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vera_cologne's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
5.0
Moderate: Toxic relationship, Terminal illness, Sexual assault, Misogyny, Mental illness, Sexual violence, Murder, War, Racism, Xenophobia, Drug use, Child abuse, and Rape
rhi_'s review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Graphic: Deportation, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Forced institutionalization, Sexual harassment, Alcoholism, Sexual assault, Toxic relationship, Addiction, Alcohol, Death, and Drug abuse
Moderate: Death, Confinement, War, Xenophobia, Racism, and Mental illness
Minor: Forced institutionalization, Child abuse, Adult/minor relationship, Death of parent, Pedophilia, and Trafficking
salsa_valentina's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Well written with concepts us immigrants are all too familiar with. The authors characters are flawed but I can see so much of myself and my family in the characters that it makes you reflect on your own life. Her way of writing kept me hooked on the book. THE GENERATIONAL TRAUMA IS REAL. She has such an enlightening way to write and illustrate the trauma that gets passed down to each generation along side the effects it had on her characters. Pretty short as well. I finished the book in two days, but honestly you could probably finish in one. But I will say there are some very triggering topics mentioned including: rape, sexual assault, physical abuse, assault, domestic violence, substance abuse, all the generational trauma...
Graphic: Mental illness, Sexual assault, Violence, Abandonment, Deportation, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Addiction, Domestic abuse, and Sexual content
Warning: Immigration related beginning includes sudden deportationtheonlybaillie's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Graphic: Addiction, Death, Mental illness, Drug use, Grief, Physical abuse, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Murder, and Forced institutionalization
Moderate: Fire/Fire injury, Rape, Sexism, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, Alcoholism, Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, Pregnancy, Sexual content, Death of parent, Alcohol, Cursing, Gun violence, and Misogyny
Minor: Chronic illness, Child abuse, and Gaslighting
bleadenreads's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Review: I really wanted to love this book and was fully invested in the book that was sold to me by the blurb...
The novel really needed to be longer and fleshed out as the main premises of the book were not fully developed. I think Jeanette and Gloria were the only fully developed characters, I wanted more from Cecilia, Dolores, Carmen, Elena and Maydelis. However the end of Jeanette's storyline, I thought, was a shock and I almost thought I had missed a passage. The overall ending and link with Ana was good, but I wanted more closure from the others. Also, the book that is passed down through generations is merely that and had less significance/impact on the characters than I expected. I think the inscription, "We are force", ironically, could have lent more force to the characters and their decisions. The women had a lot of strength and secrets, facing continuous adversity and experiencing little joy and happiness.
I thought the passages following Gloria and her daughter Ana, and their experiences of being an immigrant and victim of ICE policies were heartbreaking and written with great sensitivity and power. However, I think this could have had more impact if they had been related somehow to the main women, rather than slightly interlinked.
I did think this was in parts well written and a fascinating insight into the US-Cuban immigrant culture and history.
Maybe the blurb shouldn't have placed so much emphasis on the 5 generations/family tree (especially as some are just briefly mentioned) and inherited book part, as the book was so much more than that 🤷♀️ The incessant violence faced by these women and their resilience, was not empowering, but an almost depressing reminder of the inherent patriarchal violence that women in Cuba (and their descendants in US) have faced for generations.
There are a LOT of trigger warnings in this book - domestic abuse, graphic violence, sexual assault and chronic drug addiction.
Graphic: Sexual violence, Violence, Mental illness, Drug abuse, Drug use, and Death of parent