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3.78 AVERAGE
3.78 AVERAGE
I loved her first book and felt the same way the more I got into this one. I wanted a little more on some characters and a feeling of a conclusion that I didn't quite get.
Read a lot of this book in one sitting. Was really drawn into the characters and wanted to root for Letty as she figures out how to be a mother.
I enjoyed the book, not as much as the Language of Flowers, but I still had a good reading experience and I'm looking forward to discussing this book in book club.
I wonder if I will get more out of these books on motherhood after I've had a child.
Couple of small things that I'll put down here, but may add more of a review after the book club meeting:
- I liked everything about how this book started: I thought it was an interesting choice for the Grandma to sort of "choose" her husband over the kids. Was she doing it to help give Letty the push she needed? Was that a "selfish" choice? Interesting. I also enjoyed reading about Alex's struggle to temporarily parent Luna, even though I really liked Alex and I shouldn't have enjoyed this part, I thought it was well written and an easy way to endear Alex to us/the reader.
- Luna was obnoxious pretty much all the way through, and I think she was used more as a plot device than anything else
- Letty was really struggling and I was sympathetic to her pretty much throughout the novel
- I didn't really see why Alex loved Yesenia so much, nor she him. Also didn't see why Rick was into Letty either
- I wanted the feathers to actually be more integral to the story. Perhaps there is symbolism or some literary device that I've not realized yet?
- I didn't understand why Letty didn't speak Spanish or understand it better
I enjoyed the book, not as much as the Language of Flowers, but I still had a good reading experience and I'm looking forward to discussing this book in book club.
I wonder if I will get more out of these books on motherhood after I've had a child.
Spoiler
Couple of small things that I'll put down here, but may add more of a review after the book club meeting:
- I liked everything about how this book started: I thought it was an interesting choice for the Grandma to sort of "choose" her husband over the kids. Was she doing it to help give Letty the push she needed? Was that a "selfish" choice? Interesting. I also enjoyed reading about Alex's struggle to temporarily parent Luna, even though I really liked Alex and I shouldn't have enjoyed this part, I thought it was well written and an easy way to endear Alex to us/the reader.
- Luna was obnoxious pretty much all the way through, and I think she was used more as a plot device than anything else
- Letty was really struggling and I was sympathetic to her pretty much throughout the novel
- I didn't really see why Alex loved Yesenia so much, nor she him. Also didn't see why Rick was into Letty either
- I wanted the feathers to actually be more integral to the story. Perhaps there is symbolism or some literary device that I've not realized yet?
- I didn't understand why Letty didn't speak Spanish or understand it better
Beautifully written and emotionally evocative. I think this should be required reading for anyone involved with immigrants - whether it be politicians, ICE officials, lawyers, judges, teachers, principals, etc. Oh and did I forget to say politicians? This is the kind of story to stay with you for a long while.
I loved Vanessa Diffenbaugh’s first novel, The Language of Flowers. I went into We Never Asked for Wings hoping I would like it as much as I know the “sophomore slump” is common with new authors. Thankfully, it turned out I didn’t have anything to worry about.
The bulk of the story is about Letty and her relationship with her children. When her mother moves back to Mexico, Letty is becoming a real mother to her kids for the first time. She struggles and she makes bad choices. The author does an excellent job of filling in her back story such that I felt like I understood her and rooted for her to overcome her shortcomings as a mother.
I was really impressed with the author’s attention to detail. A lot of research was required for this novel on several seemingly unrelated subjects. Alex’s grandfather makes art with feathers and there is much information about feathers and birds. In addition, Alex is a star student obsessed with science so there is a lot of scientific information in this book that went completely over my head. That was okay though, it wasn’t necessary to understand Alex’s science project to understand his character. Finally, the complex immigration laws played a part in this book.
The best thing about We Never Asked for Wings is that it humanizes the plight of undocumented immigrants in this country. Of course the characters are fictional but they still serve as realistic examples of what is happening in real life. It’s important to know that there are all kinds of reasons that people are in this country without documentation and they shouldn’t all be judged as a group.
With this second outing, Diffenbaugh has proven that she can consistently write books with well-developed characters and compelling plots. I’m looking forward to reading whatever she comes up with next.
The bulk of the story is about Letty and her relationship with her children. When her mother moves back to Mexico, Letty is becoming a real mother to her kids for the first time. She struggles and she makes bad choices. The author does an excellent job of filling in her back story such that I felt like I understood her and rooted for her to overcome her shortcomings as a mother.
I was really impressed with the author’s attention to detail. A lot of research was required for this novel on several seemingly unrelated subjects. Alex’s grandfather makes art with feathers and there is much information about feathers and birds. In addition, Alex is a star student obsessed with science so there is a lot of scientific information in this book that went completely over my head. That was okay though, it wasn’t necessary to understand Alex’s science project to understand his character. Finally, the complex immigration laws played a part in this book.
The best thing about We Never Asked for Wings is that it humanizes the plight of undocumented immigrants in this country. Of course the characters are fictional but they still serve as realistic examples of what is happening in real life. It’s important to know that there are all kinds of reasons that people are in this country without documentation and they shouldn’t all be judged as a group.
With this second outing, Diffenbaugh has proven that she can consistently write books with well-developed characters and compelling plots. I’m looking forward to reading whatever she comes up with next.
The narrative was captivating, the characters sympathetic. I recommend this book to friends.
I was really enjoying this book, thinking I had an idea how it would end and BAM...an unexpected twist! Love a book like that!
Not a fan, but there were some good bits. A little too predictable.
3.5 stars. This was a sweet book about coming of age for an entire young family.
Not as amazing as The Language of Flowers but enjoyable.
Not as amazing as The Language of Flowers but enjoyable.
A little more than 4, maybe 4.33. I really loved this; a great follow up to The Language of Flowers. The main characters felt similar, but in a vaguely recognizable way. The relationships were pretty well developed and I enjoyed all the characters. The ending was lovely as well. Just a nice little book, overall.
I guess Diffenbaugh's "thing" is going to be novels about serious issues, which is great. She's a good writer and sympathetic, which made homelessness and foster care in [b:The Language of Flowers|10032672|The Language of Flowers|Vanessa Diffenbaugh|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1333577674s/10032672.jpg|14928278] and poverty and illegal immigration in We Never Asked for Wings feel like such personal issues. I really liked both the characters and the story in this novel, but I think I was a bit disappointed because a lot of the family's struggles seemed to be resolved too easily. The big illegal alien issue, gently hinted at for most of the book, only comes to the forefront of the plot toward the end and was wrapped up too quickly for me. Plus, in addition to the issues of poverty and immigration, she also covered teen pregnancy and the ramifications of Letty not telling her son's father about him, which adds another complicated issue. Not to mention Rick hinting at an unhappy family life but elaboration never coming. I think there were just too many big ideas for such a short book, and greedy me just wanted more!
Overall though, the story was engrossing, the characters were well-drawn, the settings felt realistic, and the issues were handled with great human feeling. Diffenbaugh is a skilled writer, and I will definitely keep reading all of her new work.
The fine print: received ARC from NetGalley.
Overall though, the story was engrossing, the characters were well-drawn, the settings felt realistic, and the issues were handled with great human feeling. Diffenbaugh is a skilled writer, and I will definitely keep reading all of her new work.
The fine print: received ARC from NetGalley.