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mollyan's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
ridgewaygirl's review against another edition
3.0
Lucky Boy tells the story of Ignacio, from his mother's journey from a dying Mexican village to Berkeley, California and her struggles to make a life for herself as an undocumented immigrant and housekeeper/nanny, to how he came to live with Kavya and Rishi Reddy, an Indian American couple and what happened to him and to the people involved in raising him.
This is a novel with a message. It's well-researched, but the writing is only serviceable and instead of just telling a story, Sekaran is intent on getting a message across. It's not a great book, although it's not a bad one, either. It's just so intent on sending a message about the inhumanity in how we treat undocumented immigrants that even as I agreed with her whole-heartedly, and could clearly see that she'd spent time researching -- each element of Soli's story was, as they say, ripped from the headlines -- but the heavy-handedness, as well as how Soli was never fully fleshed out as a character detracted from the book. Kavya and her life in an affluent Indian American culture felt real and interesting and there were descriptions of her interactions with her mother, for example, where the novel gained a liveliness that was very enjoyable to read about. I would really like to read a novel by this author set entirely within this world she clearly knows and understands.
This is a novel with a message. It's well-researched, but the writing is only serviceable and instead of just telling a story, Sekaran is intent on getting a message across. It's not a great book, although it's not a bad one, either. It's just so intent on sending a message about the inhumanity in how we treat undocumented immigrants that even as I agreed with her whole-heartedly, and could clearly see that she'd spent time researching -- each element of Soli's story was, as they say, ripped from the headlines -- but the heavy-handedness, as well as how Soli was never fully fleshed out as a character detracted from the book. Kavya and her life in an affluent Indian American culture felt real and interesting and there were descriptions of her interactions with her mother, for example, where the novel gained a liveliness that was very enjoyable to read about. I would really like to read a novel by this author set entirely within this world she clearly knows and understands.
rc90041's review against another edition
4.0
I literally couldn't put it down. I blazed through this book in three days. The plotting of the parallel stories of the two protagonists, Solimar, the immigrant from Mexico, and Kavya, the daughter of Indian immigrants living in Berkeley, is masterful. Though these two protagonists come into direct conflict, Sekaran manages the seemingly impossible task of keeping the reader on both of their sides, simultaneously. I'm still somewhat amazed at how Sekaran manages to do that, and to avoid easy black-and-white characterizations. This is by no means a thriller, but, somehow, reads like one. The writing is efficient and purposeful. Words are not wasted. But the complexity of these characters comes through, and the reader is made to care deeply about what happens to these fully rounded characters, and that care for the characters is, I think, what drives the reader through the book at such a pace--needing to find out what happens to Solimar and Kavya and the little boy between them. A truly remarkable book.
alomendoza's review against another edition
3.0
loved how one moment i was rooting for kavya, the next for soli. honestly loved this book, very different from what i’m used to reading and was definitely slow at times, but an amazing read overall.
schray32's review against another edition
4.0
Had to buy a book at the airport and found a soft cover Tournament of Books pick. Love the juxtaposition of the two immigrant stories in this book. You really can understand both sides of this story. At the end of the book the author says that the boy really is lucky because he is loved and that is really all we can ask for.
mariaeespinal's review against another edition
5.0
“Here’s what she would discover: this story, this fight for a boy - it wasn’t about the boy. It was about his mothers.” This is the story of two women who who are bound by the love of a little boy. Solimar “Soli” Castro Valdéz is an undocumented Mexican who went through hell and high water to arrive in the U.S. We witness how Soli, with only 18-years-old, gets accustomed to her new life in Berkley, California with a little boy on the way. On the other hand, we have Kavya, an Indian woman married to Rishi, who is struggling to have children of her own. When Soli gets placed in immigrant detention, her son, Ignacio, gets placed under Kavya and Rishi’s care.
This is a powerful and emotional story about immigration, motherhood, and love. It is a deeply beautiful book that broke my heart in pieces. Ignacio (aka “Nacho”, aka “Iggy”) is so adorable that you just can’t help falling in love with him. Although this story is mostly about the mothers' fight for a boy, I was most intrigued by Rishi’s relationship with Iggy and his coming to terms with loving a boy that is not his own.
I gave this book
This is a powerful and emotional story about immigration, motherhood, and love. It is a deeply beautiful book that broke my heart in pieces. Ignacio (aka “Nacho”, aka “Iggy”) is so adorable that you just can’t help falling in love with him. Although this story is mostly about the mothers' fight for a boy, I was most intrigued by Rishi’s relationship with Iggy and his coming to terms with loving a boy that is not his own.
I gave this book
cherry14's review against another edition
1.0
el libro que menos me ha gustado, simplemente lo odie, nada mas que decir.
sfujii's review against another edition
5.0
This book was incredible. Like read it while doing my hair, waiting for the carwash, right before bed and sometimes random times 5 minutes where neither of my two kids needed me, kind of incredible.
The story was heartbreaking. No matter how it would have ended, I wouldn't have liked it. I empathized so deeply with both women, and both experiences. They were both incredibly well-developed characters who each had such fierce love for Ignacio.
The ending broke my heart. I stopped reading with about 10 pages to go, and I put off finishing until just now because I didn't want it to be over. I didn't want to see what Iggy's fate was. He would have been great with either side. But man. I was conflicted all the way through to the last page, and I'm still chewing on it.
Great, great read.
The story was heartbreaking. No matter how it would have ended, I wouldn't have liked it. I empathized so deeply with both women, and both experiences. They were both incredibly well-developed characters who each had such fierce love for Ignacio.
The ending broke my heart. I stopped reading with about 10 pages to go, and I put off finishing until just now because I didn't want it to be over. I didn't want to see what Iggy's fate was. He would have been great with either side. But man. I was conflicted all the way through to the last page, and I'm still chewing on it.
Great, great read.