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3.6 AVERAGE
3.6 AVERAGE
dark
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
slow-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:
Yes
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
challenging
dark
sad
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
I received an ARC copy of this book via net galley. There is a certain beauty to the writing which is very descriptive and evokes the time and place really well. There is however something missing from the way those words build a plot line that i could really get into. It moved between time periods, often without clarity and this made it difficult to enjoy as a whole. There were also pages of untranslated songs or poems which the English speaker must simply turn over. Whilst i see that these may be difficult to translate or may not carry the same cadence in English it seem spotless to include them if the reader isn't going to be able to read them
For me this book just failed to reach its potential
For me this book just failed to reach its potential
dark
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
This was outstanding. I read it as part of the Read Around the World challenge, and I freely admit that I just grabbed the first Venezuela book I could find in the public library, so I went into it with no expectations whatsoever. It's sort of general fiction, sort of thriller, of a woman trying to survive political unrest in Caracas, and the compromises and violence she has to tolerate and/or embrace in order to survive. I should have been doing my own writing this morning. I thought "I'll just read fifty pages" but hours later, I'd gobbled down the entire thing. It's grim and complex and horrifying, and I'm really interested in reading Borgo's nonfiction now, as I understand that, up until this point, she was primarily a nonfiction writer.
I'm going to need to get a copy of this for myself. It really is so well done.
I'm going to need to get a copy of this for myself. It really is so well done.
dark
emotional
informative
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Visit the locations in the novel
Sometimes a novel comes along which floors you with its language, subject matter and voice. This is a novel about loss. Loss of a country, the death of a country you love as it slides into lawlessness and a woman faced with a life changing choice.
The novel takes place in Caracas, Venezuela and the city is enmeshed in a power struggle like never before. Anarchy rules the streets, political unrest controls every part of life. The country is sliding into abyss and it’s a tragic state for any country to be in. People are mourning the freedom and the food they once had and missing the days when life was good, before politics and violence blew up that stability. Adelaida at the same time, mourns her mother and through flashbacks to her past, mourns her country. Life when her mother was alive was good and she had a happy childhood. The two stories, one happy, one sad, intertwine to form a rich tapestry of life in Venezuela. It’s heartbreaking, heartwarming and harrowing all at once and a very powerful read in every sense of the word.
I think it’s a very apt book for modern times too as it shows how quickly a state of peace and democracy can change. What would you do to stay safe and how would it feel to have to flee to save your life? What does it feel like to flee your country? How do you survive when your country is falling down around your ears?
It’s extremely moving and sad to read about Adelaida and her mother. I was in bits! It’s definitely a book which I am going to remember for a long while and one which is going to leave its mark.
dark
emotional
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated