Reviews

Irma Voth by Miriam Toews

anavav2's review against another edition

funny hopeful inspiring slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.25

mattgroot1980's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.25

lsparrow's review against another edition

3.0

i find the different menonite communities and migrations so facinating.
the story did not hold me as much as those histories that unpinned the story and the characters.

magswts's review against another edition

4.0

Great, as usual.

migimon2002's review

3.0

This was a quick read. Although the distinct narrative voice of the main character - Irma - took some getting used to, I soon settled into the style. I found many elements of the story relatable, as the Mexican Mennonite culture is prevalent in the area of Canada I live. I even know of families that continue to travel yearly to visit relatives in areas such as Chihuahua, Mexico (a location discussed by Irma in the story). In some respects I found this novel a little bit disjointed. The first half about the filmmaking, and the second half in Mexico City, kind of felt like two different tales. Although they did connect somewhat at the end, I felt I was left wanting more story (especially about characters from the first half of the book). Overall, I'm happy to have read Irma Voth. I would likely recommend this novel to others, especially if they have some knowledge of the Mexican Mennonite culture, as I think they'd find it to be an interesting read.

fromp's review against another edition

medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

roseforemily's review against another edition

challenging emotional funny hopeful medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Misogyny and Child abuse

jillianwolf's review against another edition

4.0

Irma Voth is a young adult who struggles with things she can’t control. Her husband, Jorge, is a drug dealer who is uninterested in her both as a wife and as a person. To Irma, the bigger issue between them is that Irma comes from a Mennonite background and things that she feels should come naturally to her as a woman and intuitively as a person about her surroundings just don’t. Jorge is a Mexican man, living in Mexico, who expects that his wife will be able to conform to societies standards and lacks a basic understanding of the world in which she became a person. To top it off, they live on her parent’s land and Irma constantly deals with the threat from her father that he will throw her out if Jorge, who is off dealing drugs, doesn’t come home and work the farm. Her younger sister, Aggie, constantly begs Irma to allow her to come live with her as things at home are getting worse. The bottom line? Young Irma has a lot on her mind.

The thin balance that Irma has managed to eek out is tested when a movie director comes to town and looks for a translator that speaks Dutch German. Irma needs the money, as Jorge is gone, and eagerly accepts the job offer. Her work on the film triggers a serious of events that lead to an uproar in the lives of everyone she holds dear.

Irma Voth by Miriam Toews is a strongly written novel about the ways that our life is a safety blanket and if we let go of the familiar how much we stand to gain and how much we can lose. Irma is a sympathetic character with stilted dialogue and I constantly found myself wishing that I could help her in some way, but realizing that she brought many troubles on herself. When Irma finally stands up for herself I found myself wishing that she could be more thoughtful and not make bad decisions, however, the bad decisions were consistent with her character as someone who was highly sheltered. My frustration does not make her an inconsistent character.

Overall, the book was a good read, though a little short. I was a little confused by the ending, as well as many of the laws in Mexico, I suppose, but otherwise, this was a good read. It’s not a fast read or a beach read, rather, it’s going to be a thoughtful one with a decently moving storyline.

Disclaimer: I received a free copy of this book from the goodreads program in order to review it and share my opinion.

andrewreads's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional reflective sad medium-paced

4.0

jiscoo's review against another edition

emotional funny hopeful reflective sad

4.5

no one does the teenage-girl-deadpan-humor-to-devastating-but-life-affirming-observation-about-humanity one-two punch quite like miriam toews. irma voth is going to live in my head for a long time.