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ageorge1877's review against another edition
4.0
Good. Very good! Great? No. Very good.
A very real novel with deep emotional roots in Colombian history and Colombian people. The explorations into personal and national trauma are very hard-hitting and sometimes tragic.
Vasquez just objectively Is a Good Writer. Dumb thing to say but He Writes Very Good Sentences haha and he brings a lot of life and direction to each page and does an amazingly slick job of pulling all his odd images and details together. Shit's like silk. Real Class yknow.
Sometimes tho he gets too gassed on himself and goes on unnecessary tangents sayin shit like 'and the beans of life were baked as they ever were, and orange spots of time did sputter on my shoe' (idk that's made up I couldnt think of an exact example lol). hOwever, I'm willing to give him some allowances here as the protagonist whose pov this is written from is kinda a dickhead and would absolutely say nonsense like that. Intentional? Who knows, but I dont think that kind of knobbery happened in his other book The Informers (which slaps and everyone should read).
Also didnt Love the extended like 100page flashback that stopped the rhythm pretty dead and felt a little... pedestrian? Uncharged? Is that a thing? But I get it wasnt necessarily there for The Plot but to dive more into Colombia's very difficult history.
And that's the big boi focus of this here novel really, a heartfelt look back at a wounded country, on the other side of its worst years of conflict. In a discourse dominated by drugs and Escobar and the FARC, this booko nurtures those everyday Bogotanos who lived through the 80s and whose lives got broken by wars they didnt choose to fight.
A very real novel with deep emotional roots in Colombian history and Colombian people. The explorations into personal and national trauma are very hard-hitting and sometimes tragic.
Vasquez just objectively Is a Good Writer. Dumb thing to say but He Writes Very Good Sentences haha and he brings a lot of life and direction to each page and does an amazingly slick job of pulling all his odd images and details together. Shit's like silk. Real Class yknow.
Sometimes tho he gets too gassed on himself and goes on unnecessary tangents sayin shit like 'and the beans of life were baked as they ever were, and orange spots of time did sputter on my shoe' (idk that's made up I couldnt think of an exact example lol). hOwever, I'm willing to give him some allowances here as the protagonist whose pov this is written from is kinda a dickhead and would absolutely say nonsense like that. Intentional? Who knows, but I dont think that kind of knobbery happened in his other book The Informers (which slaps and everyone should read).
Also didnt Love the extended like 100page flashback that stopped the rhythm pretty dead and felt a little... pedestrian? Uncharged? Is that a thing? But I get it wasnt necessarily there for The Plot but to dive more into Colombia's very difficult history.
And that's the big boi focus of this here novel really, a heartfelt look back at a wounded country, on the other side of its worst years of conflict. In a discourse dominated by drugs and Escobar and the FARC, this booko nurtures those everyday Bogotanos who lived through the 80s and whose lives got broken by wars they didnt choose to fight.
krtlszlv's review against another edition
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
kbarbin's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
reflective
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? Yes
4.0
ward_louisville's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
lectorliber04's review against another edition
4.0
No se disfruta leer tanto como en el idioma de uno. Primera vez que leo a este autor y me impresionó. El tema: la trágica historia moderna de Colombia y cómo ésta afectó a sus habitantes y por otro lado la inocencia de una joven norteaméricana que deseaba cambiar la triste realidad de un país extraño y traumatizado. Escobar, el narcotraficante en las sombras tal cual un fantasma no dispuesto a desaparecer del todo. Ricardo Laverde, Antonio Yammara y Elaine Fritts víctimas ordinarias y la vez extraordinarias de las circunstancias.
El señor Vásquez pinta con palabras no solo el ambiente pero lo que sienten sus personajes."Y luego la primera línea, suelta y solitaria, apoyada sobre el párrafo que la seguía como un suicida sobre su cornisa." "a abrirse pasos a codazos por entre la sopa de lentajas de los pasajeros." Tarde me acordé de tomar notas de las perlas que encontré al leer. Veré de leer más libros de este autor.
El señor Vásquez pinta con palabras no solo el ambiente pero lo que sienten sus personajes."Y luego la primera línea, suelta y solitaria, apoyada sobre el párrafo que la seguía como un suicida sobre su cornisa." "a abrirse pasos a codazos por entre la sopa de lentajas de los pasajeros." Tarde me acordé de tomar notas de las perlas que encontré al leer. Veré de leer más libros de este autor.
ja3m3's review against another edition
4.0
This book is an interesting and heart-wrenching account regarding the impact that the Colombian drug wars had on the generation of teenagers who grew-up in Colombia during the 1980s. The writing flows and Vasquez elegantly shares the fear and sadness of a people who have lost their youth. The translation was excellent.
ginavulpes's review
dark
informative
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
3.25
bikes_books_yarn's review against another edition
4.0
Really well written. Descriptive language without going overboard. There were a few sentences that had me pausing and staring off while I thought them through, not because I couldn't get the meaning behind them, but because it prompted further thought. My mind went off on a thoughtful tangent.It makes me happy when a book provokes thoughts. I enjoyed the book and am happy I read it - but I admit the book did not satisfy me. I don't need a nice bow to be wrapped around a story, but perhaps a stronger box with a hint of a lid? I just wanted a little more.
narbanian's review against another edition
dark
informative
reflective
slow-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? Yes
4.25