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4.1 AVERAGE
4.1 AVERAGE
First book a chose as part of Book Riot’s Read Harder Challenge, for the category non-European novel in translation. This pick has me really looking forward to tackling the other categories.
Mesmerizing and beautiful. There were so many moments that took my breath away.
Made me cry three times.
Made me cry three times.
I'm glad to have had the opportunity to discuss this book with my book club, because the more we spoke about it, the more I realized I did like this book quite a bit. It is a lot to get through (I wouldn't recommend reading the entire thing in 2 1/2 days like I did) and a lot to process. It brought back (vague, 20+ year old) memories of 100 Years of Solitude, though I did find it easier to read. (Whether that's due to the book itself or my more advanced age now, I can't say.) The writing was gorgeous (props to the translator) and the characters were well-developed and intriguing. I would definitely recommend this book, but also recommend you have the time to really sit with it for awhile.
Stunning! This is a nice, slow-paced novel with beautiful character development. The story is lush and vivid.
I listened to the audiobook which has two narrators who deliver beautiful performances. As I have no Spanish language background, this was particularly enjoyable for me.
I listened to the audiobook which has two narrators who deliver beautiful performances. As I have no Spanish language background, this was particularly enjoyable for me.
Magical realism! I love this genre ❤ It's also a family saga drama set in Mexico during the Pandemic of 1918 and the years following. I loved this book. The chapters are short, which makes it a relatively quick read, even though there are 100 chapters. The longest chapters were at the end, and I did feel a little repetition and monotony, which is why I didn't give this book 5 stars. I thought the character development was phenomenal, allowing the reader to feel deeply entrenched in the lives of these family members. I learned about Agrarian Reform and the deeply held conflicts between the governments and the Catholic Church. I don't as a general rule love bees, but this book made me care about them and wish I had a little bee army of my own. It was also weird to think if I had read this book the year it came out, the parts about the pandemic would not have nearly resonated with me. It was strange to read about the Pandemic of 1918 and nod my head along, thinking "yep! I've felt that!" I enjoyed this book so much, and I think it's a great way to end this review.
The grandmother of a family in a small Mexican town gets up from her rocking chair & disappears one day, only to return with a baby boy with a cleft lip who's been abandoned by his family but seemingly adopted by bees - they swarm him but do not hurt him. The old woman's relatives adopt him for real & raise him as their own. He knows things - where people are, when his adopted mom is pregnant, when there's danger & he's needed. When his young brother is born, they share a bond like none other.
This book had such promise, but I was bored. It moved too slowly for me, especially the end that was beautiful & impactful but still I was like GET. TO. THE. POINT. I just can't get into a book that takes too long.
If you like a slower roll & do pick this one up, I'd say go with audio - the two actors & their accents were wonderful.
This book had such promise, but I was bored. It moved too slowly for me, especially the end that was beautiful & impactful but still I was like GET. TO. THE. POINT. I just can't get into a book that takes too long.
If you like a slower roll & do pick this one up, I'd say go with audio - the two actors & their accents were wonderful.
challenging
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Hands down the best book I've ever read! The writing is so poetic and powerful, the characters are dynamic and interesting and so believable. A beautiful story wonderfully told. I cannot get enough of this book!
adventurous
mysterious
reflective
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
A tender, mysterious novel with a touch of magical realism that explores superstition, identity, and one family's fate in a small Mexican town firmly ground in morals and beliefs.
I doubt I ever would have come across this novel if it wasn't a book club pick (but thank goodness I did). It's one of those books that is hard to explain due to its numerous layers and intertwined stories. The translation is beautiful and carries the emotion and intricacies many other translations fail to capture. I loved the dash of magic that surrounded the novel and thought this really helped bring the story and characters to life. The Mexican setting and time period were new to me and provided a backdrop to a history I had little knowledge of.
My only criticisms are that the book is way too long and tries to cram too much in (the Mexican revolution, the Spanish Flu, the Agrarian Reform, etc). The first half I couldn't put down but then it started to drag and I found myself skimming a little to reach the end.
That said, we had some great discussions in the book club and I'm happy to be able to tick Mexico off my #ReadTheWorld list.
Rating breakdown
I doubt I ever would have come across this novel if it wasn't a book club pick (but thank goodness I did). It's one of those books that is hard to explain due to its numerous layers and intertwined stories. The translation is beautiful and carries the emotion and intricacies many other translations fail to capture. I loved the dash of magic that surrounded the novel and thought this really helped bring the story and characters to life. The Mexican setting and time period were new to me and provided a backdrop to a history I had little knowledge of.
My only criticisms are that the book is way too long and tries to cram too much in (the Mexican revolution, the Spanish Flu, the Agrarian Reform, etc). The first half I couldn't put down but then it started to drag and I found myself skimming a little to reach the end.
That said, we had some great discussions in the book club and I'm happy to be able to tick Mexico off my #ReadTheWorld list.
Rating breakdown
- Plot/narrative - 3.5
- Writing style/readability - 4
- Characters - 4.2
- Diverse themes - 4.4
- Ending - 3.7
Overall - 3.9
“Tell them to walk in the shade. To listen with their eyes, to see with their skin, and to feel with their ears, because life speaks to us all and we just need to know and wait to listen to it, see it, feel it.”
What a luminous, emotional, extraordinary novel.
I’m sitting here in tears.
What a luminous, emotional, extraordinary novel.
I’m sitting here in tears.