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La breve y maravillosa vida de Óscar Wao [The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao] by Junot Díaz
1717evelyn1717's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
eggjen's review against another edition
3.0
I'm a bit on the fence with this one. There were aspects of the book that I liked and thought were well done, but other things which irritated me. I found the overall plot interesting but often the telling of the story left me unsatisfied as the author / narrator moved from one bit to the next, I often felt like I was given too much info in some areas and not enough in others.
lynecia's review against another edition
5.0
A standout novel purely for it authentic and unique voice alone; but amazing for so many other reasons! You don't need me wax poetic about them - check the reviews here on Goodreads alone. It's been a New York Times Bestseller and a Pulitzer Prize winner to boot. Loved it.
savreads28's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gore, Abortion, Sexual violence, Cancer, Cursing, Xenophobia, Eating disorder, Sexual harassment, Sexual content, Physical abuse, Murder, Medical trauma, Medical content, Fatphobia, Suicide, Domestic abuse, Blood, Body shaming, Confinement, War, Toxic friendship, Torture, Terminal illness, Suicide attempt, Hate crime, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Abandonment, Death, Violence, Racism, Grief, Toxic relationship, Suicidal thoughts, Racial slurs, Police brutality, Sexual assault, Mental illness, and Dysphoria
ivylucia's review against another edition
5.0
Junot Diaz is AMAZING!!! Great book! Lots of history, especially Trujillo-era D.R. and an incredible voice. Loved the changing point of views and the mystique of the curse ties the family together in a way that transcends above anything else. Incredibly heart-breaking but you won't want to put it down for a second. LOVED IT!!
nighthawker's review against another edition
3.0
the kind of book that i would not have necessarily picked up by myself, yet i found it so, so good.
bryanzhang's review against another edition
3.0
Oscar Wao tells the story of a family afflicted with a multigenerational fukú, a curse native to Dominican Republic superstition. The focus of the story is the young Oscar, an incredibly fat and hopelessly virginal sci-fi nerd, but around half of the book is also spent telling the (frequently intertwined) stories of his sister, his mother, and his grandparents and great-aunt.
These stories are packed with trauma set against the Trujillo dictatorship in the Dominican Republic, colored by an array of sci-fi references, extensive Spanglish, and modern slang that defines the voice of the much-more-sex-having casanova Yunior, who serves as a somewhat distant narrator, involved in the story as the result of his relationship with Oscar's much more attractive sister Lola.
Overall I think Oscar Wao is an incredibly rich work of storytelling that functions best when it lets Yunior talk. However, it oftentimes feels like Díaz is trying a little too hard to create a contemporary literature epic. There are a few passages that switched out of Yunior's voice and into something that seemed to suggest greater import, or moments where fukú symbolism felt a tad heavyhanded, or character dialogue too dramatic, and I questioned multiple times whether I should finish the book when I was trying to get through the eighty page treatment of Oscar's mother Beli.
Ultimately I think Díaz executes best on what he knows, which is Oscar's story, told through Yunior's voice. However, he devotes a disproportionate amount of time on other characters and their stories. It feels almost like an attempt at Middlesex (although I'm sure it isn't, but worth noting that both of these books won the Pulitzer Prize in the first decade of the 2000s -- it seems Pachinko missed the boat), but for all the work put in to untangle the sprawling story, there wasn't any actual payoff. By the end of the book, I simply felt like I had read multiple disjointed stories that had disappointingly little to do with each other (perhaps a symptom of Díaz's predilection for short stories).
One fun note: I enjoyed seeing the word "otakuness" in a Pulitzer Prize-winning novel.
These stories are packed with trauma set against the Trujillo dictatorship in the Dominican Republic, colored by an array of sci-fi references, extensive Spanglish, and modern slang that defines the voice of the much-more-sex-having casanova Yunior, who serves as a somewhat distant narrator, involved in the story as the result of his relationship with Oscar's much more attractive sister Lola.
Overall I think Oscar Wao is an incredibly rich work of storytelling that functions best when it lets Yunior talk. However, it oftentimes feels like Díaz is trying a little too hard to create a contemporary literature epic. There are a few passages that switched out of Yunior's voice and into something that seemed to suggest greater import, or moments where fukú symbolism felt a tad heavyhanded, or character dialogue too dramatic, and I questioned multiple times whether I should finish the book when I was trying to get through the eighty page treatment of Oscar's mother Beli.
Ultimately I think Díaz executes best on what he knows, which is Oscar's story, told through Yunior's voice. However, he devotes a disproportionate amount of time on other characters and their stories. It feels almost like an attempt at Middlesex (although I'm sure it isn't, but worth noting that both of these books won the Pulitzer Prize in the first decade of the 2000s -- it seems Pachinko missed the boat), but for all the work put in to untangle the sprawling story, there wasn't any actual payoff. By the end of the book, I simply felt like I had read multiple disjointed stories that had disappointingly little to do with each other (perhaps a symptom of Díaz's predilection for short stories).
One fun note: I enjoyed seeing the word "otakuness" in a Pulitzer Prize-winning novel.
tennilles's review against another edition
dark
funny
mysterious
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
r0b3rta's review against another edition
4.0
I stayed away from the book because of all the hype and finally borrowed it from a friend. If you enjoy magical realism I highly recommend it. Quite a bit of history on the Dominican Republic which made it very informative. How could you not feel for a nerdy, sci-fi loving kid and his family.
tonatyuh's review against another edition
5.0
4.5*
OK so this took me a shit ton of time to finish but here we are!
His writing style sometimes reminds me of Vonnegut, yet still emulates a unique voice.
This whole story is so real it hurts your soul, but somehow Diaz manages to implement some light in all the darkness in the end.
I really enjoyed this wow.
3/10/22 - second time reading
Reading this again was just such an amazing experience.
I loved everything again and although the story can get really dark it's just a story that sticks with you and you find yourself wanting to return again and again.
I'm just speechless. Like idk this revisit really really worked for me
OK so this took me a shit ton of time to finish but here we are!
His writing style sometimes reminds me of Vonnegut, yet still emulates a unique voice.
This whole story is so real it hurts your soul, but somehow Diaz manages to implement some light in all the darkness in the end.
I really enjoyed this wow.
3/10/22 - second time reading
Reading this again was just such an amazing experience.
I loved everything again and although the story can get really dark it's just a story that sticks with you and you find yourself wanting to return again and again.
I'm just speechless. Like idk this revisit really really worked for me