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baybooks's review
5.0
This story explores the complexities of building a family, and community as an immigrant. Eusebio and Vladimir immigrate from the Dominican Republic to NYC and raise their daughter in a predominantly Dominican neighborhood. Their daughter,Luz, goes to law school and starts to form a path to move out of the neighborhood until, she gets fired.
Luz struggles with the idea of not being able to help her parents finish the house in DR and the feelings of guilt.
At the same time the neighborhood is going through big changes and the tenants of her building have been asked to move in order to make way for new construction. Eusebia and the neighbors create a plan to change things before they change forever.
The themes of family, loyalty and belonging are central to this epic story
The narrative describes the sights and experiences of a Dominican family in NYC in such an authentic way. The story begins by translating the Spanish words and as the narrative progresses the translations become less frequent until they are nonexistent. This change seems intentional as Luz, Eusebia and Vladimir become more aware of their true selves as the story moves forward.
I can not wait to read more from Cleyvis Natera. Her writing is unforgettable and this story deserves so much praise.
Thank you to Netgalley and Ballantine Books for the Arc in exchange for an honest review.
Luz struggles with the idea of not being able to help her parents finish the house in DR and the feelings of guilt.
At the same time the neighborhood is going through big changes and the tenants of her building have been asked to move in order to make way for new construction. Eusebia and the neighbors create a plan to change things before they change forever.
The themes of family, loyalty and belonging are central to this epic story
The narrative describes the sights and experiences of a Dominican family in NYC in such an authentic way. The story begins by translating the Spanish words and as the narrative progresses the translations become less frequent until they are nonexistent. This change seems intentional as Luz, Eusebia and Vladimir become more aware of their true selves as the story moves forward.
I can not wait to read more from Cleyvis Natera. Her writing is unforgettable and this story deserves so much praise.
Thank you to Netgalley and Ballantine Books for the Arc in exchange for an honest review.
marieintheraw's review
4.0
I read this at a very interesting time. Seeing the first generational family drama as the world in changing around the main character was pretty gripping.
I received an ecopy of this through netgalley; however, all opinions are my own.
I received an ecopy of this through netgalley; however, all opinions are my own.
mbkarapcik's review
3.0
Neruda on the Park by Cleyvis Natera deals with the gentrification of a small New York City neighborhood and turns into warfare that pits mother and daughter unsuspectingly against each other. Luz achieved all the hopes a parent wishes for--a degree from a prestigious college, an up-and-coming legal career, a wealthy lifestyle, and more. She's even funding the custom-built home for her parents, so that they can return to their native Dominican Republic in style.
But their modest Nothar Park neighborhood is threatened with the building of luxury condos. Their own apartment building will be converted into costly condos that will not enable most residents to stay in the place they've called their own since Luz was a small child. Luz's mother Eusebia has a plan, though, to prevent all this upheaval that's infiltrating their homes. As the plan goes forward, the more ominous the book gets. And part of the problem is that Luz has become romantically involved with the developer behind all these changes.
At the start, I really enjoyed this book. The relationships between Luz's parents and herself shows an interesting juxtaposition between the haves and have-nots, the immigrants and the children of the immigrants. Luz's parents struggled through dire circumstances to get where they are, and, with all the achievements that Luz earns, she's well on her way to easy street. Between mother and daughter, their ideas do not dovetail, and Luz's relationship puts even more barriers between them.
This novel covers the battle of cultures, socioeconomic groups, and justice. Who is right in this whole scenario? Can Luz straddle both her upbringing and her current lifestyle? When it comes down to Luz assisting her mom in the plan to fight "city hall," as they say, will their very different decisions pull them apart?
Towards the end of the book, some things get really strange. The change wasn't very seamless, and suddenly, you're wondering what's going on. That sort of lost me. Plus, I didn't love the ending. It wasn't what I wanted for any of these characters because no one seems happy or settled. This book morphed from one of interest to one that didn't play out like I hoped.
Despite this, I thought the writing was excellent and the story did keep me interested. Also, I liked hearing about the Dominican Republic and the culture.
Thank you, Random House Publishing Group-Ballantine, for an advanced reading copy of this book in exchange for an honest review! It was a pleasure!
But their modest Nothar Park neighborhood is threatened with the building of luxury condos. Their own apartment building will be converted into costly condos that will not enable most residents to stay in the place they've called their own since Luz was a small child. Luz's mother Eusebia has a plan, though, to prevent all this upheaval that's infiltrating their homes. As the plan goes forward, the more ominous the book gets. And part of the problem is that Luz has become romantically involved with the developer behind all these changes.
At the start, I really enjoyed this book. The relationships between Luz's parents and herself shows an interesting juxtaposition between the haves and have-nots, the immigrants and the children of the immigrants. Luz's parents struggled through dire circumstances to get where they are, and, with all the achievements that Luz earns, she's well on her way to easy street. Between mother and daughter, their ideas do not dovetail, and Luz's relationship puts even more barriers between them.
This novel covers the battle of cultures, socioeconomic groups, and justice. Who is right in this whole scenario? Can Luz straddle both her upbringing and her current lifestyle? When it comes down to Luz assisting her mom in the plan to fight "city hall," as they say, will their very different decisions pull them apart?
Towards the end of the book, some things get really strange. The change wasn't very seamless, and suddenly, you're wondering what's going on. That sort of lost me. Plus, I didn't love the ending. It wasn't what I wanted for any of these characters because no one seems happy or settled. This book morphed from one of interest to one that didn't play out like I hoped.
Despite this, I thought the writing was excellent and the story did keep me interested. Also, I liked hearing about the Dominican Republic and the culture.
Thank you, Random House Publishing Group-Ballantine, for an advanced reading copy of this book in exchange for an honest review! It was a pleasure!
dsbressette's review
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
kleonard's review
4.0
This book is so well-constructed and tightly-built that it gave me serious anxiety. I wanted to yell at Luz and take her mom to a doctor and ask the Tongues for help and sit down with coffee with Vladimir and tell him what was going on with his family. But all I could do was wait and keep reading and see how author Natera spun out the stories and threads to a satisfying end. You, too, might want to yell at Luz and roll your eyes so hard at her boyfriend that they get stuck in your head, because it's the kind of book that rouses your emotions and makes you try to figure out why people make decisions you wouldn't make and to think about how people just think about the world. Go read it. Go yell at Luz. But definitely read all the way to the end, where her mom does exactly what I would do--and what you might do.
dxlltopia's review
funny
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
pinaybibliophile's review against another edition
4.5
Neruda on the Park is a very enjoyable read about making it in America as a person of color, community, gentrification, friendship, family, and love. All of the characters are relatable - flawed but human. I love the vivid descriptions of the Dominican Republic's landscape and food.
gteng's review
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
chrwan's review
emotional
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75