Scan barcode
bones_in_the_woods's review against another edition
challenging
dark
slow-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
luvrunr's review against another edition
4.0
I really enjoyed this book. I couldn't quite give it 5 stars because I didn't love all of the stories. I love the author's style of mixing in Spanish in his stories, it's written how I assume he talks. If you don't know any Spanish or aren't good at figuring out words based on context then you may not enjoy this book as much. I think what I liked the most is how I could relate scenarios in my life to those that were told in the stories. I highly recommend this book to anyone who loves love and the complex nature of relationships.
kamackei's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
ella1801's review against another edition
4.0
A collection of shorts, several of them on the same characters, that both hits very close to home and feels as foreign and out of reach as the Dominican Republic actually is to a white woman like me.
The natures of fidelity and infatuation and sex and carelessness are so universal that it's amazing Diaz can puts words to them at all. The shared human experience here is colored with the slang and Spanish and nerdiness that we've come to love from him, and each story is savory without feeling overwhelming.
The natures of fidelity and infatuation and sex and carelessness are so universal that it's amazing Diaz can puts words to them at all. The shared human experience here is colored with the slang and Spanish and nerdiness that we've come to love from him, and each story is savory without feeling overwhelming.
somanybookstoread's review against another edition
4.0
What do I like most about Junot Diaz? His voice! As a writer, he pops off the page with such authenticity that I feel like I know him. He also writes about parts of New Jersey that I know very well (and with such accuracy!) which I'm sure helps that feeling of camaraderie. I've been a fan of Junot Diaz since I first read Drown, in grad school. With a voice like his, he can do no wrong. I love how we are reunited with a narrator we've met in Diaz's other work and I love how Diaz successfully bends genre in this one part short story collection, one part novel. He's sassy and crass (as I mentioned, he's very Jersey) and tells it like it is. His dialogue is outstanding and his perceptions are witty and poignant. This was a powerful work of fiction that I couldn't put down. My high expectations have been met. I just hope, for Diaz's sake, that this book isn't autobiographical in nature. The last story felt like it really could have been.
laila4343's review against another edition
4.0
4 stars for the writing, 3 for content. I simply love Diaz's style even when I'm not crazy about his characters.
jgintrovertedreader's review against another edition
5.0
Yunior has cheated one too many times. The smartass Dominican narrator of The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao is just not in a good place. In a series of short stories set around different events in his life, he reflects on how he has arrived at this point.
This is so hard for me to rate!
I was not happy through most of these stories. I really, really, really liked Yunior in Oscar Wao. Would I ever date him? Absolutely not. Did I like him? Yes. He was a screw-up at best but he seemed to have his life together by the end of that book. At least from what I remember.
But this shows us that he doesn't. He can't seem to change his ways.
He relates affairs, his relationships with his brother and his father, his friends' affairs.... This is not a happy romcom by any stretch of the imagination.
I still loved Yunior's voice, I just wanted to smack him around until he became the person I knew he could be.
And then.
And then I read the last page and a half. Yes. That close to the freaking end of a book that was at best three stars, Junot Díaz rocked my world. I understood where Yunior was coming from and what he was trying to do. I understood what he was saying. And I loved it. I had goosebumps, it was so perfect. I am not lying. I started seeing what was going on and I got more and more excited and then I read the last sentence and I was in love. It was perfection. Seriously. I immediately wanted to flip to the front and start over and see how my perspective shifted now that I got it. But the library book is due tomorrow so I don't have time for that. I probably need a little distance anyway.
There is one story written from a female point of view. As far as I could tell, she didn't have anything to do with Yunior but she added another layer to the threads of the immigrant experience and fidelity in relationships.
There is a lot going on in this slim book. Families, illness, immigration, relationships, starting over, loss, and more I can't think of right now. None of it was particularly easy to read, but with this book, Junot Díaz has made me a fan for life. I recommend it if a a very stark reality and tough themes don't turn you off.
This is so hard for me to rate!
I was not happy through most of these stories. I really, really, really liked Yunior in Oscar Wao. Would I ever date him? Absolutely not. Did I like him? Yes. He was a screw-up at best but he seemed to have his life together by the end of that book. At least from what I remember.
But this shows us that he doesn't. He can't seem to change his ways.
He relates affairs, his relationships with his brother and his father, his friends' affairs.... This is not a happy romcom by any stretch of the imagination.
I still loved Yunior's voice, I just wanted to smack him around until he became the person I knew he could be.
And then.
And then I read the last page and a half. Yes. That close to the freaking end of a book that was at best three stars, Junot Díaz rocked my world. I understood where Yunior was coming from and what he was trying to do. I understood what he was saying. And I loved it. I had goosebumps, it was so perfect. I am not lying. I started seeing what was going on and I got more and more excited and then I read the last sentence and I was in love. It was perfection. Seriously. I immediately wanted to flip to the front and start over and see how my perspective shifted now that I got it. But the library book is due tomorrow so I don't have time for that. I probably need a little distance anyway.
There is one story written from a female point of view. As far as I could tell, she didn't have anything to do with Yunior but she added another layer to the threads of the immigrant experience and fidelity in relationships.
There is a lot going on in this slim book. Families, illness, immigration, relationships, starting over, loss, and more I can't think of right now. None of it was particularly easy to read, but with this book, Junot Díaz has made me a fan for life. I recommend it if a a very stark reality and tough themes don't turn you off.
kbalster87's review against another edition
funny
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
eabuchmann's review against another edition
emotional
sad
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? Yes
2.5