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3.54 AVERAGE
3.54 AVERAGE
Interrupted 'The Daughters of Yalta' to read this one on a trip, and that was the right move - this went down easy on a plane!
The main lady character is a bit of a liar, a thief, and an occasional idiot, but you still root for her! And Elvis was equally compelling, although of course I'm slightly squeamish about the violent hired goon parts. But it's noir and fiction and I survived The Library at Mount Char, so I made it.
The main lady character is a bit of a liar, a thief, and an occasional idiot, but you still root for her! And Elvis was equally compelling, although of course I'm slightly squeamish about the violent hired goon parts. But it's noir and fiction and I survived The Library at Mount Char, so I made it.
dark
mysterious
reflective
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
A spectacular noir romp
dark
mysterious
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:
Complicated
adventurous
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
adventurous
dark
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
“Velvet Was the Night” by Silvia Moreno-Garcia
Elvis and Maite are two individuals who live in Mexico City during the 1971 “Dirty War,” when foreign governments and their shadowy arms combat the perceived communist threat in Mexico. Both have their routines in separate ways and worlds, but one young woman named Leonora throws their order into chaos.
I enjoyed this novel, though I admit it is not my usual genre to hunt down and it is unlikely to change that fact. I selected it primarily because of how much I enjoyed Moreno-Garcia’s “Mexican Gothic” and it proved to have many of the same charms. She seems to do a wonderful job of writing characters with a romanticized view of the world whose sense of curiosity unveils something deeper. In this case, both Elvis and Maite have romantic notions of their lives becoming greater than they are. Even as conflict unfolds, it takes them both a long time to grasp the weight of their circumstances. To some degree, this could be considered a downfall in the writing, but that character trait fits neatly with the noir stylings Moreno-Garcia brought to this work of historical fiction. My only real critique of the novel is that I wanted to know more about endings of some of the minor characters after the climax, and more about where Elvis and Maite stand. The both the conclusion and the epilogue felt abrupt, as if there was more to be explained. Or, at the very least, there was more unveil in terms of characters who needed to get what was coming to them. But it didn’t happen.
However, that is not enough for me to knock this novel much. This was a riveting piece of work that I would recommend for fans of the genre. If this was Moreno-Garcia’s milieu I would probably say this was simply enjoyable and move along. However, I think it’s safe to say that Silvia-Moreno Garcia has my attention with two different styles of writing and I can’t wait to read some of her other work to see what else she has in her pen.
Elvis and Maite are two individuals who live in Mexico City during the 1971 “Dirty War,” when foreign governments and their shadowy arms combat the perceived communist threat in Mexico. Both have their routines in separate ways and worlds, but one young woman named Leonora throws their order into chaos.
I enjoyed this novel, though I admit it is not my usual genre to hunt down and it is unlikely to change that fact. I selected it primarily because of how much I enjoyed Moreno-Garcia’s “Mexican Gothic” and it proved to have many of the same charms. She seems to do a wonderful job of writing characters with a romanticized view of the world whose sense of curiosity unveils something deeper. In this case, both Elvis and Maite have romantic notions of their lives becoming greater than they are. Even as conflict unfolds, it takes them both a long time to grasp the weight of their circumstances. To some degree, this could be considered a downfall in the writing, but that character trait fits neatly with the noir stylings Moreno-Garcia brought to this work of historical fiction. My only real critique of the novel is that I wanted to know more about endings of some of the minor characters after the climax, and more about where Elvis and Maite stand. The both the conclusion and the epilogue felt abrupt, as if there was more to be explained. Or, at the very least, there was more unveil in terms of characters who needed to get what was coming to them. But it didn’t happen.
However, that is not enough for me to knock this novel much. This was a riveting piece of work that I would recommend for fans of the genre. If this was Moreno-Garcia’s milieu I would probably say this was simply enjoyable and move along. However, I think it’s safe to say that Silvia-Moreno Garcia has my attention with two different styles of writing and I can’t wait to read some of her other work to see what else she has in her pen.
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
dark
mysterious
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
slow-paced
I have no idea what to think about this book. I didn't read the blurb until after finishing, and it certainly seems poorly marketed. It's not a noir mystery as much as using the aesthetic of noir on a more complex slice-of-life novel about self agency and the reality of mundane day-to-day life vs the specter of adventure. I enjoyed reading it, Moreno Garcia has an excellent flow to all her works, but left me a little defeated.