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3.6 AVERAGE
3.6 AVERAGE
dark
emotional
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Gun violence, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual violence, Terminal illness, Torture, Violence, Blood, Police brutality, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, War, Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Animal death, Cancer
slow-paced
I chose this book for the Venezuela prompt on my Reading the World challenge.
This story follows Adelaide's life, from her mother dying to her escape to Madrid. While many horrors are written about, this doesn't really get into why the horrors are happening, which is absolutely fine for a fiction novel. Definitely makes me want to read more non-fiction on everything Venezuela. I wouldn't have minded a little more background in this and felt like the author wasn't really trying to shy away from being political, so it would have been fine to add more information in.
The narrative can be jarring at times, with flipping between present day and flashbacks without any warning or breaks - this was especially difficult while listening to audio. The story also kind of dragged. I never really got pulled into it at any point, even though I was hoping to. Maybe something was lost in translation, idk.
Either way I'll be looking into other non-fiction sources of information about Venezuela.
This story follows Adelaide's life, from her mother dying to her escape to Madrid. While many horrors are written about, this doesn't really get into why the horrors are happening, which is absolutely fine for a fiction novel. Definitely makes me want to read more non-fiction on everything Venezuela. I wouldn't have minded a little more background in this and felt like the author wasn't really trying to shy away from being political, so it would have been fine to add more information in.
The narrative can be jarring at times, with flipping between present day and flashbacks without any warning or breaks - this was especially difficult while listening to audio. The story also kind of dragged. I never really got pulled into it at any point, even though I was hoping to. Maybe something was lost in translation, idk.
Either way I'll be looking into other non-fiction sources of information about Venezuela.
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
sad
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
The prose in this book is really beautiful, and the audiobook narrator's voice was mesmerising. I didn't know anything about the situation in Venezuela before this, so I'm glad this book exists.
I did find that the flashbacks made the main (and more interesting) storyline a bit confusing, and some of them got kind of random and boring. I wish they reinforced the main story, at least by introducing consistent motifs.
(Read for StoryGraph's 2024 Read the World Challenge. Prompt: Venezuela)
I did find that the flashbacks made the main (and more interesting) storyline a bit confusing, and some of them got kind of random and boring. I wish they reinforced the main story, at least by introducing consistent motifs.
(Read for StoryGraph's 2024 Read the World Challenge. Prompt: Venezuela)
dark
sad
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
dark
sad
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
challenging
dark
emotional
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
emotional
sad
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:
No
challenging
dark
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
I wanted to like this book but it just didn't really do anything for me... I didn't connect with the voice and the way it was written at all, and I don't know if that's due to the book or how it's been translated. An upsetting and anxious insight into a dystopian period of time, I would have preferred it if the book carried the story on past the ending but I know it ended there for a reason.