Reviews

Oh no.

I RUSHED to put this on hold at the library when I found there was going to be a new Allende, and was so excited to read this, the description was intriguing and I was sure Allende could do the concept justice.

Well.

Most of the book was a three star review from me, and I recognized that a lot of that was because I was judging it as an Isabel Allende novel and not on it's own merit, that I'd probably rate it higher from a different author. Then we got to the end and it felt so rushed and unfinished. All the sentences were like "She didn't like cheese. Then one day she did. Here's an encyclopedia fact." The characters also suddenly got dialogue that was just very on the nose and moralizing. I didn't need one of them to say "violence is bad" to get that that was one of the points of the book, it was clear without being spelled out. Then it ended so abruptly.

It was such a disappointment for me, and I probably would have liked it more if I hadn't expected so much.

neomellow's review against another edition

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emotional informative sad slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.0

tengo varios conflictos con este libro, tiene muy buena sinopsis y se queda en eso porque la ejecución deja mucho que desear. hay tramas que son explicadas ampliamente que no aportan nada al tema principal, por ejemplo la trama amorosa de 2 de los personajes principales. a samuel se le conoce de frente, uno llega de lleno a su historia al igual que a la de leticia, sin embargo a anita se le presenta como si fuera un expediente más, esto puede ser intencional pero hace que la conexión con ella sea mucho más difícil. quitando a samuel realmente no conecté con ningún personaje, muchas veces se siente como si leyeras un recuento de hechos en algún portal de noticias. y por otro lado los capítulos de anita son insufribles, son los únicos narrados en primera persona y se entienden como un diálogo interno, sin embargo son muy cansados.
no es un mal libro, puede que solamente no sea para mí.

Content Warnings

marialy's review against another edition

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4.0

Un libro muy emotivo, triste en algunas ocasiones, en otras llenas de esperanza. Es una historia sobre la migración en varios tiempos, desde la segunda guerra mundial hasta la actualidad. a mi me gusto bastante.

cynthiapee's review against another edition

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4.0

The book touched me from the beginning, as it once again shows us the devastating effects of war on people, while also underlining that being a refugee is far from easy. It highlights the painful experiences during WWII when children were put on trains without their parents, sent to an unknown country, without knowing the language or where they would end up, or with whom. The same remains true today—whether people are fleeing war or the instability and corruption of their home governments. It breaks my heart.

The book shifts between different stories, and at times the names were unclear (I was listening to the audiobook, so I couldn’t flip back to check). However, it is beautifully written. The love story between Nadine and Samuel was particularly moving, showing that love isn’t perfect—and that’s okay.

lhkellerman's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful informative inspiring reflective sad fast-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

4.75

Content Warnings

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