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arberry's review against another edition
4.0
Really great short story collection. I’d be hard pressed to name one that didn’t stick with me in some way.
drewjameson's review against another edition
3.0
In the title story and "Men Who Punched Me In the Face," Capo Crucet is a blazing bad ass, manipulating voice and perspective in ways that are unnerving and effective. The rest of the collection struck me as rather pedestrian, though.
nktabrgla's review against another edition
4.0
There was nothing wrong with it (in fact, I found myself feeling a range of emotions throughout), but I wasn't completely drawn into the world Capo created.
drbex's review against another edition
4.0
The stories in this collection address so many different identities within the Cuban and Cuban American communities. I am particularly partial to the titular story, which appears last in the collection. I have used this story before in my classes and have found many 2nd generation students relate to it quite a bit. The fact that this particular story is told in the second person is something that pulls them into the experience as if it is their own... and for some of them, it's not too far off from their own realities.
librosytierra's review against another edition
emotional
funny
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.0
savaging's review
4.0
Capo Crucet's writing is rooted deep in a specific ecology and community. These are character-driven stories, not plot-driven, but all the same the body count is high. Almost all of the pieces in here are about death. Those that aren't are about bodies that decay or fail.
I tried typing down my favorite stories, but found that the list was getting too long and all-inclusive. If you want to read about a radio intern enlisting nuns and santeras in the quest to resurrect Celia Cruz, or what happens to a dead man's ferret, or Miami-Cuban funerals and Christmas Eves and multiple sclerosis and tai chi -- and you don't mind an unconventional narrative arc that often leaves you without a concluding dun-dum-DUUUUM -- then find this book. At the very least, read the title essay, "How to Leave Hialeah," which is remarkable.
I disliked the few stories about young, heterosexual couples -- but I'm not certain they were written to be liked.
I tried typing down my favorite stories, but found that the list was getting too long and all-inclusive. If you want to read about a radio intern enlisting nuns and santeras in the quest to resurrect Celia Cruz, or what happens to a dead man's ferret, or Miami-Cuban funerals and Christmas Eves and multiple sclerosis and tai chi -- and you don't mind an unconventional narrative arc that often leaves you without a concluding dun-dum-DUUUUM -- then find this book. At the very least, read the title essay, "How to Leave Hialeah," which is remarkable.
I disliked the few stories about young, heterosexual couples -- but I'm not certain they were written to be liked.
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