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d1scocowboy's review against another edition
5.0
Devastating, beautiful, longing for karmic justice.
I’ve always looked to the ocean as a parent and this story illustrated that in ways I didn’t know was possible to put into words.
I’ve always looked to the ocean as a parent and this story illustrated that in ways I didn’t know was possible to put into words.
utahmomreads's review against another edition
5.0
Perla by Carolina De Robertis is why I read books. Mesmerizing, poetic, enthralling, emotionally consuming, and heart breaking, Perla touched my heart, opened my mind and then reminded me of the power of hope and redemption.
Perla is a young woman in Argentina, born during the "Dirty War" in the late 1970's and early 1980's. 30,000 civilians disappeared at the hands of the military regime. Perla's father is just one of the Navy officers granted immunity for the terrible crimes against humanity. Perla, shunned by classmates as a girl, alternates loves and hates her parents for their involvement. Now, a stranger will help her grow and become who she is meant to be.
I was ashamed to just learn about this time in history. It took place during my own lifetime, yet I had never heard of the atrocities and horrors committed against those who dared speak out against the coup. I mentioned it to Utah Dad. I shouldn't have been surprised that he knew much about it. He did study history, after all.
De Robertis is a poet. In haunting, yet beautiful language, she reveals a period of recent history that is shocking, horrifying and heart breaking. The novel is, at times, graphic but always true to the painful conflict and ultimate healing of Perla.
Perla is a young woman in Argentina, born during the "Dirty War" in the late 1970's and early 1980's. 30,000 civilians disappeared at the hands of the military regime. Perla's father is just one of the Navy officers granted immunity for the terrible crimes against humanity. Perla, shunned by classmates as a girl, alternates loves and hates her parents for their involvement. Now, a stranger will help her grow and become who she is meant to be.
I was ashamed to just learn about this time in history. It took place during my own lifetime, yet I had never heard of the atrocities and horrors committed against those who dared speak out against the coup. I mentioned it to Utah Dad. I shouldn't have been surprised that he knew much about it. He did study history, after all.
De Robertis is a poet. In haunting, yet beautiful language, she reveals a period of recent history that is shocking, horrifying and heart breaking. The novel is, at times, graphic but always true to the painful conflict and ultimate healing of Perla.
franha02's review against another edition
dark
emotional
hopeful
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
5.0
cami19's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
2.0
karinlib's review against another edition
4.0
4.75 stars. I found Carolina De Robertis last year when I was looking for books set in Uruguay, and I read [b:The Invisible Mountain|5981625|The Invisible Mountain|Carolina De Robertis|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1320552093s/5981625.jpg|6155001], which I loved. I decided to read Perla, which is set in Argentina, and again, De Robertis' writing is enthralling.
To be honest, I know almost nothing about South America, and I want to read more. Between 1976 and 1983, thousands of people "Disappeared" in Argentina at the hands of a Military dictatorship, in order to remove those in opposition to the government.
To be honest, I know almost nothing about South America, and I want to read more. Between 1976 and 1983, thousands of people "Disappeared" in Argentina at the hands of a Military dictatorship, in order to remove those in opposition to the government.
richardwells's review against another edition
3.0
It's Argentina at the end of the dictatorship.
Overwritten magical realism. The plusses are a very creative character who returns from the dead to start the whole thing going, and an insightful look at how nationally sponsored terrorism, in this case disappearances, affects everyone from the perpetrators to the friends and families of the victims.
Sometimes compelling, sometimes fascinating, sometimes harrowing, too often windy in the worst kind of poetic prose ways. As if it were trying too hard to be literature.
I'm also getting pretty tired of torture - though I know it's the reality of some countries.
Overwritten magical realism. The plusses are a very creative character who returns from the dead to start the whole thing going, and an insightful look at how nationally sponsored terrorism, in this case disappearances, affects everyone from the perpetrators to the friends and families of the victims.
Sometimes compelling, sometimes fascinating, sometimes harrowing, too often windy in the worst kind of poetic prose ways. As if it were trying too hard to be literature.
I'm also getting pretty tired of torture - though I know it's the reality of some countries.
tensy's review against another edition
4.0
This is one of the most beautifully written books I have read this year. This novel describes one of the most horrific incidents of mass murder in Argentina, but does so in the most lyrical language. Perla's coming of age story is spellbinding and I highly recommend reading this novel.
bookishblond's review against another edition
5.0
Written in the South American tradition of magical realism. Beautiful and haunting.
pebbles1984's review against another edition
4.0
Not always an easy book to read in terms of content, and sometimes the magical realism was a bit too much for me, but the writing was beautiful and I couldn't help but race through the pages.
zenithharpink's review against another edition
4.0
Disturbing. Powerful. Moving. Fantastic. This book was a such an amazing read! This was added to my TBR a million years ago, and I remembered nothing about it, so I as I opened the book and I had no idea what this book was about. I was expecting a fairytale...and I kind of got it? I could see this being an expanded Grimm tale, easily.
The language of this book was truly beautiful. It occasionally had a poetic, stream-of-consciousness-like prose that I luxuriated in even as I squirmed about the topic. The topic of this book is deeply uncomfortable - I didn't have much exposure to this episode of history (excluding one Law & Order episode, strangely enough), but there was enough content here that my ignorance didn't detract from my ability to grasp the content of the book.
At 236 pages, this book was certainly short, but it didn't feel overly brief or lacking in content. The story arc felt natural, the pace was consistent, and the originality of the story was compelling as well. My main gripe of the book was the dialogue - it was extremely weak. There was a lot of "That's not what I said"s, and the character generally sounded less intelligent or engaged when they were speaking.
I recommend this book to all readers, while it definitely covers uncomfortable topics, that doesn't mean it should be skipped.
The language of this book was truly beautiful. It occasionally had a poetic, stream-of-consciousness-like prose that I luxuriated in even as I squirmed about the topic. The topic of this book is deeply uncomfortable - I didn't have much exposure to this episode of history (excluding one Law & Order episode, strangely enough), but there was enough content here that my ignorance didn't detract from my ability to grasp the content of the book.
At 236 pages, this book was certainly short, but it didn't feel overly brief or lacking in content. The story arc felt natural, the pace was consistent, and the originality of the story was compelling as well. My main gripe of the book was the dialogue - it was extremely weak. There was a lot of "That's not what I said"s, and the character generally sounded less intelligent or engaged when they were speaking.
I recommend this book to all readers, while it definitely covers uncomfortable topics, that doesn't mean it should be skipped.