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edulaia's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
I thought it was really very good
ssk405's review
emotional
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
threegoodrats's review against another edition
It is neither brief nor wonderous but a lot of it is in Spanish. I don't understand the popularity of this book at all. I may or may not bother finishing it.
bellojum's review against another edition
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
gretchenp's review against another edition
5.0
I loved this book. The stories are interwoven perfectly and the different points of view (Oscar, Lola, Junior, La Inca) kept it interesting. I'm not much of a Sci Fi girl, so a few of those references went right over my head and I'm sure there were those that I didn't recognize at all, but that just made it all the more entertaining.
testaroscia's review against another edition
5.0
This one was a peach of a book, with sparkling writing and characters (many of which i found disagreeable - and therein the ability of the author). But the whole thing brought to life with a fantastic reading bu Lin Manuel. Outstanding job.
trin's review against another edition
3.0
An incredibly fascinating if flawed book, which I'm so glad I read but which makes me sad, because I think it could have been so much more than it was. Diaz is obviously an immensely talented writer (I hear his short story collection, [b: Drown|531989|Drown|Junot Díaz|http://images.gr-assets.com/books/1313700390s/531989.jpg|3230496], is phenomenal, and really want to read it now); he weaves together the story of Oscar, an overweight, somewhat hopeless geek living in New York, with that of the rest of his family and the history of the Dominican Republic. I know (knew) next to nothing about the Dominican Republic (which is really shameful considering the ways U.S. history intersects with its history), so I found those portions of the book particularly fascinating, the (based on reality, brr) stories about the brutal dictatorship of Trujillo terrifying and epic in scope. Against them Oscar's struggles seem small—and I say this despite the fact that I (unlike my mother, who coincidentally read this book at the same time I did) found him remarkably and wonderfully relatable for someone who's life is, nominally, nothing like mine. I also really liked Yunior, the character who narrates most of the book; his voice is unusual and instantly distinct, and I could have easily spent hours listening to him tell a story.
So I wish, I really do, that there had been a story here. But weirdly, there's not; the book feels instead like the opening section of five or six different stories. Each of these stories is fantastic—really, really fantastic—but none of them concludes, really; Diaz just moves the narrative on to something else. The whole thing never coalesces (which, believe me, I was waiting and waiting for it to do), with the narrative instead ending on Oscar finally losing his virginity. Dude, I'm happy for you, but... I wanted more about the history of the Dominican Republic. That was where the narrative really came alive: in the footnotes. How odd. Incredibly worth reading, but odd and, ultimately, a little disappointing.
So I wish, I really do, that there had been a story here. But weirdly, there's not; the book feels instead like the opening section of five or six different stories. Each of these stories is fantastic—really, really fantastic—but none of them concludes, really; Diaz just moves the narrative on to something else. The whole thing never coalesces (which, believe me, I was waiting and waiting for it to do), with the narrative instead ending on Oscar finally losing his virginity. Dude, I'm happy for you, but... I wanted more about the history of the Dominican Republic. That was where the narrative really came alive: in the footnotes. How odd. Incredibly worth reading, but odd and, ultimately, a little disappointing.
roxnn2000's review against another edition
5.0
This book was very interesting describing the life of a family throughout several generations. A good read for anyone.
zmoats's review against another edition
5.0
From the beginning of this novel, you can feel Díaz's zeal for writing. It practically jumps off the page. The novel moves at a frantic pace, but it always seems to be in Díaz's control. It weaves history, two languages, genealogy, and some mysticism together effortlessly. While it is certainly a story about Oscar Wao, it is also a story driven by the need for connection. How, in the face of all the shit around us, that connection can be a place of solace, of beauty - while also interestingly being a place of turmoil. One aspect of Díaz's writing that works so well in this book is how he never gets stuck in one style of writing for very long. He will write in Spanglish, riddled with slang words, while in next section, he will write with a parallel sentence structure. Obviously switching up the style keeps the reader on their toes, but with Díaz it works in other ways too. It is never to flex his ability to write. The change in his styles is always deliberate (of course) in the sense that it often mimics or drives a shift in tone. I have read This Is How You Lose Her - Díaz's collection of short stories - but for me, and part of this may be how long ago I read them, they blurred together much more than this book did. Each chapter feels distinctly its own and yet inextricably connected, just the same as each character in The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao.