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3.78 AVERAGE
3.78 AVERAGE
hopeful
informative
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
I did not like this one as much as her first book, but I still enjoyed it. I liked that it had the point of view of both mother and son and talked about some of the struggles of immigration. However the talk of birds and the science parts made me a little bored and the ending was wrapped up in too neat a bow for my taste. Also I struggled with Letty and her bad parenting, but I think that was kind of the point of the book.
LOVED! I also enjoyed her first book, The Language of Flowers. Really heartfelt and touching story. Loved the theme of families growing and changing for the better.
This would be a great book club selection because there is so much to discuss about this book.
Letty, a naturalized US citizen, has a baby straight out of high school. She chooses to keep the pregnancy a secret from the baby's father because he was just going off to go to college and she didn't want to ruin his plans for the future. Of course, Letty, is a horrible mother and has no idea how to raise the child. Fortunately, she lives in her childhood home with her mother and father and they thankfully do what needs to be done for the children. Yes, there's a second child because Letty got pregnant the second time by a different man a few years later. When the book opens up, Letty is in a panic because her mother has gone to find her father who went home to visit relatives in Mexico and never returned. Letty, knowing that she cannot raise these children on her own makes yet another horrible decision and leaves the children home alone while she drives to Mexico to retrieve her parents. I know, crazy, right?
Well one thing leads to another and Letty has a car accident on the way home from Mexico and totals her car. Things just kind of go downhill from there until, finally, Letty understands the importance of family and friends and learns how to be a mother.
This is the second book by Vanessa Diffenbaugh. I read the first book, The Language of Flowers, for my book club a few years ago. I have to admit I liked this book much better than her first. We Never Asked for Wings has really well developed characters that you care about one way or another. And, like I said, there's so much fodder for discussion in this book: the role of a mother, the role of grandparents, illegal immigration, legal citizenship, class and society, education, fatherhood, friendship and much, much more.
Personally, this book made me rethink some of my opinions on these matters.
Kudos to Ms. Diffenbaugh!
Letty, a naturalized US citizen, has a baby straight out of high school. She chooses to keep the pregnancy a secret from the baby's father because he was just going off to go to college and she didn't want to ruin his plans for the future. Of course, Letty, is a horrible mother and has no idea how to raise the child. Fortunately, she lives in her childhood home with her mother and father and they thankfully do what needs to be done for the children. Yes, there's a second child because Letty got pregnant the second time by a different man a few years later. When the book opens up, Letty is in a panic because her mother has gone to find her father who went home to visit relatives in Mexico and never returned. Letty, knowing that she cannot raise these children on her own makes yet another horrible decision and leaves the children home alone while she drives to Mexico to retrieve her parents. I know, crazy, right?
Well one thing leads to another and Letty has a car accident on the way home from Mexico and totals her car. Things just kind of go downhill from there until, finally, Letty understands the importance of family and friends and learns how to be a mother.
This is the second book by Vanessa Diffenbaugh. I read the first book, The Language of Flowers, for my book club a few years ago. I have to admit I liked this book much better than her first. We Never Asked for Wings has really well developed characters that you care about one way or another. And, like I said, there's so much fodder for discussion in this book: the role of a mother, the role of grandparents, illegal immigration, legal citizenship, class and society, education, fatherhood, friendship and much, much more.
Personally, this book made me rethink some of my opinions on these matters.
Kudos to Ms. Diffenbaugh!
We Never Asked For Wings is a novel about one family who are struggling through everyday life. Mum, Letty, and children Alex and Luna, are doing fine until Maria Elena (Letty’s mother) decides to go to Mexico with Letty’s father and... read the full review here: https://www.amybucklesbookshelf.co.uk/2018/05/we-never-asked-for-wings-book-review/
After reading The Language of Flowers, I think my exceptions were set to high on this one. It was a breezy read, but the story line wasn't something that peaked my interest. I liked it, but I didn't necessarily love it.
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Loved it except the 6 yr old girl. Every chance for her not to cooperate & be a complete brat she was.
I absolutely loved The Language of Flowers and found this book to be a beautifully written page-turner as well. I always enjoy reading the author's notes at the end of novels, and in this one she explains her research -- issues of immigration, birds, even cocktails -- as well as her process and worries after the success of her debut novel. The characters were fully formed, with their desires and flaws, and even the parts of the plot that seemed coincidental or too convenient somehow worked for me, if that makes any sense. I fell into this book and read it quickly.