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Reviews tagging 'Homophobia'
The Cubs and Other Stories by Gregory Kolovakos, Ronald Christ, Mario Vargas Llosa
1 review
andra_mihaela_s's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
"The Cubs and Other Stories" is a collection of short stories exploring the way in which boys/young men see the World, how they decide what's important to them and how they approach "challenges".
The stories making up this book are: "Leaders","Confruntation","The Little Brother", "Sunday","A Guest","Grampa" and, my favorite, "The Cubs".(disclaimer: the names are translated by me from my Romanian version of the book, so the titles may differ in the official English version)
I really love how Vargas Llosa expresses raw and conflicting emotions through his characters. "The Cubs" ilustrates this the best with Cuellar and his friends. You can visualize the era in which they live and get lost in it just like in a well made movie (the feel of th city, the interests that evolve with the person, the society as a whole with it's gossip, pre-defined rules and layers in which everybody needs to settle in...not to mention, the phobia we are still trying to correct today).
I always though that Mario Vargas Llosa is unapologetically honest... that he tells you what he saw / lived... And I'm really glad for that.
Each story tackle a specific type of person and situation..and you can see that they are the most interesting for the author to present.
We also have in "A Guest" a bit of a camio for an important character from another book as an add on to quite an intense scene.
We have friendship and rivalry in "Leaders" ,"The Cubs" and "Sunday", some internal and external conflicts in "Confruntation" and "The Little Brother", and a bit of what makes children so unique as protagonists : greed, selfishness and innocense.
"Grampa" was the only one that left me wondering what I've read. It is captivating and intense, but the ending left me asking what was the purpose of it. It's almost outside of the narrative boundaries created by the other stories...Am I the only one feeling this way?
Anyway, if you're interested in reading this collection, I encourage you to first read "The Time of the Hero"(in original : "La ciudad y los perros" ) for a better understanding and enjoyment of some stories!("The Cubs" shares a very specific narrative choice to the book I mentioned)
Overall, I give "The Cubs and Other Stories" 4 stars! I recommend the collection to everyone interested in trying Mario Vargas Llosa, if his novels seem big and daunting, or to a completionists like myself! ^_^
Enjoy
The stories making up this book are: "Leaders","Confruntation","The Little Brother", "Sunday","A Guest","Grampa" and, my favorite, "The Cubs".(disclaimer: the names are translated by me from my Romanian version of the book, so the titles may differ in the official English version)
I really love how Vargas Llosa expresses raw and conflicting emotions through his characters. "The Cubs" ilustrates this the best with Cuellar and his friends. You can visualize the era in which they live and get lost in it just like in a well made movie (the feel of th city, the interests that evolve with the person, the society as a whole with it's gossip, pre-defined rules and layers in which everybody needs to settle in...not to mention, the phobia we are still trying to correct today).
I always though that Mario Vargas Llosa is unapologetically honest... that he tells you what he saw / lived... And I'm really glad for that.
Each story tackle a specific type of person and situation..and you can see that they are the most interesting for the author to present.
We also have in "A Guest" a bit of a camio for an important character from another book as an add on to quite an intense scene.
We have friendship and rivalry in "Leaders" ,"The Cubs" and "Sunday", some internal and external conflicts in "Confruntation" and "The Little Brother", and a bit of what makes children so unique as protagonists : greed, selfishness and innocense.
"Grampa" was the only one that left me wondering what I've read. It is captivating and intense, but the ending left me asking what was the purpose of it. It's almost outside of the narrative boundaries created by the other stories...Am I the only one feeling this way?
Anyway, if you're interested in reading this collection, I encourage you to first read "The Time of the Hero"(in original : "La ciudad y los perros" ) for a better understanding and enjoyment of some stories!("The Cubs" shares a very specific narrative choice to the book I mentioned)
Overall, I give "The Cubs and Other Stories" 4 stars! I recommend the collection to everyone interested in trying Mario Vargas Llosa, if his novels seem big and daunting, or to a completionists like myself! ^_^
Enjoy
Content Warnings
Minor: Homophobia
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