Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.54 AVERAGE
3.54 AVERAGE
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I liked that it was based on true events. I thought it was well-written and a good story. But for some reason, I didn’t get fully immersed in it as much as I would have liked too.
adventurous
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This was a great read! It’s about an ordinary woman who gets mixed up in a bad situation. It’s inspired by the political situation in Mexico in the 1970s.
I loved that there were 2 perspectives to the story. I recommend!
I loved that there were 2 perspectives to the story. I recommend!
dark
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This had a little bit of a slow start for me, but once we got into the mystery, I was hooked. This definitely had a different vibe from Mexican Gothic, which is the only other book I've read from this author so far... I think I liked this one better. I'm excited to read more!
Velvet Was the Night by Silvia Moreno-Garcia is a free NetGalley ebook that I read in early August.
Mexico during the 1970s as experienced by El Elvis - a trained Hawk killer who takes out political dissenters and is a natural self-taught intellectual who's often affronted by other Hawks - and the put-upon, romance-starved, single, secretary, overlooked romantic, Maite. In her mission to be recognized by her neighbors and fuel a habit of petty theft, she cat-sits for the mysterious beauty Leonora who, in her generosity toward radicals, has attracted the attention of El Elvis and the Hawks with her disappearance. It shares certain aspects of The Gun in Betty Lou’s Handbag and other stories of ordinary people just wanting more for themselves, like Maite wanting a life more like her romance serials; this makes it attractive enough for a re-adapted film screenplay and easily interesting enough for a sequel novel.
Mexico during the 1970s as experienced by El Elvis - a trained Hawk killer who takes out political dissenters and is a natural self-taught intellectual who's often affronted by other Hawks - and the put-upon, romance-starved, single, secretary, overlooked romantic, Maite. In her mission to be recognized by her neighbors and fuel a habit of petty theft, she cat-sits for the mysterious beauty Leonora who, in her generosity toward radicals, has attracted the attention of El Elvis and the Hawks with her disappearance. It shares certain aspects of The Gun in Betty Lou’s Handbag and other stories of ordinary people just wanting more for themselves, like Maite wanting a life more like her romance serials; this makes it attractive enough for a re-adapted film screenplay and easily interesting enough for a sequel novel.
While the characters were interesting, the writing felt distant in it's delivery which made the story feel dull with the very characters focused plot.
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
A quick, easy read, this pulp fiction novel is a fun, thrilling tour through the historic moments in Mexico City that involved violence ordered by the government against students in the early 1970s. I very much enjoyed it!