Scan barcode
mschmidt's review
5.0
Graphic: Abandonment, Addiction, Death of parent, Classism, Colonisation, and Emotional abuse
Moderate: Sexual assault and Racism
Minor: Abortion, Drug use, Sexual content, Xenophobia, Grief, Infertility, Outing, Suicidal thoughts, and Toxic relationship
formerbookclubpresident's review against another edition
- 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
4.5
This book is great. I really enjoyed it, and really appreciated how the author captured the Nuyorican experience, and at parts even made me cry thinking about my own relationship to Puerto Rico as a mainlander. The struggle of not being enough for either country and culture but still carrying them both proudly could not be better described if she tried. The picture of gentrification that she paints is so real and vivid, and given the author's background you can tell this isn't fiction, she's writing from her own experience.
While I really enjoyed the book, there are a few flaws that I find really hard to get over. Like some other reviewers have mentioned, Prieto
The chapter with
Finally, Blanca. As a Puerto Rican person myself, the topic of Puerto Rican liberation (like all political topics) requires nuance. It is something that needs to be presented very carefully in order to make the case for liberation (which I felt like the author was for?? and then switched up at the end of the book???) Blanca's portrayal as a villain, who cares about nothing but Puerto Rican liberation hurts the cause for mainlanders/outsiders trying to understand it. It is now painted as some rebel group
Lastly (and this is my own personal gripe) I wish the author had included a reading list at the end of the book. The novel touches upon so much Puerto Rican history that I would have loved to continue learning about, but because I got it from the library, I don't have the book to go back and look for references to find supplemental materials on.
Overall, I really liked this book and can't wait to read what the other does next. Pa'lante!
Graphic: Racism, Sexual assault, Child death, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Homophobia, Rape, Addiction, Abandonment, Classism, and Colonisation
Minor: Infertility
jamae's review against another edition
4.5
Moderate: Drug abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Racism, Sexism, and Classism
geekywoman14's review against another edition
- 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
3.5
Moderate: Classism, Death of parent, Rape, Drug use, Racism, Sexual harassment, and Infertility
atamano's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
Graphic: Abandonment, Classism, Infidelity, and Racism
Moderate: Addiction, Drug abuse, and Homophobia
Minor: Rape
gracescanlon's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
4.5
Graphic: Emotional abuse
Moderate: Rape, Sexual assault, Death of parent, Abandonment, and Addiction
Minor: Drug use, Racism, Homophobia, Drug abuse, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Chronic illness, Classism, and Death
kdailyreads's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Graphic: Toxic relationship, Death, Death of parent, Gaslighting, Abandonment, Homophobia, Rape, Xenophobia, Racism, Suicide, Alcohol, Violence, Terminal illness, Colonisation, Drug abuse, and Grief
Moderate: Sexual content, Cursing, Infidelity, and Classism
Minor: Abortion, Infertility, Racial slurs, and Pregnancy
ashleysbookthoughts's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
3.75
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Colonisation, Death of parent, and Classism
Moderate: Homophobia and Rape
Minor: Infertility
jcstokes95's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
This books suffers from a combination of debut novel syndrome and MFA syndrome. Xochitl Gonzalez is setting her hopes for what to cover very high, but doesn't quite reach what she set out to achieve with total mastery. I think with a great editor this could have been a great book. Gonzalez's line-by-line writing quality is excellent; the first chapter sucked me in. It feels conversational but holds up to the serious subjects later in the book. The clever turns of phrase in the mother's letter felt vicious but realistic to strong writings of a revolutionary. I binged the first third of this. And then the second third hit, and I started realizing there was a real pacing issue.
At some point, it was clear Gonzalez was belaboring the point. The mom's a real asshole. I got that, I don't mind hearing why the children have hope she isn't. But at a certain point it was eyeroll inducing and it was time to move on. The hurricane hasn't showed up yet, and the tension has been building so long that now it feels like there is no tension.
In the third act of the book, the pacing and plot become even more nuts. By this point, it's clear Gonzalez is shoving too many 'issues' in the book: hoarding, emotional abuse, HIV status, suicide, classism, extreme socialist agendas (?), political corruption and more. This issue overload is what I mean by MFA syndrome. Too much without the ability to carry it.
Despite the drag of the middle, the last 50 pages tidies up multiple plot points with some real annoying dei ex machina,
This is not to say I did not enjoy many components of Gonzalez's writing. Like I said, the writing itself is very engaging and clever. She has really mastered creating brilliant characters. Everyone felt real and fully fleshed. The folks I considered villainous had their actions accounted for and she got inside their heads with a sense of empathy that many writers wouldn't. It takes a real talent to have this many characters feel equally real. I would read another one of her books, provided a great editor could help her with the pacing issues and plot overload that held this one back from being a favorite.
Graphic: Classism and Racism
Moderate: Emotional abuse, Homophobia, Gaslighting, Rape, and Suicide
Minor: Drug abuse
just_one_more_paige's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Graphic: Classism, Emotional abuse, Addiction, Colonisation, Gaslighting, Grief, Abandonment, and Toxic relationship
Moderate: Rape, Medical content, Death, Xenophobia, Cursing, Drug use, Sexual assault, Death of parent, Drug abuse, and Sexual violence