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clagarnach_'s review against another edition
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual assault, Sexual content, Domestic abuse, and Sexual violence
notjillsanders's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
A heavy but rewarding read. Surprisingly quick, and if you can get past the lack of quotation marks (seriously Angie Cruz, why), it offers a fantastic, sad, beautiful, honest look into the lives of Dominicanas.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Physical abuse, Rape, Domestic abuse, and Pedophilia
Moderate: Emotional abuse and Pregnancy
Minor: Death, Racism, Sexism, and Sexual content
100_pages_hr's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
3.0
It has taken me awh to process how I feel about this book.
I absolutely loved the historical value this book held. The insight into life in both the Dominican Republic at the time and life in NYC. Both places had a lot of challenges, but especially the DR during the reign of the dictator, Trujillo. It was interesting to me to read how she thought life would be in America versus how it turned out to be.
It was really hard to read about her life once she moved to NYC knowing that it was based on a true story. She was so young and she went through so much. I felt so bad for her. I did really like the parts about her learning English though since I am an ENL teacher.
In the beginning of the book I really loved it. Towards the middle and end not so much. It was a hard read. Please check content warnings.
I got a lot of Julia Alvarez vibes at the beginning and now really want to reread two of my favorites by her because I loved those so much more (In the Time of the Butterflies and How the Garcia Girls Lost their Accents).
I absolutely loved the historical value this book held. The insight into life in both the Dominican Republic at the time and life in NYC. Both places had a lot of challenges, but especially the DR during the reign of the dictator, Trujillo. It was interesting to me to read how she thought life would be in America versus how it turned out to be.
It was really hard to read about her life once she moved to NYC knowing that it was based on a true story. She was so young and she went through so much. I felt so bad for her. I did really like the parts about her learning English though since I am an ENL teacher.
In the beginning of the book I really loved it. Towards the middle and end not so much. It was a hard read. Please check content warnings.
I got a lot of Julia Alvarez vibes at the beginning and now really want to reread two of my favorites by her because I loved those so much more (In the Time of the Butterflies and How the Garcia Girls Lost their Accents).
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcohol, Medical content, Pregnancy, Sexual content, Blood, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, and Infidelity
bites_of_books's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
This book made me feel a lot more than I was bargaining for...
This is the story of Ana, a 15 year old girl who is forced to marry an older man who will take her from the Dominican Republic to New York City for what her family believes is a better life and opportunities for the whole family.
In this book we see things from Ana's perspective for most of the book and we get to experience her fears, loneliness, confusion, and coming-of-age as she deals with an abusive husband, trying to take care of her family from far away, and trying to connect to people in this new country. The way that Cruz writes the story can be unsettling at times, touching on magical realism as Ana imagines things happening a different way than what lies before her. We also get some historical references relating to the political troubles happening both in the United States and the Dominican Republic.
I can't say I enjoyed reading this book because it really was painful at times. It reminded me of some things I experienced when I faced my own immigration story and culture shock, as well as reminded me of the stories that some family members have told me with respect to their own experiences when coming to the United States. I did appreciate that the story focuses on Ana's experience and highlights many of the struggles, both emotional, physical, and familial, that women face when moving (or when they are taken) to a new country in search of opportunity.
This is the story of Ana, a 15 year old girl who is forced to marry an older man who will take her from the Dominican Republic to New York City for what her family believes is a better life and opportunities for the whole family.
In this book we see things from Ana's perspective for most of the book and we get to experience her fears, loneliness, confusion, and coming-of-age as she deals with an abusive husband, trying to take care of her family from far away, and trying to connect to people in this new country. The way that Cruz writes the story can be unsettling at times, touching on magical realism as Ana imagines things happening a different way than what lies before her. We also get some historical references relating to the political troubles happening both in the United States and the Dominican Republic.
I can't say I enjoyed reading this book because it really was painful at times. It reminded me of some things I experienced when I faced my own immigration story and culture shock, as well as reminded me of the stories that some family members have told me with respect to their own experiences when coming to the United States. I did appreciate that the story focuses on Ana's experience and highlights many of the struggles, both emotional, physical, and familial, that women face when moving (or when they are taken) to a new country in search of opportunity.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Rape, and Adult/minor relationship
Moderate: Animal death, Kidnapping, and Pregnancy
Minor: Sexual content
sofiaxaguilar's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Cursing, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Grief, Gun violence, Infidelity, Medical content, Misogyny, Pregnancy, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, and Toxic relationship
knkoch's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
reflective
tense
medium-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
3.75
This was a rather resonant portrait of womanhood and immigration, set in a coming-of-age format. There were some very lovely and emotional parts, as well as great hardship, pain, and fear. I learned in the acknowledgements that this is loosely based on the author's mother and her story of immigrating to New York, with detail from other Dominican folks the author interviewed, as well.
The story was well told and realistic. All the characters were well realized and carried through the entire novel, giving me a great window into a life I have not lived. I especially felt grounded in the sense of place (the farm, the apartment, the neighborhood, and all the small commercial areas nearby) and sense of food. Ana spends a great deal of time in one place, and I could really feel the sort of hyperattention to detail that comes from great observation of one's surroundings. Especially after some time spent in quarantine this year, I relate to that. The sensory experience of food was also rich. I felt I could taste all these dishes I'd never heard of before.
Be mindful of my content warnings, however.
The story was well told and realistic. All the characters were well realized and carried through the entire novel, giving me a great window into a life I have not lived. I especially felt grounded in the sense of place (the farm, the apartment, the neighborhood, and all the small commercial areas nearby) and sense of food. Ana spends a great deal of time in one place, and I could really feel the sort of hyperattention to detail that comes from great observation of one's surroundings. Especially after some time spent in quarantine this year, I relate to that. The sensory experience of food was also rich. I felt I could taste all these dishes I'd never heard of before.
Be mindful of my content warnings, however.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Rape and Domestic abuse
Moderate: Racism, Physical abuse, Xenophobia, Sexual content, and Child abuse
The domestic abuse features heavily, so be careful there.cheyne's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
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? It's complicated
4.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Medical trauma, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, and Sexual content
smithy361's review against another edition
emotional
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Domestic abuse
Minor: Death and Sexual content
nonfictionfeminist's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship
Moderate: Alcoholism, Animal death, Blood, Bullying, Domestic abuse, Physical abuse, Pedophilia, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, and Violence
ellik6612's review against another edition
challenging
funny
hopeful
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Loved this book. Nice pace, set over a year. A very vivid picture painted of a specific New York and Dominican Republic at a particular time, was very immersed in the era. Challenging relationships between the characters.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship
Moderate: Physical abuse, Racism, Sexual content, and Sexual violence
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