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4.04 AVERAGE
4.04 AVERAGE
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
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:
Yes
This family saga is heartwarming and so well written. Some sentences are stuck in my mind.
I loved everything about the Colombian culture and the landscape's descriptions.
I loved everything about the Colombian culture and the landscape's descriptions.
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
sad
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:
No
This was a quick, beautiful read full of bites of the human condition and family emotion. I loved the mix of family drama set against the cultural and physical backdrop of Colombia and the USA. The writing is a phenomenal blend of folklore, drama, romance, and family history that ends up telling the story of multiple generations and two countries. A truly amazing work.
emotional
hopeful
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
N/A
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
A quick but powerful read about a family who live in various states of documented status in the United States. The complexity and vulnerability offered in this narrative provides the reader with an experience of family grief and joy as they navigate over time and space making the best choices they can for themselves and their future. It is a a beautiful portrait of the American immigrant family and one that isn't recognized or valued nearly enough.
emotional
reflective
sad
I was in Target one day and saw that this one was on sale, so I picked it up and saw it was less than 200 pages, so it was dropped in the cart. I read this in between Boyfriend Material and Nightingale and absolutely loved it. Each chapter is a family member’s perspective and journey as they immigrate to America and Colombia. This is probably the first time I ever read about Colombia and found the written stories very important.
adventurous
emotional
sad
tense
medium-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
This book took me a bit to get into because the voice felt like it wasn’t making much sense compared to what was being described. Eventually, that makes total sense, as you come to know all the characters and the narrator, so if you’re having trouble at the start, know that.
As you might expect from the subject matter, it’s also quite heavy sometimes. Particularly with sexual assault. It’s not described too in detail but it’s not off-screen and the violation of it is thematically present throughout and described as it occurs, though fairly short.
From what I know of the American Dirt fiasco, this feels like a book that will be in a dialogue with it; and I think it can easily handle its own if it is put in that box.
It made me think of my own relationship to travel and family. The narrator was particular clever for choosing how to convey the story; though it is at the expense of a more personal story. But I feel like those stories are becoming something of a standard. Marginalized people having to splay themselves open in graphic detail in order to make the mainstream give a damn about them, or any stories they might have, and almost policing the acceptability of the story, too.
There is some narrative distance from everyone, but it’s still personal because it’s basically an oral history. The emotion of the storyteller is contextualized by family members and becomes a generational intellect. It’s heartbreaking without making the characters gut themselves for the audience. I think it’s very smart.
Prose wise it is fairly straight forward and the narrator handles it well. It is not a descriptive writing piece and it feels accessible without being too much like commercial fiction. It’s short and punchy, and the ending is well suited to the story. Worth a read!
As you might expect from the subject matter, it’s also quite heavy sometimes. Particularly with sexual assault. It’s not described too in detail but it’s not off-screen and the violation of it is thematically present throughout and described as it occurs, though fairly short.
From what I know of the American Dirt fiasco, this feels like a book that will be in a dialogue with it; and I think it can easily handle its own if it is put in that box.
It made me think of my own relationship to travel and family. The narrator was particular clever for choosing how to convey the story; though it is at the expense of a more personal story. But I feel like those stories are becoming something of a standard. Marginalized people having to splay themselves open in graphic detail in order to make the mainstream give a damn about them, or any stories they might have, and almost policing the acceptability of the story, too.
There is some narrative distance from everyone, but it’s still personal because it’s basically an oral history. The emotion of the storyteller is contextualized by family members and becomes a generational intellect. It’s heartbreaking without making the characters gut themselves for the audience. I think it’s very smart.
Prose wise it is fairly straight forward and the narrator handles it well. It is not a descriptive writing piece and it feels accessible without being too much like commercial fiction. It’s short and punchy, and the ending is well suited to the story. Worth a read!