Reviews

Velvet Was the Night by Silvia Moreno-Garcia

tigerlillymelody's review against another edition

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3.0

I don’t have anything profound or interesting to say about this historical fiction noir romance that focuses on the CIAs violent quashing of communism and other leftist movements in 1970s Mexico. But I went to the new Cheech Museum which featured neo-expressionist Chicanoir artist Adan Hernandez and his painting “La Sad Girl” was giving me such big Velvet Was the Night vibes I just had to share. 
https://www.flickr.com/photos/17263128@N06/3429525159

<img src="https://craftychica.com/wp-content/uploads/2006/09/40130_650019.jpg"/>

bookwxrmvictoria's review against another edition

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mysterious medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix

2.0

mrsclicquot's review against another edition

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4.0

Absolutely AWESOME noir! Fascinating and awful point in Mexican history. Learned a lot about El Holcanazo. Writing was wonderful and the complex characters were amazing. Really got a hold of me.

jackbifrost's review against another edition

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mysterious medium-paced

4.25

giorgiax's review against another edition

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dark emotional lighthearted reflective sad medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

kristianeleigh's review against another edition

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dark mysterious reflective tense medium-paced

4.0

sanjubee's review against another edition

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3.0

As with Mexican Gothic, Moreno-Garcia's writing is incredibly engaging. Even when the plot was slow and the characters unrelatable, the prose compelled me to continue reading until I had finished the whole book in one plane ride.

Unfortunately, the book loses points because, despite being willing and eager for the story to improve, it simply fell flat. Technically both main characters experienced meaningful growth, but I lacked the personal connection for it to feel meaningful. Moreno-Garcia built a great cast of side characters to work with, but by the end of the book, all of them were still shallow and mostly unlikable.

Perhaps someone more familiar with the noir genre would enjoy this book more, especially since I can't praise the writing itself enough. Where the characters and plot fell flat with me, I'm sure others might find a deep connection. Give the book a try if you like the genre!

bibliobrandie's review against another edition

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1.0

This is historical noir set in 1970s Mexico so I should have loved it. I did not.

lenaoknihach's review against another edition

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4.0

Maite pracuje jako sekretářka. Má působivou sbírku vinylových desek a netrpělivě vyhlíží nové díly romantických komiksů. Touží po dobrodružství a jednoho dne se jí přání splní, jenže na tohle nebyla ani zdaleka připravená.

Elvis je jeden z Jestřábů. Ti mají za úkol rozprášit protesty proti vládě. Na rozkaz svého šéfa se pouští do pátrání po zmizelé dívce a potkává Maite. Spojuje je nejen láska k hudbě, ale také hluboká osamělost.

Noirový román A noc byla jako samet se odehrává v 70. letech v Mexiku a je inspirovaný skutečností.
Příběh plyne pomalu, hlavní hrdiny máte čím dál víc radši, užíváte si tu atmosféru, která v podání Moreno-Garciové nemá chybu, do toho vám zpívá Král rokenrolu Presley a vy víte, že se schyluje k něčemu velkému a jen doufáte, že vás to úplně nezničí.

Na větší akci mi nevadilo si počkat, protože stála za to. Ačkoli jsem nepřítele číslo jedna odhadla, nic nezabránilo tomu, abych si čtení užívala. Styl vyprávění je velmi čtivý a hlavně krásný. Přesně takový byl i v autorčině předchozí knize Bohové jadeitu a stínu.

cobaltbookshelf's review against another edition

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2.0

2.5 stars

This cover is gorgeous and setting in this book is done right but romance was flat and ending was unsatisfying.