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hollys_book_nook's review
4.0
New York, 1998. Santiago Larrea, a wealthy Argentine diplomat, lives in a seemingly perfect world with his wife, Lila, and their daughter, Paloma. All is well at their summer polo match until an unexpected party guest brings Santiago’s past to light and sparks curiosity in Paloma. As the family travels to Buenos Aires, Paloma is determined to uncover Santiago’s past and learn about his life in the years leading up to the military dictatorship of 1976.
This book is a great example of why I love historical fiction. I always learn something new! I wasn’t familiar with Argentina’s “Dirty War” before I read the book and I ended up learning so much! The beginning is slow but picks up in the second half. So much so that I was having a hard time putting it down! The book could get a little bogged down at times with political facts but I think Andrea overall did a great job blending it in to the storyline and keeping me interested. I loved the dual timelines/POVs and seeing the effects of the war as it happened with Santiago and the aftermath seen years later by Paloma. Thank you to Grand Central Publishing and the author for my gifted copy!
This book is a great example of why I love historical fiction. I always learn something new! I wasn’t familiar with Argentina’s “Dirty War” before I read the book and I ended up learning so much! The beginning is slow but picks up in the second half. So much so that I was having a hard time putting it down! The book could get a little bogged down at times with political facts but I think Andrea overall did a great job blending it in to the storyline and keeping me interested. I loved the dual timelines/POVs and seeing the effects of the war as it happened with Santiago and the aftermath seen years later by Paloma. Thank you to Grand Central Publishing and the author for my gifted copy!
jordynkw's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
reflective
tense
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? No
4.75
lejama's review
dark
emotional
hopeful
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
4.0
coldprintcoffee's review
3.0
!!Spoilers!!
This would be a 3 to 3.5-star read - it started out slow but ended up getting better for me as it went on. The love stories described in the novel, obliquely or otherwise, were less interesting than the Argentinian history, especially since it's a topic in history I hardly know anything about. The strong friendships and the ideals of revolution definitely outpaced the strangely-vague, 'love' feelings, and even though parts of the history had the tone of a info-dump rather than woven seamlessly into the narrative, worth reading to give you a starting point if you're interested in researching more about the Dirty War and what was going on in the country at this time in history.
Overall I loved most of the story, the descriptions of the revolution and what was risked in the resistance, and the effects those choices had on the characters. Though Santiago was described in a way that skewed heroic, I don't know, he was my least favorite. At least Paloma's frustrating and impetuousness, I understood, though she really railed on her mother Lila in comparison to her father, who deserved it, in my view. Lila was a character I felt sympathy for considering she didn't know about her husband's actions, took in a child that wasn't theirs ... I couldn't help but feel the motive was spurred on by his lingering love for a different woman rather than anything noble, and frankly, she was gracious about it. Not sure what I feel, because I'm not opposed to a story about political marriage or doing what needs to be done in the name of revolution, but it just felt flat.
Good, but not great. What was awesome - seeing the book title in the story. Solid read.
This would be a 3 to 3.5-star read - it started out slow but ended up getting better for me as it went on. The love stories described in the novel, obliquely or otherwise, were less interesting than the Argentinian history, especially since it's a topic in history I hardly know anything about. The strong friendships and the ideals of revolution definitely outpaced the strangely-vague, 'love' feelings, and even though parts of the history had the tone of a info-dump rather than woven seamlessly into the narrative, worth reading to give you a starting point if you're interested in researching more about the Dirty War and what was going on in the country at this time in history.
Overall I loved most of the story, the descriptions of the revolution and what was risked in the resistance, and the effects those choices had on the characters. Though Santiago was described in a way that skewed heroic, I don't know, he was my least favorite. At least Paloma's frustrating and impetuousness, I understood, though she really railed on her mother Lila in comparison to her father, who deserved it, in my view. Lila was a character I felt sympathy for considering she didn't know about her husband's actions, took in a child that wasn't theirs ... I couldn't help but feel the motive was spurred on by his lingering love for a different woman rather than anything noble, and frankly, she was gracious about it. Not sure what I feel, because I'm not opposed to a story about political marriage or doing what needs to be done in the name of revolution, but it just felt flat.
Good, but not great. What was awesome - seeing the book title in the story. Solid read.
jaybee0615's review
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.5
juliaehill's review against another edition
3.0
Rounded up to 3 stars. Read through this quickly, partly because I was home sick and it fit the bill for not requiring much brainpower. The writing style was clunky, and read like a tourist brochure for Buenos Aires half the time, and a mediocre history lesson on Argentina in the 70s mixed with romance novel for another chunk of the book. Completely unrealistic timeline for the storyline set in the late 90s (where is this privileged girl from New York City finding time to do "research" on the desparecidos in the pre-smartphone age, all while she is constantly running around BA looking for clues to her father's past?). Much better fiction out there on Argentina in the 70s (Loedel's "Hades" was fantastic, if not so fact-driven as this book), but this is an ok intro if you want an easy read.
reasek's review
dark
emotional
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? It's complicated
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gun violence, Torture, Violence, Police brutality, and Death
Minor: Miscarriage