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3.88 AVERAGE
3.88 AVERAGE
Ladydi lives in a small mountain village in Mexico. The men have all left for work in the US, their families abandoned and left behind. Drug traffickers rule here, and young girls are in constant danger of being stolen for the slave trade. Because of this, mothers try to “make their daughters ugly” any way they can, to make them less desirable to the kidnappers. Ladydi was named thus by her mother in honor not of Lady Di the woman, but of the shame and sorrow Di bore by her husband’s infidelity-- something that Ladydi’s mother understands.
Her mother is quite the character, being a vengeful, alcoholic kleptomaniac. She swears if she ever sees Ladydi’s father again, she will kill him dead!
Then there are Ladydi’s friends-- the other girls from the village: her harelip best friend Maria, beautiful Paula, and Estefani.
They live their lives on alert: on alert for kidnappers, stinging scorpions and ants and venomous snakes, evading helicopters dropping the herbicide Paraquat, which can cause permanent damage when it hits living flesh rather than poppy fields. There is always a sense of urgency to their lives conflicting with the slow, heated, languid pace of Mexican life.
Life on the mountain is hard. There is never enough of anything, except heat and humidity, ants and scorpions.
The only outsiders to ever come to the community are the teachers, volunteers who are required to serve a year in community service. They come with little understanding of mountain life, and are received with resentment by the likes of Ladydi's mother.
They live in a world of women where women don't matter.
This book is really hard to review. On the one side, I liked the easy-to-read style, the lovely little metaphors thrown in here and there. I liked most of the characters, particularly Ladydi. Some characters like Mike seemed almost pointless, shallow and one-dimensional, created solely for a single moment. Some events preposterous or improbable. After I finished the book, I found myself unable to discern my feelings. I think I liked it, but then I kind of questioned at moments while reading it "What is the point?" Effective writing, likable characters, a tragically charming story. Overall I liked this story, but I just fear that it will be forgotten all-too-soon.
Her mother is quite the character, being a vengeful, alcoholic kleptomaniac. She swears if she ever sees Ladydi’s father again, she will kill him dead!
Then there are Ladydi’s friends-- the other girls from the village: her harelip best friend Maria, beautiful Paula, and Estefani.
They live their lives on alert: on alert for kidnappers, stinging scorpions and ants and venomous snakes, evading helicopters dropping the herbicide Paraquat, which can cause permanent damage when it hits living flesh rather than poppy fields. There is always a sense of urgency to their lives conflicting with the slow, heated, languid pace of Mexican life.
Life on the mountain is hard. There is never enough of anything, except heat and humidity, ants and scorpions.
The only outsiders to ever come to the community are the teachers, volunteers who are required to serve a year in community service. They come with little understanding of mountain life, and are received with resentment by the likes of Ladydi's mother.
They live in a world of women where women don't matter.
This book is really hard to review. On the one side, I liked the easy-to-read style, the lovely little metaphors thrown in here and there. I liked most of the characters, particularly Ladydi. Some characters like Mike seemed almost pointless, shallow and one-dimensional, created solely for a single moment. Some events preposterous or improbable. After I finished the book, I found myself unable to discern my feelings. I think I liked it, but then I kind of questioned at moments while reading it "What is the point?" Effective writing, likable characters, a tragically charming story. Overall I liked this story, but I just fear that it will be forgotten all-too-soon.
I think its incredibly rare for me to find a book that I can't put down. I read this book in a week only because I had work in between but if I had it my way, it would have been sooner. What can I tell a reader about this book? It's relevant, it's universal, and its powerful. The story telling itself is so smooth and bleeds right into itself so intimately. It's clear, straight to the point, and I could not predict almost not one thing in this book. Everything i thought would happen didnt and that was the best! The syntax is well put together and this book has so many quotables from the getgo. "Now we make you ugly." Like, what an INTRO. Catches you and swallow you up. I would recommend everyone to read this one.
Easy read. First day and almost half way through.
