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moodyromancereader's review against another edition
4.0
This is a stunning short story collection amplifying the voices of ingenious Latina women living in the Denver area. With each story, readers experience a beautiful and authentic stories from perspectives that need time and attention in literature. These characters deserve to be heard and seen. I will think of these characters and stories for a long time.
yourmainelibrarian's review against another edition
emotional
lighthearted
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
khuizenga's review against another edition
4.0
Gorgeously crafted but grim. These stories all wrestle with similar concepts, mostly violence against and the struggle of Latina women in the Denver area as they try to create a life for themselves. Sometimes the stories are connected by family members from other stories, sometimes just by subject matter. At times the collection could feel a bit repetitive due to each woman facing the same awful structural or familial problems, but it's a heartfelt, if depressing, exploration.
slichto3's review against another edition
3.0
I didn't love Sabrina & Corina. The writing is beautiful, and there are a few wonderful stories, but the full compilation was difficult for me to read.
Sabrina & Corina is a set of 11 short stories centered around Denver, Colorado and the experiences of Latina and Native American women. Most of these women lead tough lives. There are stories of abuse, abandonment, addiction, and sadness. There's also strong families and relationships. My favorite story was Tomi - it's about a woman coming back from prison after issues related to addiction. She leaves prison to live with her brother and his son, Tomi. She ends up helping Tomi get into reading, and also forms a strong bond with Tomi. Some other, uglier stuff happens in the story, but I found it very positive. I also very much enjoyed Cheesman Park, Sisters, and Julian Plaza. The rest of the stories weren't bad, but they didn't grab me.
Further, the pace and rhythm of the book felt staccato. None of the stories are all that long, so you're just jumping from new story to new story. There are no concrete connections between the stories. The constant restarting jarred me and made it difficult for me to want to read the book. I guess I'm not really one for short stories, so it's probably not the book's fault.
Also, except for Tomi, the stories felt almost unrelentingly sad. And, because the stories were long, it felt like going from one sad mood to another sad mood - the sadness coming from different yet related places, but never really changing in pace or feel. Every story felt like it came from the same narrator, with the same emotions around that narrator.
So my feelings are pretty mixed. Again, there are some great stories, but I'd almost recommend reading some of the stories by themselves rather than reading this collection in order. Well-written, but difficult to digest in full.
Sabrina & Corina is a set of 11 short stories centered around Denver, Colorado and the experiences of Latina and Native American women. Most of these women lead tough lives. There are stories of abuse, abandonment, addiction, and sadness. There's also strong families and relationships. My favorite story was Tomi - it's about a woman coming back from prison after issues related to addiction. She leaves prison to live with her brother and his son, Tomi. She ends up helping Tomi get into reading, and also forms a strong bond with Tomi. Some other, uglier stuff happens in the story, but I found it very positive. I also very much enjoyed Cheesman Park, Sisters, and Julian Plaza. The rest of the stories weren't bad, but they didn't grab me.
Further, the pace and rhythm of the book felt staccato. None of the stories are all that long, so you're just jumping from new story to new story. There are no concrete connections between the stories. The constant restarting jarred me and made it difficult for me to want to read the book. I guess I'm not really one for short stories, so it's probably not the book's fault.
Also, except for Tomi, the stories felt almost unrelentingly sad. And, because the stories were long, it felt like going from one sad mood to another sad mood - the sadness coming from different yet related places, but never really changing in pace or feel. Every story felt like it came from the same narrator, with the same emotions around that narrator.
So my feelings are pretty mixed. Again, there are some great stories, but I'd almost recommend reading some of the stories by themselves rather than reading this collection in order. Well-written, but difficult to digest in full.
sydney_arcuri's review against another edition
4.0
like many anthologies I liked some and wasn't too invested in others. The only reason I took a star off is right when the story got good the narration would end. I just wish we got a little bit more time with the characters for some of the stories.
rebeconda's review against another edition
3.0
3.5 I picked this up from a display table at my local library & I’m so glad I did. Powerful short stories of indigenous Latina women in Colorado.
dfarmil's review against another edition
5.0
This short story collection is one of my favorites I have ever read. I also loved seeing Colorado from a Indigenous and Latina perspective since I just moved here! The characters and landscape were beautifully written.
mischievous_monkey's review against another edition
2.0
I am going to set this short story collection aside after reading the first two stories. I found them both depressing and without hope and that is just not how I want to spend my free time.
Short stories are difficult to write well, I understand that. These stories, while descriptive and moving, lacked any sense of narrative besides relaying events and describing environments and feelings. They almost had some commentary on their contents but fell just short.
The book cover is gorgeous though.
Short stories are difficult to write well, I understand that. These stories, while descriptive and moving, lacked any sense of narrative besides relaying events and describing environments and feelings. They almost had some commentary on their contents but fell just short.
The book cover is gorgeous though.