimately Untamed Shore reads like a coming-of-age novel in the guise of a thriller, and Viridiana’s growth from the very first page to the very last, whether for good or for bad, is so compelling. She’s ruthless when she needs to be, and I love her for it.
I worried that I might miss the elements of fantasy or sci-fi that I’m used to encountering in Moreno-Garcia’s work, but this novel has proven that I’ll read basically anything she writes – I’d probably read her shopping list, to be honest – and I’d happily read another thriller from her in future. If I wasn’t already excited for [b:Mexican Gothic|48366686|Mexican Gothic|Silvia Moreno-Garcia|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1575673549l/48366686._SX50_.jpg|73647361] (spoiler: I was), I certainly am now!
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I listened to the audiobook and enjoyed it. However, I anticipated a few of the twists. I know the main character is naive for a good part of the book to create an interesting character arc, but that meant I felt like yelling at her because I was anticipating the other characters actions & motivations before she was. Also, Viridiana resembles some of the MCs in other books by this author I've read- which I think is because all of the books by Moreno-Garcia that I've read feature a coming-of-age arcs. Even so, it was a little disappointing to see the same character arc play out again.
dark
reflective
medium-paced
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
In decided contrast to her fantasy novel Gods of Jade and Shadow, which I criticized for its protagonist's utter lack of agency and personal fortitude, this excellent new non-fantasy novel by Moreno-Garcia is all about a young woman taking control of her circumstances and using them to further her personal goals. Viridiana is eighteen and resisting her mother's push for her to get married and start a family when a wealthy family comes to her small Mexican town and hires her as a translator and secretary. As she becomes more involved with the family, and begins a relationship with one of them, she also begins to discover that all is not as it seems with her employers. Using her wits and local knowledge, Viridiana manages to get out of dangerous and difficult situations, losing her naïveté and becoming a survivor, if a cynical one, in the process.
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Loved the atmosphere and setting of this book
Silvia Moreno-Garcia is on a roll! I read her novel Gods of jade & Shadow last year and loved it now in 2020 she gives us two more novel Mexican Gothic out in June & Untamed Shore, out now. To avoid any spoilers, I’m going to keep this simple.
Moreno-Garcia's is a talented storyteller, this suspenseful, noir mystery had up way pass my bedtime. I must say, don’t let Viridiana “naivety” fool you, there is more to her than you know. There are some trigger warnings you should be aware of here: some unwanted sexual activity and domestic violence.
I thought this was a worthy read, can’t wait for Moreno-Garcia's next novel. Thanks to Polis Books/Agora books for this gifted DARC via NetGally, in exchange for an honest review.
Moreno-Garcia's is a talented storyteller, this suspenseful, noir mystery had up way pass my bedtime. I must say, don’t let Viridiana “naivety” fool you, there is more to her than you know. There are some trigger warnings you should be aware of here: some unwanted sexual activity and domestic violence.
I thought this was a worthy read, can’t wait for Moreno-Garcia's next novel. Thanks to Polis Books/Agora books for this gifted DARC via NetGally, in exchange for an honest review.
This book is a slow burn: the plot moving like a trickle of sweat down your back and ending incandescently as when you pull your hand away from shielding your eyes to pick a spot on the sun washed horizon to go to. Highly recommended.