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nataliebootlah'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? No
4.0
Olga and Prieto are siblings. Both have quietly struggled with their mother’s abandoment decades ago to support Puerto Rican independence. Although they receive letters from her, they’re typically to ridicule them for partaking in the “American Dream” or to push them towards achieving her anarchist legacy. This novel portrays Olga and Prietos’ struggles to define themselves outside of their parents’ activism, abuse, societal expectations, and their own pasts.
While dense with political information, this novel will pull you in a few different ways. At times, I felt simultaneously sympathetic and totally aggravated with the characters. It’s a smorgasbord of sub-plots, but I enjoyed it nonetheless.
Puerto Rican politics (or PR in general) isn’t a common theme I see in books, which means I need to diversify my bookshelves. I’m reminded of how little I know about Puerto Rico. Yet seeing a congressman of Puerto Rican descent be the only one expected to talk about PR issues was uncomfortably realistic making it a good read.
Graphic: Homophobia, Grief, Suicide, Emotional abuse, Drug use, Death of parent, Abandonment, and Rape
loy127's review
- 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
4.5
Moderate: Drug use and Rape
reasek's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
Moderate: Addiction, Drug abuse, and Death of parent
Minor: Rape, Drug use, and Gun violence
imds's review
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Child abuse, Racism, Addiction, Grief, Rape, Death of parent, Physical abuse, Terminal illness, Violence, Abandonment, Suicidal thoughts, Chronic illness, Death, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Gun violence, Sexual assault, Classism, Colonisation, Cultural appropriation, Homophobia, and Racial slurs
Minor: Abortion
franklola's review
- 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
Moderate: Chronic illness, Classism, Drug use, War, Death of parent, Death, Drug abuse, Racial slurs, Emotional abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Abandonment, Addiction, Colonisation, Sexual violence, Suicide, Gaslighting, and Grief
stephmcoakley's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Abortion, Cultural appropriation, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Hate crime, Drug use, Physical abuse, Emotional abuse, Grief, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Homophobia, Addiction, Abandonment, Colonisation, Gun violence, Classism, Death of parent, Infertility, and Mental illness
simplybibliophiles's review
- 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? Yes
4.0
Moderate: Abandonment, Drug use, and Emotional abuse
Minor: Suicide, Death, and Rape
This book includes a depiction of HIV contraction and detection, as well as detailed descriptions of the aftermath of Hurricane Maria.kiramke's review
- 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
The ending, as well, is a bit too pat, not that these characters don't deserve some resolution, but it feels like a very different grade of writing.
Graphic: Rape
Moderate: Sexual assault, Racism, and Outing
Minor: Suicidal thoughts and Drug use
kelly_e's review
- 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
Author: Xóchitl González
Genre: Contemporary Fiction
Rating: 4.00
Pub Date: January 4, 2022
T H R E E • W O R D S
Layered • Messy • Dynamic
📖 S Y N O P S I S
Brooklyn, 2017
Olga is a successful wedding planner for Manhattan's elite, despite employing some questionable business practices. Her brother, Prieto, is a Congressman representing their gentrifying Latinx neighborhood, and with many secrets of his own.
Despite alluring public lives, the effects of their mother's sudden departure to advance a militant political cause twenty-seven years earlier continues to impact their lives in so many ways. In the wake of Hurricane Maria, the most devastating hurricane in Puerto Rico's history, they will come to understand their Puerto Rican heritage and challenge everything they know and feel when their mother comes barreling back into their lives.
Olga Dies Dreaming is a story that examines political corruption, familial strife and the very notion of the American dream--all while asking what it really means to weather a storm.
💭 T H O U G H T S
Olga Dies Dreaming fell into my hands while I was attempting to complete an A-Z author challenge this year. I must say I was pleasantly surprised by this complex and layered debut novel, which combines romance, political strife, and family drama.
From the beautifully written first chapter, I instantly knew the propulsive writing style was going to grip me and take me on a messy ride into family dynamics with these flawed and fully developed characters. Not only was I transported into the novel, but I came away having learned about Puerto Rican history. There is no denying that the writing is the heart of this book weaving together a complex multigeneration history of both family and country. It demonstrates how childhood trauma continues to wreck havoc on personal development when our emotions aren't processed.
And while I enjoyed my time with this book, the ending was a little too tidy, especially considering how messy the plot was. It was an ending that felt unrealistic and a little rushed, which definitely took away from the whole experience.
Olga Dies Dreaming unpacks a lot, but overall I was pleasantly surprised by this beautiful debut novel. If you're looking for a lighthearted millennial story, this isn't the book for you. As a reader you must be ready to get messy with Olga and her brother. I cannot wait to see what Xóchitl González has on the horizon.
📚 R E C O M M E N D • T O
• fans of the family saga
• readers look for a LGBTQIA+ Story
• bookclubs
🔖 F A V O U R I T E • Q U O T E S
"You must remember, mijo, even people who were once your sails can become your anchors."
"It’s dangerous at your young age to be surrounded by people who don’t value who you are. Who don’t understand you. A child can become lost."
"Women are born with barometers in our belly that make us more sensitive to the climate around us and because we're so often on the lowers rung of any ladder, we're naturally inclined to look out for the least among us."
Graphic: Suicide, Homophobia, Outing, Abandonment, Sexual violence, Emotional abuse, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Violence, Death, and Death of parent
Moderate: Classism, Sexual assault, Cursing, Drug use, Alcohol, Rape, Grief, Racism, Xenophobia, Drug abuse, and Addiction
Minor: Abortion, Terminal illness, Gaslighting, Misogyny, Infertility, and Colonisation
bluejupiter1818's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.5
Graphic: Abandonment and Colonisation
Moderate: Drug use, Rape, and Sexual assault
Minor: Abortion and Suicide