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sjgrodsky's review against another edition
1.0
Quit after reading about 20 percent. I was expecting something about the cross cultural experience. What I read was about her life growing up in a wealthy Peruvian family.
It could have been charming. Other reviewers found it fascinating. I didn't. Marie Araña seems like a nice enough person but her stories did not grab me.
It could have been charming. Other reviewers found it fascinating. I didn't. Marie Araña seems like a nice enough person but her stories did not grab me.
ktrozas's review against another edition
4.0
I read this book a long time ago. I think I liked it so much because I could identify with the main character and what it feels like to have one parent from Peru, and one from America. The author includes accurate and very interesting information on Peruvian culture and history.
angmsmith1's review against another edition
5.0
The author writes about growing up in America and Peru and how she had to almost have a dual personality to adjust to the differences of the 2. I could relate, because I grew up traveling between 2 cultures as well, even though it wasn't as drastic as hers was. A really interesting book.
linagirl26's review against another edition
3.0
Just read the last chapter. That’s all this book needed.
honeydewfelon's review against another edition
5.0
A unique memoir in that Arana blended fragments of history and her family’s history in with her own. The memoir is mostly of the author’s early childhood, growing up in Peru with a limeño father and an American mother. Arana’s writing is vivid, her metaphors rich. The way she navigates and blends two vastly different cultures is fascinating.
ktreadsnm's review against another edition
4.0
I loved being drawn into Marie's world and childhood. The stories were engrossing and entertaining. I liked the way she went back and forth between stories and analysis, as well.
egoenner's review against another edition
4.0
Trapped at home in the polar vortex, this was a great way to spend my time. Beautifully written (and I had to look up the meanings of words!) and expertly told, this memoir kept its focus on Arana's childhood and parents rather than getting lost in a long telling of her entire life. I loved the cast of supporting characters, from grandparents to cousins.
franschulman9's review against another edition
5.0
Entertaining memoir about the author's childhood, her family and her confusion over her bicultural identity. Her mother is an American, descended from the Adams family, and her father from an upper class Peruvian family. Arana spent her early years in Peru before moving to the U.S. The book not only describes her family history, her parents marriage, living in Peru during the political turmoil after World War II, and her immigration to the U.S., but also is filled with anecdotes of her escapades and many colorful people who influenced her.