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gellyreads's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
This one annoyed me less than the revolution, but I feel like I got less out of this. I struggled with the plot and seeing a lot of depth in the characters.
claire's review against another edition
4.0
”a reader does not need to know everything.”
this was a masterpiece of a book.
it confused the hell out of me for a good part of the book. it made me work to understand what was going on and the type of story that it meant to tell. the chapters seem disjointed at first, but the care and thoughtfulness of their arrangement are revealed upon further reading.
as for the themes of the book, love, grief, and loss are heavily featured but so are justice, righteous anger, and love for one’s country. i liked understanding a lot of the references in the book even as it made me feel like i was back in my philippine history class in college.
i enjoyed getting to know this book and reading about casiana nacionales. the philippine-american war is rarely talked about for various (read: imperialist) reasons. it reminds me of how angry my grandmother would get when americans called the philippine-american war an insurrection. it’s stayed with me through all these years, and insurrecto validates that anger.
this was a masterpiece of a book.
it confused the hell out of me for a good part of the book. it made me work to understand what was going on and the type of story that it meant to tell. the chapters seem disjointed at first, but the care and thoughtfulness of their arrangement are revealed upon further reading.
as for the themes of the book, love, grief, and loss are heavily featured but so are justice, righteous anger, and love for one’s country. i liked understanding a lot of the references in the book even as it made me feel like i was back in my philippine history class in college.
i enjoyed getting to know this book and reading about casiana nacionales. the philippine-american war is rarely talked about for various (read: imperialist) reasons. it reminds me of how angry my grandmother would get when americans called the philippine-american war an insurrection. it’s stayed with me through all these years, and insurrecto validates that anger.
mbondlamberty's review against another edition
3.0
This is an interesting read. It is historical fiction and the major event discussed is real, but then most of the narrators are not which was actually a little disappointing.
There are also many narrators - 4-5, possibly more which can get a little hard to keep track of and they are not all reliable narrators.
It doesn't take that long to read, but despite having its moments of humors is ultimately a sad tale on several fronts which does not make one rush to read it. So might have given it a 4 as some parts were definitely easier on the soul than others, but a massacre is a hard read.
Be sure to read about the art on the cover at the end as that is enjoyable too.
There are also many narrators - 4-5, possibly more which can get a little hard to keep track of and they are not all reliable narrators.
It doesn't take that long to read, but despite having its moments of humors is ultimately a sad tale on several fronts which does not make one rush to read it. So might have given it a 4 as some parts were definitely easier on the soul than others, but a massacre is a hard read.
Be sure to read about the art on the cover at the end as that is enjoyable too.
monkeyjess's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
sarswack's review against another edition
4.0
ok i will be honest i don't know wtf happened during most of it. however. it was experimental and different in ways that books often are not and i really loved that. apostol is such an incredible writer. would love to revisit this and really puzzle through it, but not gonna happen rn sadly :(
danica1st's review against another edition
challenging
funny
informative
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
karah_'s review against another edition
informative
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Insurrecto is challenging, convoluted, and brilliant. You'd have to read this book many times in order to understand it fully, and even then, there would still be hidden details. I loved learning about the Philippine-American war through Apostol's writing, and if you're interested in history or complicated characters, definitely give this book a try!
krammedshelf's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
informative
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
3.5
okcej's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
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
5.0