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gravy_soup's review
emotional
hopeful
sad
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? No
5.0
Heart shattering and endlessly optimistic. Absolutely floored me. Blew my mind and my soul with its prose, its plot, and its desperate view on reality. Perfection.
lizards925's review
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
k8so's review
hopeful
reflective
sad
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
4.0
I read this because Tanya recommended it and what a sad little jewel of a book
pastelwriter's review against another edition
emotional
inspiring
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
There are books in this world that speak to you in such a visceral way that it becomes near impossible to articulate their significance. Still, I must try.
The President and the Frog is not for everyone. Although it overwhelmingly has positive reviews, I would not lightly recommend this book. It was not written in such a way to be loved by all. I loved it because, from the first page, I knew Caro de Robertis was going to tell me a story that would ring true for me.
The simplest way to explain my immediate love for this novel is that I love the way that De Robertis crafts sentences. At the sentence structure level, De Robertis writes sentences that feed my brain. Sentences that make my brain go, yes yes yes more please! This is in many ways something that comes to me from being a Spanish speaker. Many writers who write in Spanish write meandering sentences that may seem like they’re running off to nowhere, but these very deviations are what build the cadence of the story. The story would not feel right if the authors were, instead, to get right to the point every single time. It’s a writing style that some authors from the Romanticism era capture (which is why they are in the small handful of classics I love). All this to say, the writing style of this novel suits me perfectly.
Beyond the writing from a craft perspective, I’m always surprised and slightly torn open (in the best way) by stories that force me to confront the fact that I used to suffer from depression. I’m someone who has been more accepting of my anxiety and been prone to downplay my depression. This is mostly because depression is not an ongoing battle for me. It was in my life because of the circumstances I was in. Many quotes in this book verbalize how I felt at the time and what I longed for.
“He’d finally lost his grip on reality. Well, good, all the better, and about time too, fuck reality, he thought, I don’t want to hold it anymore my fingers hurt too much for that.”
“What superhuman mental strength does it require to lift your thoughts to the right frequency for survival, how to find that strength, where to source it, what’s the way? […] Sometimes he longed only for the stupor of forgetting, a falling as if into sleep, only into a state more numb than sleep, more permanent […] Every time temptation slunk toward him, he found himself rattled by and yet.”
Quotes like this spoke to that time in my life perfectly. I struggle to find the words for that time of my life, and I cry in joy and pain when I encounter a book, an author, that has found the words. It feels like a labor of love. They did not do it thinking of me specifically, but I feel the love of being known. The love of recognition. It is an experience I’m always grateful for. It is a gift that I could never express properly the thanks I feel. Beyond a simple, thank you thank you thank you.
Outside of this, I think the last parting thought I can give for why I loved this was that it perfectly encapsulated the complicated creature that is living in our world. The fear for the state of our planet, its health and the health of the people and animals on it, and simultaneously the hope for survival. Both a sense of hopelessness yet refusal to give up. This refusal born from the little things that make this world worth saving. But most of all, the love we should all feel for the earth and how it nurtures and sustains us.
There’s not much else I can say. As I told my friend when I tried talking about this book, I loved it because it is. I loved it because it exists.
The President and the Frog is not for everyone. Although it overwhelmingly has positive reviews, I would not lightly recommend this book. It was not written in such a way to be loved by all. I loved it because, from the first page, I knew Caro de Robertis was going to tell me a story that would ring true for me.
The simplest way to explain my immediate love for this novel is that I love the way that De Robertis crafts sentences. At the sentence structure level, De Robertis writes sentences that feed my brain. Sentences that make my brain go, yes yes yes more please! This is in many ways something that comes to me from being a Spanish speaker. Many writers who write in Spanish write meandering sentences that may seem like they’re running off to nowhere, but these very deviations are what build the cadence of the story. The story would not feel right if the authors were, instead, to get right to the point every single time. It’s a writing style that some authors from the Romanticism era capture (which is why they are in the small handful of classics I love). All this to say, the writing style of this novel suits me perfectly.
Beyond the writing from a craft perspective, I’m always surprised and slightly torn open (in the best way) by stories that force me to confront the fact that I used to suffer from depression. I’m someone who has been more accepting of my anxiety and been prone to downplay my depression. This is mostly because depression is not an ongoing battle for me. It was in my life because of the circumstances I was in. Many quotes in this book verbalize how I felt at the time and what I longed for.
“He’d finally lost his grip on reality. Well, good, all the better, and about time too, fuck reality, he thought, I don’t want to hold it anymore my fingers hurt too much for that.”
“What superhuman mental strength does it require to lift your thoughts to the right frequency for survival, how to find that strength, where to source it, what’s the way? […] Sometimes he longed only for the stupor of forgetting, a falling as if into sleep, only into a state more numb than sleep, more permanent […] Every time temptation slunk toward him, he found himself rattled by and yet.”
