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3.78 AVERAGE
3.78 AVERAGE
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
I was moved by the story, but maybe the audio format didn't pay it any favors. I can't read this in a day, and it was hard to get back into the story without chapter breaks and character labels to help me remember my place. Still, there's a beautiful story being told, but the audiobook might not be the way to go.
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Murder
emotional
mysterious
reflective
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:
Yes
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
sad
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
emotional
funny
mysterious
reflective
sad
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:
Yes
emotional
reflective
slow-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
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
“The Cemetery of Untold Stories” by Julia Alvarez
Alma, a Dominican-American writer, has decided to hang up her career after taking stock of all the work she has started and never finished. Her timing coincides with her inheritance of a plot of land from her late father and she moves with all of her manuscripts to the space. She buries the stories in a cemetery of sorts, but the stories still have a desire to be told.
This was one of those reads that was an enjoyable audiobook to listen to, but I can’t say that it left a significant impact on me. There are 3-4 intersecting stories being told here that eventually come together in a meaningful way, each of them unique and thoughtful. Alvarez writes in a way which is clear and evocative, engaging in the style. However, I always felt like I was held at a distance from the story, never quite sinking into the story. I didn’t feel a drive to keep listening; it was fine when I was and I was fine when I wasn’t. I think perhaps this also comes down to the narrator, who read at a very quick pace and with an odd cadence at times; there were times where I could even hear her pause as she prepared for a particular difficult word.
I guess my overall experience with this book was a good one. It was solidly written with an interesting premise and I have no complaints about it other than for some reason it just wasn’t landing. Maybe this is just my personal readership, but it just didn’t hook the way I wanted it to. But I would say this is still worth a try for those who enjoy literary fiction and multigenerational stories.
Alma, a Dominican-American writer, has decided to hang up her career after taking stock of all the work she has started and never finished. Her timing coincides with her inheritance of a plot of land from her late father and she moves with all of her manuscripts to the space. She buries the stories in a cemetery of sorts, but the stories still have a desire to be told.
This was one of those reads that was an enjoyable audiobook to listen to, but I can’t say that it left a significant impact on me. There are 3-4 intersecting stories being told here that eventually come together in a meaningful way, each of them unique and thoughtful. Alvarez writes in a way which is clear and evocative, engaging in the style. However, I always felt like I was held at a distance from the story, never quite sinking into the story. I didn’t feel a drive to keep listening; it was fine when I was and I was fine when I wasn’t. I think perhaps this also comes down to the narrator, who read at a very quick pace and with an odd cadence at times; there were times where I could even hear her pause as she prepared for a particular difficult word.
I guess my overall experience with this book was a good one. It was solidly written with an interesting premise and I have no complaints about it other than for some reason it just wasn’t landing. Maybe this is just my personal readership, but it just didn’t hook the way I wanted it to. But I would say this is still worth a try for those who enjoy literary fiction and multigenerational stories.
emotional
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
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