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anniesanchezz's review
informative
inspiring
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
booksmellers's review
adventurous
funny
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
If there's one thing this book is, it's interesting.
1. Writing style. This style probably won't work for everyone, but I actually liked the approach she took. It wasn't overly descriptive or flowery so it's more focused on dialogue and exploring character relationships. The narrator addresses the reader (as is typical for these types of novels), so that was fun, and overall, the novel is pretty funny.
2. Plot. There are a lot of moving parts in this novel, some of which are engaging, some of which were a slog to get through. However, the fast-paced writing, interesting overarching plot, and large cast of characters made it so the uninteresting parts didn't last too long. Love a good ensemble story!
3. Perspective. I've read quite a few 19th century American novels, but most of them have been written by white authors. I think this is the first novel from this time period I've read by a Mexican-American author, so it was interesting to get an idea of how Ruiz de Burton understood American society and the Civil War.
4. It's highly satirical and sentimental, and that's the point. It's self-aware of this fact and intentionally overexaggerates the qualities that make it so, to the point of beating you over the head. Still, many of the satirical elements served the story.
5. Satire emphasizes the politically didactic messages of the novel---again, to the point of beating the reader over the head. This is one aspect of the novel I did not love at some points. I don't mind a didactic novel (I mean, Little Women is one of my favorite books) but from a contemporary lens, some of the lessons this novel tries to teach are highly problematic; namely, in order to paint Mexicans in a good light the author berates Native Americans and the Black community. And look, I understand this was published in the 1870s, the standards were different, and she used this as a way to cope with the racism she herself faced, but I still think it's important to address it in the present so these mistakes aren't repeated.
Overall, I mostly liked this? I hated the ending, but I do feel like I got something out of it at least. The novel as a whole is quite different (in a good way) just be aware of the historical time period it's set in.
1. Writing style. This style probably won't work for everyone, but I actually liked the approach she took. It wasn't overly descriptive or flowery so it's more focused on dialogue and exploring character relationships. The narrator addresses the reader (as is typical for these types of novels), so that was fun, and overall, the novel is pretty funny.
2. Plot. There are a lot of moving parts in this novel, some of which are engaging, some of which were a slog to get through. However, the fast-paced writing, interesting overarching plot, and large cast of characters made it so the uninteresting parts didn't last too long. Love a good ensemble story!
3. Perspective. I've read quite a few 19th century American novels, but most of them have been written by white authors. I think this is the first novel from this time period I've read by a Mexican-American author, so it was interesting to get an idea of how Ruiz de Burton understood American society and the Civil War.
4. It's highly satirical and sentimental, and that's the point. It's self-aware of this fact and intentionally overexaggerates the qualities that make it so, to the point of beating you over the head. Still, many of the satirical elements served the story.
5. Satire emphasizes the politically didactic messages of the novel---again, to the point of beating the reader over the head. This is one aspect of the novel I did not love at some points. I don't mind a didactic novel (I mean, Little Women is one of my favorite books) but from a contemporary lens, some of the lessons this novel tries to teach are highly problematic; namely, in order to paint Mexicans in a good light the author berates Native Americans and the Black community. And look, I understand this was published in the 1870s, the standards were different, and she used this as a way to cope with the racism she herself faced, but I still think it's important to address it in the present so these mistakes aren't repeated.
Overall, I mostly liked this? I hated the ending, but I do feel like I got something out of it at least. The novel as a whole is quite different (in a good way) just be aware of the historical time period it's set in.
pastelwriter's review
4.0
3.5 stars
In a lot of ways, this was like a Jane Austen novel, but better. Unpopular opinion time: I'm not the biggest fan of Jane Austen. I think her novels often drag on endlessly and gloss-over what had the potential to be a great moment of dialogue. Anyway. We're not here to talk about her. We're here to talk about Ruiz de Burton and her novel.
One of my favorite parts about this novel was its heavy use of irony. The narrator of this novel was so unapologetically roasting the main characters that it made this a super fun reading experience. It was making such a sharp criticism of its characters that you couldn't help but laugh at them.
The characters of this novel, though, are difficult to talk about. They're mostly painted as caricatures, but this stunts their development. Although I enjoyed the criticisms Ruiz de Burton was trying to make with these exaggerated characters, it made me feel distanced from them. I didn't feel as connected to the characters as I would have liked. I didn't even feel connected to the more likable characters! Overall, although I understand why they were this way, I couldn't help but feel dissatisfied with how the characters were handled in this novel, in terms of their development and capacity to make me feel attached to them.
Also. I have to note how one of the relationships in this novel made me super uncomfortable. Although nothing happened between them until the end of the novel, Julian's interest in Lola wasn't fun to read about. He first "fell in love" with her when she was fifteen and he was five to seven years older than her and... I'm not down with that shit. It makes me cringe, and I hated having to read it. Nevertheless, the two of them were some of the more tolerable and not obnoxious characters, so do with that what you will.
Moving on! I have to mention that I absolutely loved how this book handled the topic of power and corruption. The characters in this novel all had very distinct reactions when they became wealthy, and this was managed superbly. You could truly see how the sudden acquisition of wealth was capable of transforming a person in a very negative way.
In addition, I find it important to mention that this book suffers from a lot of “telling” and not enough “showing”. I understand this to be partially a product of its time and, to me, it didn't completely ruin the appeal of the novel. I thought that "telling" worked because of the tone and themes Ruiz de Burton was trying to go for.
It should be noted, though, that this book was pretty racist. There were a lot of racial slurs used throughout the whole thing, and it wasn't apologetic about it. The message of this book wasn't "racism is bad". The message of this book was "don't lie about not being a racist when you really are". So, you see the dilemma? It's ultimate message regarding race is questionable, at best.
Finally, I was disappointed by the ending of this novel. There were a lot of lose ends and people didn't get as punished for their terrible behavior as I would have liked. It made the novel feel anticlimactic and lack a final kick to deliver its message.
Overall, I had a really fun time reading this novel. I was glad I had to read it for class. It lends itself incredibly well for analysis, even if it doesn't fit all my requirements for a favorite read.
In a lot of ways, this was like a Jane Austen novel, but better. Unpopular opinion time: I'm not the biggest fan of Jane Austen. I think her novels often drag on endlessly and gloss-over what had the potential to be a great moment of dialogue. Anyway. We're not here to talk about her. We're here to talk about Ruiz de Burton and her novel.
One of my favorite parts about this novel was its heavy use of irony. The narrator of this novel was so unapologetically roasting the main characters that it made this a super fun reading experience. It was making such a sharp criticism of its characters that you couldn't help but laugh at them.
The characters of this novel, though, are difficult to talk about. They're mostly painted as caricatures, but this stunts their development. Although I enjoyed the criticisms Ruiz de Burton was trying to make with these exaggerated characters, it made me feel distanced from them. I didn't feel as connected to the characters as I would have liked. I didn't even feel connected to the more likable characters! Overall, although I understand why they were this way, I couldn't help but feel dissatisfied with how the characters were handled in this novel, in terms of their development and capacity to make me feel attached to them.
Also. I have to note how one of the relationships in this novel made me super uncomfortable. Although nothing happened between them until the end of the novel, Julian's interest in Lola wasn't fun to read about. He first "fell in love" with her when she was fifteen and he was five to seven years older than her and... I'm not down with that shit. It makes me cringe, and I hated having to read it. Nevertheless, the two of them were some of the more tolerable and not obnoxious characters, so do with that what you will.
Moving on! I have to mention that I absolutely loved how this book handled the topic of power and corruption. The characters in this novel all had very distinct reactions when they became wealthy, and this was managed superbly. You could truly see how the sudden acquisition of wealth was capable of transforming a person in a very negative way.
In addition, I find it important to mention that this book suffers from a lot of “telling” and not enough “showing”. I understand this to be partially a product of its time and, to me, it didn't completely ruin the appeal of the novel. I thought that "telling" worked because of the tone and themes Ruiz de Burton was trying to go for.
It should be noted, though, that this book was pretty racist. There were a lot of racial slurs used throughout the whole thing, and it wasn't apologetic about it. The message of this book wasn't "racism is bad". The message of this book was "don't lie about not being a racist when you really are". So, you see the dilemma? It's ultimate message regarding race is questionable, at best.
Finally, I was disappointed by the ending of this novel. There were a lot of lose ends and people didn't get as punished for their terrible behavior as I would have liked. It made the novel feel anticlimactic and lack a final kick to deliver its message.
Overall, I had a really fun time reading this novel. I was glad I had to read it for class. It lends itself incredibly well for analysis, even if it doesn't fit all my requirements for a favorite read.
idleutopia_reads's review
4.0
Reading “Who would have thought it?” felt similar to reading Tolstoy to me. It was filled with social commentary condemning a class that loved to comment on how righteous and good they are and all the while they are committing sins behind closed doors. Basically, hypocrites. WWHTI talks about the Civil War, class, US politics, race, religion and so much more. It was written more than 150 years ago and yet many of its passages resonate today especially with a lot of our current events. Maria Amparo Ruiz de Burton perspective is unique. She is a Mexican-American that presents no favorable picture of any of the Americans that are in this novel. For the North, de Burton presents a society full of people that call themselves abolitionists while thinking racists thoughts, that are willing to lie, steal and commit bigamy for wealth. There are characters that commit acts of cowardice but are rewarded in the government when the narrative of those acts are changed. These people forget who lend them a helping hand to set them where they are and are not willing to return the favors. Instead, they’d rather forget the past and believe that they magically ascended to the top. Two of the characters that I met in the novel completely infuriated me. Hackwell is one of the first characters we encounter. He is a revered who criticizes his people and bemoans his current circumstances while casting stones at Dr. Norval. Dr Norval is a good man who holds the “strange” thought that all men are human no matter how savage others may think them. Hackwell is manipulative and his desires often change the course of the story. Dr. Norval saves Lola Medina, the only Mexican-American we meet in this novel. She is one of the few good characters we meet. The others are Dr Norval and his son Julian. This novel has been labeled a historical novel and it would be easy to dismiss it as that. I’ll admit that there were times when it did read like a soap opera. In its essence, WWHTI is a critique of the United States especially at a unique period of time. Even Lincoln doesn’t come out favorably in this book. De Burton spares no one in her commentary and she shines light on the corruption, the hypocrisy, and the changes that world around her was experiencing. I can’t leave this review without saying that de Burton introduced my most hated character, Mrs Norval. She is the ultimate hypocrite and she took up a good portion of the novel. She is easily manipulated and is further corrupted by her beliefs. She was maddening because there are many real life versions of this woman. This story doesn’t dole out justice in the way most books do. It was very realistic in its ending. All in all this was a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ for me. I would recommend this reading especially because many passages rang true especially in our current situation. A must read for the twenty-first century reader.
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