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3.36 AVERAGE
3.36 AVERAGE
At one point while reading I opened the back cover and saw a picture of Hijuelos, looking like George Costanza, and it really threw me for a loop. This guy is writing the epitome of the Latin-lover boy type, using phrases like “king cock strut” and “king sized stick” to describe real phallic members in the book. He’s writing about sex-addicted, alcoholic, machismo men living this kind of life that’s hard to think was ever acceptable. But the more you get into Caesar Castillo’s psyche, the more nuanced his personage becomes. It’s not easy reading about someone who blames hurting others on his nature, just to try and make up for all of it with infinite words and gestures. It’s hard to read about someone who takes what he wants and thinks it’s ok because he has intentions to give it all back later. It’s hard to read, but this book doesn’t let you stop. Sure, the hedonist thrills make it easier, the proclamations of love, the outpouring of emotion all make it easier. When it’s all said and done, Caesar and Nestor tried hard to be remembered for the love brought into the world, so why can’t I help but feel the hurt they caused so much more profoundly?
What makes this story special is that it is a book about men’s mental health, but Hijuelos brilliantly writes about it all through the lens of this complex culture. When it’s all said and done, the Castillo brothers, the Mambo Kings, gave so much love to the world, but they also left a huge void. And I’m sitting here teetering on the edge between the two. When I think back on this book, will I remember the soulful boleros, the heart-rendering trumpet lines? Or will I remember the sigh of death resonating under all the other noise?
What makes this story special is that it is a book about men’s mental health, but Hijuelos brilliantly writes about it all through the lens of this complex culture. When it’s all said and done, the Castillo brothers, the Mambo Kings, gave so much love to the world, but they also left a huge void. And I’m sitting here teetering on the edge between the two. When I think back on this book, will I remember the soulful boleros, the heart-rendering trumpet lines? Or will I remember the sigh of death resonating under all the other noise?
I really wrestled with how many stars to give "The Mambo Kings Play Songs of Love" by Oscar Hijuelos. There's a really compelling 250 page book written by a talented writer lurking in the almost 450 pages. The rest seems to be written by a rambling, prepubescent boy who's obsessed with his (and everyone else's) "thing" -- its length, girth, shape, color, hardness, vein pattern...you get the idea. (By the way, Mr. Hijuelos, the "thing" has a name...and you don't need to go into detail after detail about Cesar's, or Nestor's, or the Pepsodent guy's, or Delores's dad's. Methinks Freud would have a field day with you!) And the (poorly written) sex scenes were just plain excessive. Hijuelos writes like that one person we all know who has diarrhea of the mouth and is in dire need of a filter. (I rolled my eyes so hard I saw my brain a couple times.) I think a better title for this book would have been "The Mambo Kings Have Sex" or the more poetic "The Mambo Kings and Their Things". But like I said, there is a really excellent (and much shorter) book within these pages. To that book, I give five stars. To the rest of it, I give one star. (Where was the editor?!) Hence, my three star rating.
As a side note, I was extremely surprised to see that this book received a Pulitzer Prize. Really?! Makes me wonder why the committee didn't give one to that gawd-awful "Fifty Shades of Whatever".
As a side note, I was extremely surprised to see that this book received a Pulitzer Prize. Really?! Makes me wonder why the committee didn't give one to that gawd-awful "Fifty Shades of Whatever".
reflective
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I did enjoy the prose, but as other reviewers have said it was very repetitive (though I can see the purpose, as it was an old drunk reminiscing) and included gratuitous descriptions of sex. I appreciated the glimpse into the era and how immigrant musicians may have lived but it was not my style of book.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism, Sexual content, Alcohol
Moderate: Child abuse
Minor: Rape
When I read the top reviews of this book, I saw a lot of sexualism bla bla bla, machismo bla bla bla. And while it's all true. This book also delivers something pure, a real bromance.
We see a lot of Cesar and less of Nestor, but when there's no more Nestor, there's nothing left for Cesar. Not even enough amount of booze and sex could wash away his guilt from being responsible of Nestor's death.
What we have here is more than just the Mambo King and his brother's journey from zero to hero to return to square one in his later age. It's closer to a memoir, selective scenes that built our memory.
Cesar Castillo believes he's an immortal, forever young, and when old age hits him. It was really bad. What worse, Nestor have passed away decades ago, so he has nobody to remind him that it's okay to grow old. He's similar to Don Quixote in a sense. Less crazy and disillusioned, yes. But both of guys refused to admit that their age have taken a toll on their lives.
We see a lot of Cesar and less of Nestor, but when there's no more Nestor, there's nothing left for Cesar. Not even enough amount of booze and sex could wash away his guilt from being responsible of Nestor's death.
What we have here is more than just the Mambo King and his brother's journey from zero to hero to return to square one in his later age. It's closer to a memoir, selective scenes that built our memory.
Cesar Castillo believes he's an immortal, forever young, and when old age hits him. It was really bad. What worse, Nestor have passed away decades ago, so he has nobody to remind him that it's okay to grow old. He's similar to Don Quixote in a sense. Less crazy and disillusioned, yes. But both of guys refused to admit that their age have taken a toll on their lives.
An exploration of music and the lifestyle of a scene.
hopeful
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I enjoyed this Pulitzer Prize winning novel about the life of Cuban immigrants in NYC in the 50's and 60's, though I felt it ran a bit long. Read my full review at:
http://bookbybook.blogspot.com/2012/02/fiction-review-mambo-kings-play-songs.html
http://bookbybook.blogspot.com/2012/02/fiction-review-mambo-kings-play-songs.html
dark
emotional
sad
slow-paced
For the most part, I dug the general conceit of this book. It has ideas about masculinity, God, Communism, and what it means to be a foreigner in this country. Not sure those ideas ever break free from the relentless obsession with sex.
There's so much here to like on a line level. Hijuelos is appropriately musical in his writing -- but the novel really stumbles in the second half when all we're left with is Cesar Castillo, his too oft-mentioned penis, and his pathetic self-indulgence.
There's so much here to like on a line level. Hijuelos is appropriately musical in his writing -- but the novel really stumbles in the second half when all we're left with is Cesar Castillo, his too oft-mentioned penis, and his pathetic self-indulgence.
adventurous
emotional
informative
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Domestic abuse, Sexual content, Grief, Alcohol
Moderate: Death, Death of parent
Minor: Rape, Abortion