Quotes like this spoke to that time in my life perfectly. I struggle to find the words for that time of my life, and I cry in joy and pain when I encounter a book, an author, that has found the words. It feels like a labor of love. They did not do it thinking of me specifically, but I feel the love of being known. The love of recognition. It is an experience I’m always grateful for. It is a gift that I could never express properly the thanks I feel. Beyond a simple, thank you thank you thank you.
Outside of this, I think the last parting thought I can give for why I loved this was that it perfectly encapsulated the complicated creature that is living in our world. The fear for the state of our planet, its health and the health of the people and animals on it, and simultaneously the hope for survival. Both a sense of hopelessness yet refusal to give up. This refusal born from the little things that make this world worth saving. But most of all, the love we should all feel for the earth and how it nurtures and sustains us.
There’s not much else I can say. As I told my friend when I tried talking about this book, I loved it because it is. I loved it because it exists.
ers407's review
4.0
Wow this was excellent. I had no expectations going in, but the beautiful writing captivated me right away. The ex-president was an amazingly crafted character and it really felt like the reader was the female journalist listening to his story. I highly recommend this quick but deeply important read.
hilaryreadsbooks's review against another edition
4.0
In Caro De Robertis’ THE PRESIDENT AND THE FROG, untold stories dance against sealed lips, memories overflow—all gorgeously rendered in stunning prose that has everything I have come to expect from a De Robertis novel.
We begin with an interview at the home of the ex-president of an unnamed Latin American country, which he receives in the manner that he has received all interviews: honest but careful of the secrets that he has kept up to this point. A former guerilla who rose up with the revolution against dictatorship in his country, and then jailed for years and years before becoming president, he is well-known and respected, remembered for being driven by his love for nation, as well as for his many flaws. As the interview continues, he reflects on the state of the world, on movements, activism, democracy, and the future, but one secret continues to voice its desire to be released, a particular secret involving a feisty talking frog.
dangermurray's review
5.0
This was an excellent novella that I listened to on a single road trip. The president's story was refreshing and surprisingly uplifting given our current political climate, and led me to learn more about the life of Uruguayan revolutionary José Mujica.
rjsreadingnook's review
5.0
A glimmer of hope for dark times.
THE PRESIDENT AND THE FROG feels so different from CANTORAS yet some themes continue including Uruguayan politics and intersectional feminism. I love the simplicity of format as the author alternates between the President to be’s conversation with a frog as a political prisoner and a post-presidency interview with a Norwegian journalist.
What hit me the most is the discussion on climate change and ecology. Climate change doesn’t recognize borders and countries leaving large carbon footprints (such as the US) create consequences for the entire world.
And yet somehow through so much despair she brings us to a place of hope. That we can grow things on this Earth.
Thank you Knopf for the NetGalley widget.
THE PRESIDENT AND THE FROG feels so different from CANTORAS yet some themes continue including Uruguayan politics and intersectional feminism. I love the simplicity of format as the author alternates between the President to be’s conversation with a frog as a political prisoner and a post-presidency interview with a Norwegian journalist.
What hit me the most is the discussion on climate change and ecology. Climate change doesn’t recognize borders and countries leaving large carbon footprints (such as the US) create consequences for the entire world.
And yet somehow through so much despair she brings us to a place of hope. That we can grow things on this Earth.
Thank you Knopf for the NetGalley widget.
fictionallylit's review against another edition
inspiring
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? It's complicated
4.0
This book is very close to 4 stars for me, but the pacing was something I struggled with and ultimately what stopped me giving it 5 stars.
I appreciate that this is a highly introspective book, and I think that this is perfect for a read who wants to read something thought-provoking, and overall reflective.
However, if you want a book with something the remotely resembles a plot driven book, this is NOT for you. This book reads a little like a documentary (works within the framework of the story I think), but follows the thought process of the main character.
The author is a very good writer - and I think her writing is why it deserves 4 stars. It’s simply that this is not a book I would choose for myself (it’s a bookclub one) and I didn’t gel with it completely.
It’s weird (to me) to say that while I personally didn’t love this book, I think it is objectively a good book. It’s like it’s a cup of Early Grey tea while I am an English Breakfast fan. I can still recognise a nice cup of tea, but I’d rather got back to my normal blend 😅. Thank you to the author for your hard work in putting together this book.
I appreciate that this is a highly introspective book, and I think that this is perfect for a read who wants to read something thought-provoking, and overall reflective.
However, if you want a book with something the remotely resembles a plot driven book, this is NOT for you. This book reads a little like a documentary (works within the framework of the story I think), but follows the thought process of the main character.
The author is a very good writer - and I think her writing is why it deserves 4 stars. It’s simply that this is not a book I would choose for myself (it’s a bookclub one) and I didn’t gel with it completely.
It’s weird (to me) to say that while I personally didn’t love this book, I think it is objectively a good book. It’s like it’s a cup of Early Grey tea while I am an English Breakfast fan. I can still recognise a nice cup of tea, but I’d rather got back to my normal blend 😅. Thank you to the author for your hard work in putting together this book.