Reviews

Olga Dies Dreaming by Xochitl Gonzalez

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selenityelizabeth's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful reflective sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

bargerel's review against another edition

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emotional mysterious tense 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? No

5.0

buer's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful reflective tense fast-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

5.0

Olga and her brother, Prieto, are both successful adults, although in different ways. Olga has created an impressive wedding coordination business and Prieto is a politician who keeps moving up in the prestige of their offices. Both were arguably pushed into their success by their flawed parents, though: their father was chemically dependent and their mother was a revolutionary who chose her causes over her family at every turn. Olga Dies Dreaming is a meticulously woven family drama about love, acceptance, values, work, politics, and so much more.

I loved this book. I loved the narration. There are several passages that I loved so much that I do plan on purchasing a physical copy, rereading, and marking up those especially beautiful and impactful sections.

I would recommend this book for people who like robust story lines, thoughtful writing, and flawed but lovable characters.

apridot's review

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emotional informative inspiring reflective sad tense medium-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

5.0

skoppelkam's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional hopeful informative reflective sad medium-paced

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

4.0

So glad I finally picked this up and that my library hold came through just in time to crush this book while on vacation. Olga Dies Dreaming is a searing examination of the costs of wealth and material comfort at a time (re: today) when settler-colonialism is alive and well. González crafts characters who are complex, wounded, and flawed, whose stories she uses to examine Puerto Rican liberation and the abuse of Puerto Rico by the American government. A premise wherein all the characters are fucked up doesn't always work for me, but González breathes enough life and humanity into characters like Olga and Prieto (though perhaps not their mother) that we want them to survive and thrive even through their fuckery. I left this novel realizing how much I still need to learn about PR, and also thinking deeply about the complexities created by diaspora.