Reviews

Hecho en Saturno by Rita Indiana

jake95gill's review against another edition

reflective slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.75

05claire's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

thebookmagpie's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

I really loved Tentacle by Rita Indiana and I missed the weirdness of that novel when I was reading this one. It was a really interesting portrait of a person confronting addiction and his relationship with his father but it just lacked the sparkle of Tentacle. 

missloflipo's review against another edition

4.0

Lo que más me gusta de leer a Rita Indiana es la sensación continua de tener algo del todo original entre manos. Me ha pasado con los cuatro títulos suyos que he leído hasta el momento. Eso sí, os diré que, de todos ellos, mi eterno favorito es La mucama de Omicunlé.

En Hecho en Saturno recupera a modo de spin-off a uno de los personajes de La mucama, Argenis Luna. Artista frustrado, adicto a la heroína e hijo de una antigua leyenda de la revolución urbana que emprende una odisea circular entre Cuba y la República Dominicana, siempre con una certeza rondando por su cabeza: nunca estará a la altura de las hazañas de su padre, ni siquiera a través de sus pinturas.

El ritmo que Indiana filtra entre los párrafos del texto explican la historia reciente de estos dos países a través del cuadro ‘Saturno devorando a su hijo’ de Goya. La obra está presente en la novela como si se tratara de una melodía de fondo: Saturno es Balaguer, el dictador que se comió a una generación entera; y Saturno es también el propio padre de Argenis, que representa a una revolución que termina zampándose sus propios ideales. Una metáfora de cómo las ideologías engullen a los países para que luego sea el propio tiempo el que acaba con ellas y con la memoria.

Indiana es compleja y astuta; sus libros son vibrantes. Derrochan referencias a la cultura pop, al arte clásico y contemporáneo o a la música mientras que ella, con un neologismo tras otro, te lleva en un instante a los bajos fondos y es capaz de reflejar la luz caribeña en cada página, con todo lo que ello implica de valentía por su parte.

bogentusiast's review against another edition

challenging dark informative sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

readingthebacklist's review against another edition

reflective tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Hecho en Saturno reminded me of Radicales Libres by Rosa Beltran in that radical leaders/ideology is demystified. As with Rita Indiana’s Tentacle, art is an important aspect of the story. Goya’s Saturn Devouring his Son is referenced often as is the adage made famous by the French Revolution, like Saturn, the revolution devours its children. The former revolutionaries, have shed the ideology now that they stand to benefit from their place in the political hierarchy. 

 

I liked the concept of a recovering heroin addict serving as conduit between the story and the reader, his disillusionment and pliant manner lend a fragmented and dreamy quality to the narrative. Argenis, though often unlikeable and shiftless, also aroused sympathy in me. For me this novel felt more accessible than the author’s previous novel, Tentacle. 

anaurrutia's review against another edition

emotional funny sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

 No es el tipo de historia que me gusta, pero está muy bien escrita y tiene un humor muy especial con el que conecté... Además me habló de asuntos varios que relaciono con mis padres y los de algunos conocidos... Interesante librito, pienso. Y bueno, no entendí por qué tiene una etiqueta LGBT porque aunque sí hay un personaje del colectivo y un par de referencias a otros dos, no es ese el tema que trata y el personaje no está en eso, en fin... criterios diferentes. 

merry_bryson's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

human_the_fourth's review against another edition

challenging emotional hopeful inspiring reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.0

apolasky's review against another edition

emotional reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75