Reviews with content warning for Police brutality - Velvet Was the Night

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Velvet Was the Night by Silvia Moreno-Garcia

37 reviews

lovelymisanthrope's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious sad tense 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

4.0

I purchased a copy of this book at a library book sale.
"Velvet Was the Night" follows Maite and Elvis in Mexico during the 1970's. Maite is a secretary who is barely scrapping by, and she is completely oblivious to the protests happening right outside her door. Her new neighbor, Leonora, asks Maite to watch her cat for her for a few days. But, when a few days turns into longer, Maite is thrust into a world she had no idea existed. Elvis has a violent way of getting what he wants, and when he is tasked with finding Leonora, he will stop at nothing to prove himself worthy to his boss.
This was a fantastic historical fiction, and the first historical fiction I have read that is set in Mexico. I did not even realize this story was inspired by true events until the author's note at the end, because this novel reads like an exciting, fictitious story all on its own. The fact that it is inspired by real events makes it all the more interesting.
Maite as a character was insufferable, but that kind of made the story progress in an interesting way. Maite has the habit of fabricating her life because her real life is not at all interesting and is in actuality kind of sad. Her whole motivation for wanting to find Leonora is because she needs the money Leonora promised her to pay for her car to be fixed. Even when Maite discovers that Leonora might be in trouble and is mixed up in some dangerous things, Maite is still really only motivated by money.
Elvis was such a complex, morally gray character. We all know what he is doing is wrong, and he should not be harming people in pursuit of truth, but he is also just this loveable guy that got mixed up in the wrong crowd in an attempt to survive. I really enjoyed his story arch and reading from his perspective.
This story, in spite of being a historical fiction, has some twists and turns that I did not see coming, and that kept me wanting to read more. Once I started, I could not put this book down. I was pretty happy with the ultimate resolution and where the story ended up.
I definitely recommend this story if you are looking for a peak into Mexico's corruption in the 1970's.

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_likethefruit's review against another edition

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adventurous dark informative mysterious sad slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

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meskeets's review against another edition

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4.0

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flaminggecko's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional funny mysterious reflective tense slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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vagrantheather's review against another edition

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adventurous dark hopeful 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

4.75

Civil unrest in 1970s Mexico leads a well connected student activist, Leonora, to go into hiding over some photographs that show what the state doesn't want seen. This story follows Maite, her neighbor, as she tries to figure out what happened to Leonora, and Elvis, a private militia thug assigned to tail her.

Absolutely loved the characterization and character development. I could see where others would not find the plot very compelling but I enjoyed it. I especially liked how the interpersonal dynamics played out. Compelling prose.

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alisonvh's review against another edition

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dark mysterious tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

The writing could be better, but the plot completely sucked me in. I devoured this book in just a few days when I was on vacation.

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buer's review against another edition

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adventurous lighthearted mysterious medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.0

Velvet Was the Night is a historical fiction with a strong romantic bent, starring Maite and Elvis. Maite is a woman in her thirties who loves reading romance and listening to records in lieu of having the husband and children that her mother keeps pestering her about. When her neighbor, Leonora, asks her to cat sit while she is out of town, Maite acquiesces - only to find herself suddenly living a life akin to the ones she reads about in her graphic romances. On the other side of the equation Elvis is a young man who has always existed on the criminal side of things. He too loves records and books and he has a strong sense of ethics that drive him to sometimes make surprising choices. The historical events surrounding this story are true, but the main players are fictional, making for a pulpy thrill ride in the midst of a tumultuous historical time in 1970s Mexico City.

Both Maite and Elvis exist in shades of gray. Maite technically a law-abiding citizen, but she lies to her co-workers, despises her family, and has a penchant for stealing small trinkets from people she knows or works for. Elvis has a job that has him beating people up and threatening them constantly, but is profoundly loyal and has a strong sense of ethics that sometimes make it hard for him to do his job. Over the course of the story both Maite and Elvis become even more gray as they grapple with their personal ethics and their current lifestyles.

I personally found Maite to be a pretty obnoxious. She is incredibly self-deprecating and is constantly day dreaming about sex. She only wills herself to act when a man is a part of the equation. However I'll be the first to admit that in spite of me not liking her as a character, Moreno-Garcia did a great job of shaping action around a stagnant and unlikable main character and constantly throwing her into contrast against Elvis.

My usual disclaimer: I listened to this book rather than reading it, which makes it difficult to evaluate the writing. Gisela Chípe was a great narrator, although a few of her deeper voices felt a little cartoonish and I didn't love how ditzy Leonora sounded. She is easy to listen to for long stretches and is overall very engaging.

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