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elliereadsthings's review
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
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? It's complicated
4.0
As many before have said, having read the English translated version, I can only imagine the amount of magic in the original Spanish. It was translated so well - including the Spanish titles (e.g. Nana, Sra., Sr.) and the occasional Spanish word helped keep me immersed in the location.
I will say, the one dislike I have - or rather had - was the first (and maybe second) POV change at the beginning of the book (the ones in first person). Once you go through a couple of them and you start to learn who this narrator is, they’re much less abrupt and much more welcomed. The first one definitely unimmersed me but because it’s so early in the book it didn’t divert me from continuing. And, as you can probably guess, I’m glad I did.
I will say, the one dislike I have - or rather had - was the first (and maybe second) POV change at the beginning of the book (the ones in first person). Once you go through a couple of them and you start to learn who this narrator is, they’re much less abrupt and much more welcomed. The first one definitely unimmersed me but because it’s so early in the book it didn’t divert me from continuing. And, as you can probably guess, I’m glad I did.
If you are reading this book, stuck in the first couple chapters, I URGE you to keep reading.
“-and the house left its own echos in me. I carry them inside me still. I’m certain I carry my mama and papa in my cells, but also the lavender, the orange blossoms, my mother’s sheets, my grandmother’s calculated footsteps, the toasted pecans, the clunk of the treacherous tile, the sugar caramelizing, the cajeta, the mad cicadas, the smells of old wood, and the polished clay floors. I’m also made of oranges—green, sweet, or rotten; of orange-blossom honey and royal jelly. I’m made of everything that touched my senses during that time and entered the part of my brain where I keep my memories.”
Content Warnings
Moderate: Body shaming, Death of parent, Murder, Ableism, Abandonment, and Bullying
ziniana's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
2.5
Linda historia, pero hay que repetirse cada cinco minutos no tomarse muy a pecho que los ricos de descendencia blanca sean los buenos/ héroes y que los pobres de descendencia indígena (o no blanca) sean los malos- o bien, que sean mágicos y actúen como un bálsamo para los protagonistas. De lo contrario, es imposible disfrutar de lo bonita que es la prosa y la historia (que, a pesar de estar bien fuera de tono, tiene arto corazón).
Definitivamente no es un libro para leer en pandemia.
Definitivamente no es un libro para leer en pandemia.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism, Death, Sexual assault, and Sexual violence
Moderate: Colonisation and Racism
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