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4.1 AVERAGE
4.1 AVERAGE
I really didn't think I would like this book. It didn't sound like there would be much excitement in it. But I was thankfully very surprised. The story hooked me from the beginning and I was rushing to get through it but sorry when it ended. It beautifully weaves this family's story together and also has a mystery running throughout it.
An interesting book starting in 1910 in Mexico during the revolutionary times. A fascinating way to learn some history of the times, including the influenza epidemic, agrarian reform and suppression of the Catholic Church. The story and characters were very vivid and benefited from multiple characters' points of view, which was well done. The audiobook version in English was artfully done. There is just a little bit of magical realism with the relationship of a disfigured boy with bees and his ability to sense events both present and future. The other characters all relate to his life, but the relationship of this character, Simonopio, and his brother, Francisco, form the center of the story. There is the fight between good and evil and lots of good foreshadowing without ruining the epic moments in the story. The descriptions of the 1918 influenza epidemic were particularly good, bringing that time of terror alive in a way I had never seen before. At times, I felt the story moved a little too slowly and felt a little repetitive. In spite of wishing for a little more editing, I heartily enjoyed this story.
I read the paper version of the book some months later with my book club. I recommended it because it stayed with me so vividly. I liked it even more that way and the rest of the group rated it highly. The only wish was for a little bit of editing down on length. I'm upgrading from a 4 to a 5 because of it's lasting power with me, and that I enjoyed it so much the second time around. I almost never read a book more than once.
I read the paper version of the book some months later with my book club. I recommended it because it stayed with me so vividly. I liked it even more that way and the rest of the group rated it highly. The only wish was for a little bit of editing down on length. I'm upgrading from a 4 to a 5 because of it's lasting power with me, and that I enjoyed it so much the second time around. I almost never read a book more than once.
The narration was perfect for this tale. Beautiful journey of love and loss. It was interesting to listen to the reaction to the Spanish Flu and compare that to what we are going through today.
adventurous
emotional
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:
Complicated
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
mysterious
reflective
tense
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:
Complicated
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
N/A
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
I loved the magical realism aspects of this novel. The audiobook narrated by Humberto Solόrzano was great and had a soothing quality to it. However, I do think many of the characters are one-dimensional, and the story very black and white in terms of who is "good" and who is "evil". I like some nuance to my characters, especially the "villains" and this book missed the mark.
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
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:
Complicated
I enjoyed this book. It was like a meandering walk amongst the orange groves with the bees buzzing about. The story took many side routes to get to the end but when you got there, it was a beautiful story.
I did find the translation a little off-putting. Some of the way they wrote the characters' dialogue "sounded" like southern twang when I knew in my head what they sounded like. Had the Mexican author written the story in English, I think it wouldn't have been as awkward.
I did find the translation a little off-putting. Some of the way they wrote the characters' dialogue "sounded" like southern twang when I knew in my head what they sounded like. Had the Mexican author written the story in English, I think it wouldn't have been as awkward.
adventurous
challenging
emotional
reflective
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
It was honestly just okay. I tried to read it maybe a year ago but I gave up because it was too slow. I had the same urge this time around but managed to stick it out. I'm not sure it was worth it though. Writing was flowery but understandable, characters were decent although I couldn't get them all straight until the latter half of the book. The setting was cool and I liked reading about historical Mexico. I think the 2nd half of the book had much better pacing than the first half, which was incredibly slow with barely anything to move the plot. The ending was decent almost predictable, and sad. It made sense but I felt for the characters. Overall, an interesting book but it isn't special.