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3.52 AVERAGE
3.52 AVERAGE
dark
reflective
sad
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
dark
tense
medium-paced
The book is small, and the 33 chapters are short. It's a very quick read, but if you read too quickly, I think you may skip over some of the nuance. As an American, many of the issues in the book ring true to society and culture here: the rich/connected have access to resources that the poor don't; Black man are stopped by the police for no reason; the news/media spins the "truth;" people are so overwhelmed from trying to survive that they can't organize to change their current situation. In the book, we see young people fleeing Cuba on rafts; in the U.S., Americans sneer at refugees at the southern border.
I worry that, to the uncritical eye, Americans will read this as a simple "communism is evil" when the issues at hand are much larger. I think I'll return to this book again in the future.
I worry that, to the uncritical eye, Americans will read this as a simple "communism is evil" when the issues at hand are much larger. I think I'll return to this book again in the future.
Life's events are compared to scratched records throughout this short story. Think Salinger attitude meets a modern Calvino in which Guevara tried to capture Cuba's personality ....enjoyable but perhaps too short to really say anything.
Another of the little books that caught my eye on my Wichita book buying excursion at Christmas. This one is a beautiful edition -- French flaps, matte cover, nice design. The author is Cuban-Mexican, and I've been meaning to read more authors from this region. The premise -- life in Communist Cuba is like a scratched record -- every day a repetition, over and over and over.
There are not many revelations here about what life is like under a Communist regime -- intellectualism is discouraged, reporting on the activities of your neighbor is encouraged, you can be stopped by police for any reason at any time and have your life thrown off the rails, rations, government control of media. But there are little observations gleaned, here and there. Details that make this a Cuban story and not a Eurasian Communism story. The 33 revolutions -- 33 short chapters -- is a conceit that also separates this book.
Not earth-shattering, but quietly interesting.
There are not many revelations here about what life is like under a Communist regime -- intellectualism is discouraged, reporting on the activities of your neighbor is encouraged, you can be stopped by police for any reason at any time and have your life thrown off the rails, rations, government control of media. But there are little observations gleaned, here and there. Details that make this a Cuban story and not a Eurasian Communism story. The 33 revolutions -- 33 short chapters -- is a conceit that also separates this book.
Not earth-shattering, but quietly interesting.
This book transported me back to the Cuba that I had travelled to many years ago. While there were aspects that I did not like, it is as close to memory as I've encountered in literature.
I did enjoy it and felt particaully moved about halfway through. I wish the characters were more fleshed out but I think the monotonous tone was part of the story telling effect needed to capture the essence of the surrounding. As an American it was an eye opening look at the despair of the Cuban people and their lack of hope for any changes.
This short novella allows readers to see little pieces of Cuban life which I found very interesting. I enjoyed the flow of the writing and although the "scratched record" idea is repetitious it didn't bother me quite as much as some of the other reviewers here.
challenging
dark
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content, Violence
Moderate: Racial slurs, Racism, Sexism, Sexual assault
Minor: Acephobia/Arophobia
Αυτό το βιβλίο ήταν μια πολύ ευχάριστη έκπληξη. Η αναφορά στους γρατζουνισμένους δίσκους θα με ακολουθεί για καιρό.