hardcoverwhore's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.25
lola425's review against another edition
4.0
Mexican noirish mystery. Maite longs for action and romance as she works her dull job, spars with her disappointed mother, and dates a series of disappointing men. Real life does not match up with the life of her comic book fantasies--then her glamorous neighbor asks her to watch her cat and hold onto a box for her and then disappears. Suddenly, Maite has more action than she bargained for as she is plunged into the shady world surrounding student political protests and finds herself running from goon squads, both official and unofficial. Who can she trust? Will her life, assuming she still has one at the end of this, ever be the same?
Moreno-Garcia has curated a Spotify playlist for the book that is just wonderful and a perfect complement.
Moreno-Garcia has curated a Spotify playlist for the book that is just wonderful and a perfect complement.
jen_again's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
chloeo's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
obstinateheadstrongcurl's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-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
4.0
krhea17's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
sad
tense
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? Yes
5.0
pretty_b1rd's review against another edition
4.0
this was such a fun read!!!
a sexy little noir, completely demolished it in two long reads
elvis ily
a sexy little noir, completely demolished it in two long reads
elvis ily
gracekrupp's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
andrada_elena's review against another edition
4.0
This book felt like a crime drama movie from the 1940s. I mean, it is a noir book by definition.
So like any noir movie/book, we have our flawed and morally questionable characters filled with bitterness.
The story is told through dual POV. We follow Maite, a secretary about to turn 30 who consumes a lot of romance comics because of the lack of love in her real life. She goes to the extent of lying to her colleagues about her imaginary dates just so she seems interesting. Throughout the book, she is very self-depreciative and oblivious to the real world and its problems.
El Elvis is our second narrator. He is a young man, 21 years old, working as a criminal for a group that tries to suppress leftists and communists in Central America. Elvis, even though a criminal, does not like violence.
Their lives intertwine when Maite's neighbor, Leonora, disappears. Both of them get in the position of searching for her, each with different motives. On the one hand, Elvis goes looking for her because of his boss' order. On the other hand, Maite searches for Leonora to get paid for taking care of the girl's cat.
We have Russian spies, dissident artists, and government agencies in this book.
It is a slow burn though. The story centers on the two main characters rather than the intrigue and violence surrounding Leonora and her disappearance.
Reading this piece of fiction, I learned about the effects of May 1968 and the political turmoil of Mexico in the 70s, which proved to me again the importance of literature in everyday life and how a story can bring up such important topics that you can, later on, look up.
So like any noir movie/book, we have our flawed and morally questionable characters filled with bitterness.
The story is told through dual POV. We follow Maite, a secretary about to turn 30 who consumes a lot of romance comics because of the lack of love in her real life. She goes to the extent of lying to her colleagues about her imaginary dates just so she seems interesting. Throughout the book, she is very self-depreciative and oblivious to the real world and its problems.
El Elvis is our second narrator. He is a young man, 21 years old, working as a criminal for a group that tries to suppress leftists and communists in Central America. Elvis, even though a criminal, does not like violence.
Their lives intertwine when Maite's neighbor, Leonora, disappears. Both of them get in the position of searching for her, each with different motives. On the one hand, Elvis goes looking for her because of his boss' order. On the other hand, Maite searches for Leonora to get paid for taking care of the girl's cat.
We have Russian spies, dissident artists, and government agencies in this book.
It is a slow burn though. The story centers on the two main characters rather than the intrigue and violence surrounding Leonora and her disappearance.
Reading this piece of fiction, I learned about the effects of May 1968 and the political turmoil of Mexico in the 70s, which proved to me again the importance of literature in everyday life and how a story can bring up such important topics that you can, later on, look up.
stormmorgan's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-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? Yes
3.75
I love Silvia Moreno-Garcia so much, however I found it so annoying how often the main characters’ looks came up. There was always a mention of the fact that she wasn’t pretty and was drab and frumpy. It was annoying