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mmcblain's review against another edition
4.0
I loved this sweet little novel! A short but biting reflection on class and what it means to have a home.
lilcoppertop's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
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
charlieeee's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
cjf's review against another edition
4.0
Funny, irreverent, slightly obnoxious, tons of fun. Like skipping stones with friends -- brothers, sisters, anarchists, cows, and aliens, too. Like tumbling ridiculously down hills about politics and class struggle and suddenly there is a firecracker or two in some wealthy landowner's mailbox. And then a small explosion. And then laughter.
Selected underlinings:
"'You learn from everything in life, Oreo.' Really, Mum? Is it really worth accumulating so much useless lousy knowledge?
"Why pay for a psychoanalyst when you have a stoner uncle?"
"But I hadn't come back to tell the truth, or learn to lie. I had come back because the class struggle had worn me out and I wanted to eat quesadillas for free. In the end, for whatever reason, one always comes home, or one never really leaves, and everything ends up being about settling old scores with memory, or, rather, with language."
Selected underlinings:
"'You learn from everything in life, Oreo.' Really, Mum? Is it really worth accumulating so much useless lousy knowledge?
"Why pay for a psychoanalyst when you have a stoner uncle?"
"But I hadn't come back to tell the truth, or learn to lie. I had come back because the class struggle had worn me out and I wanted to eat quesadillas for free. In the end, for whatever reason, one always comes home, or one never really leaves, and everything ends up being about settling old scores with memory, or, rather, with language."
drewsof's review against another edition
2.0
2.5 out of 5. As much fun as certain scenes were and as acerbically gifted as Villalobos is, I just didn't get too much out of this one. It reads quickly but almost despite itself - I would've rather had a novel twice as long that felt more connected and coherent. But connection and coherence, again, might not be the point - instead, we're maybe meant to feel disenfranchised from the novel. Or maybe we're just meant to open up and embrace the weird.
More at RB: http://ragingbiblioholism.com/2014/03/23/quesadillas/
More at RB: http://ragingbiblioholism.com/2014/03/23/quesadillas/
amelias's review against another edition
Clever enough to be engaging, but the use of humor to mask poverty/struggle could be much more nuanced and profound