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3.54 AVERAGE
3.54 AVERAGE
dark
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Noir at its best.
dark
reflective
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Velvet Was the Night is a character-driven noir thriller, set in Mexico during the Cold War. Despite some pacing issues, this was still a pretty engaging read. Communists, Mexican politics, spies, thugs, and idealistic students, are all set within an evocative historical framework. The narrators' perspectives intersect and diverge to sketch out a story which is itself only a backdrop for their personal journeys. The narrative voice is a bit terse, at times monotonous, but it creates a sense of detachment that drives home the noir aesthetic and the rich environment of urban Mexico. The unique tone made this book well worth reading, despite occasional narrative shortcomings.
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
A super fun and engaging read. Loved the historical fiction elements with an overall pulpy (in a GOOD way) noir vibe. Not perfect and there are things I’d change but I really enjoyed every minute of reading this.
While I liked certain elements of this book, the thing that stood out to me the most was the uninformed, self conscious, body shaming monologue of Maite. It was so repetitive and negative and it made me so annoyed during her chapters that I almost DNF’d. I also think the genre of crime noir really isn’t my jam.
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Loveable characters:
Yes
informative
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
medium-paced
I'm not entirely sure what this was trying to be. Honestly, I'm not sure the author knew, or if she did, it did not come through clearly. What this is not is what it is advertized as--a thriller. While it has elements of that, it isn't paced to thrill, and I'm pretty sure that was the intent.
I think that this is intended more as a look at the early 70s, at the unrest and repression in Mexico city. It was also about the culture. I think that the author may have intended to wind those things together--I know the author has an interest in music given her earlier signal to noise. There's also a spotify playlist mentioned in the afterward of music that was popular at the time--both English language but also Mexican covers of those. And the music is one of the few things that the two characters have in common. It also seems like that musical culture had a role in the unrest (mostly in so far as certain music venues were closed) so one could imagine a book that really melded these two subjects.
But this was not that book.
Still, it was an interesting view into Mexican past, and the characters were interesting, even if they couldn't carry the book.
I think that this is intended more as a look at the early 70s, at the unrest and repression in Mexico city. It was also about the culture. I think that the author may have intended to wind those things together--I know the author has an interest in music given her earlier signal to noise. There's also a spotify playlist mentioned in the afterward of music that was popular at the time--both English language but also Mexican covers of those. And the music is one of the few things that the two characters have in common. It also seems like that musical culture had a role in the unrest (mostly in so far as certain music venues were closed) so one could imagine a book that really melded these two subjects.
But this was not that book.
Still, it was an interesting view into Mexican past, and the characters were interesting, even if they couldn't carry the book.