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alwaysanna13's review against another edition
4.0
I love Diaz's writing so much, and really enjoyed reading this collection of different looks at love.
tedjgraham's review against another edition
3.0
An enjoyable narrative that provided an interesting look at a culture I live parallel too, but not inside.
dlberglund's review against another edition
2.0
I wasn't paying attention and didn't realize this was a book of short stories until I was into it, which is my fault, but definitely colored me confused. The characters of the stories are sometimes connected, but I couldn't always see it. The writing was sometimes great, but... I was sometimes lost. I thought I could get by on context, but the Dominican slang kept flying over my head, and I spent too long trying to figure out what he meant. (When in doubt, assume it's derogatory, is what I came up with.) Again, my issue, but it didn't make me like the book. What was the books issue is that many of the narrators were not very likable. I didn't care much for many of the narrators and main characters, and therefore didn't really care to keep reading.
cool_urkel's review against another edition
5.0
a beautiful, poetic and all encompassing how to: fuckboy.
bonnieg's review against another edition
5.0
Genius. Diaz writes like no one I have ever read and tells stories no one else has told me. What he does with language is like an endless dazzling party trick. I will sometimes get to the end of a particularly amazing paragraph and find myself praising him aloud. Freaking beautiful. Yunior, whom I met in "Drown" and got to know a little better in "Oscar Wao" is front and center here. He is much smarter than I thought, and more observant, and still entirely led by his dick. Dominican men who are not dogs should sue for slander.
Read this, but read "Oscar Wao" first. If you are like me, you will find your perception of the world changed and your assumptions about how dynamic language can be widened.
Read this, but read "Oscar Wao" first. If you are like me, you will find your perception of the world changed and your assumptions about how dynamic language can be widened.
marinet's review against another edition
dark
emotional
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
katemackin's review against another edition
4.0
This book had a lot of Dominican slang. Pro tip there is a blog of slang from other books by Juniot Diaz. Everything made a lot more sense after I found it.
simplyamahzing's review against another edition
1.0
(Rating changed after his history of abuse came to light.)