Interesting and contemporary, which is different for me.
Interesting and contemporary, which is different for me.
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
This was the first book in a while that I can say had the right amount of words in it. The author sets the scene of a girl that grows up in Mexico, literally dirt poor, and survives. You can tell that she did her research to show the world the lives of Mexican women in southern Mexico.
dark
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
this tale of modern mexico is told with the directness of a child, albeit a child who has seen more than her share of tragedy. a reflection on the things you hold onto when you have very little.
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
This book is great. Got a hold of an advance reader'a copy and read it while on a trip through Villahermosa, Mexico. While not the same region as Ladydi, the book really does paint a realistic picture of Mexico. The language is beautiful and though I was left with many questions at the end, it's always fun as a reader to be able to come to your own conclusions.
I love everything about this book. It is A House on Mango street with grit and danger. It is ugly and beauty. The characters are rich and alive off of the pages. I already want to start it again.
This is an unforgettable story with unforgettable characters and a whopper of a first line. But first the blurb:
"Ladydi Garcia Martínez was born into a world where being a girl is a dangerous thing. In the mountains of Guerrero, Mexico, women must fend for themselves, as their men have left to seek opportunities elsewhere. Here in the shadow of the drug war, bodies turn up on the outskirts of the village to be taken back to the earth by scorpions and snakes. In Guerrero the drug lords are kings, and mothers disguise their daughters as sons, or when that fails they “make them ugly” – cropping their hair, blackening their teeth- anything to protect them from the rapacious grasp of the cartels. When Ladydi is offered work as a nanny for a wealthy family in Acapulco, she seizes the chance, and finds her first taste of love with a young caretaker there. But when a local murder tied to the cartel implicates a friend, Ladydi’s future takes a dark turn."
The author has an uncanny ability to immerse the reader into a hellish environment and still show the hope and dreams of the main character, Ladydi (how she got her name is a story itself). The characterizations of her mother and several others were well done.
In this story of love and survival, Ladydi's father crosses the border which results in family disintegration, betrayal, and the discovery of secrets. The author explores the way this impacts Ladydi, her mother, and surprisingly her small community of women and children.
Through a minefield of traveling from Ladydi's hometown to her new employment as a nanny, the journey shows us the resourcefulness, strength, and courage of this young woman. The twists and turns that follow as a result of this employment kept me turning the page long into the evening.
After I finished reading the book, I immediately looked up other novels by Jennifer Clement, and now have two more to add to my TBR list.
"Ladydi Garcia Martínez was born into a world where being a girl is a dangerous thing. In the mountains of Guerrero, Mexico, women must fend for themselves, as their men have left to seek opportunities elsewhere. Here in the shadow of the drug war, bodies turn up on the outskirts of the village to be taken back to the earth by scorpions and snakes. In Guerrero the drug lords are kings, and mothers disguise their daughters as sons, or when that fails they “make them ugly” – cropping their hair, blackening their teeth- anything to protect them from the rapacious grasp of the cartels. When Ladydi is offered work as a nanny for a wealthy family in Acapulco, she seizes the chance, and finds her first taste of love with a young caretaker there. But when a local murder tied to the cartel implicates a friend, Ladydi’s future takes a dark turn."
The author has an uncanny ability to immerse the reader into a hellish environment and still show the hope and dreams of the main character, Ladydi (how she got her name is a story itself). The characterizations of her mother and several others were well done.
In this story of love and survival, Ladydi's father crosses the border which results in family disintegration, betrayal, and the discovery of secrets. The author explores the way this impacts Ladydi, her mother, and surprisingly her small community of women and children.
Through a minefield of traveling from Ladydi's hometown to her new employment as a nanny, the journey shows us the resourcefulness, strength, and courage of this young woman. The twists and turns that follow as a result of this employment kept me turning the page long into the evening.
After I finished reading the book, I immediately looked up other novels by Jennifer Clement, and now have two more to add to my TBR list.