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mcf's review against another edition
5.0
Absolutely effing gorgeous. Stunning writing, fantastic story, dark and sad and funny and wonderful.
illustriousnewt's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
clarereadstheworld's review against another edition
3.75
This book starts with a dead rhinoceros in a zoo and ends up with the Cuban Mafia, I'm still figuring out exactly how!
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Montero draws the reader in from the very first chapter. How can the death of a rhinoceros in Cuba and the shooting of a mafia boss in New York be related? Through the eyes of a young, keen reporter, Cuba's murky dark side is exposed, and then immediately repressed for fear of retaliation from the mafia.
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It's worth mention that the main character has a transitioning transgender sister. It's not a big deal in the story, the narrator just makes a few almost throw away comments about how by this time his sister has stopped wearing female clothes all together etc. I was surprised to find this in a Cuban novel, but I really appreciated this completely normalised inclusion of a transgender character. It's wasn't a big deal, it's not what this book is famous for, it's just casually mentioned like as if his sister was becoming a doctor or a teacher.
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The main narrative is also interrupted with the back story of one of the female characters who grew up in a travelling circus. I LOVE growing up in travelling circus stories. I always wanted to join a travelling circus as a child, so this was a major plus for me with this novel.
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Overall, the mafia stuff got a bit confusing, as there was a lot of name dropping of important mafia bosses I don't know, but it was well written, and an interesting peek into Cuba's darker side.
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Montero draws the reader in from the very first chapter. How can the death of a rhinoceros in Cuba and the shooting of a mafia boss in New York be related? Through the eyes of a young, keen reporter, Cuba's murky dark side is exposed, and then immediately repressed for fear of retaliation from the mafia.
.
It's worth mention that the main character has a transitioning transgender sister. It's not a big deal in the story, the narrator just makes a few almost throw away comments about how by this time his sister has stopped wearing female clothes all together etc. I was surprised to find this in a Cuban novel, but I really appreciated this completely normalised inclusion of a transgender character. It's wasn't a big deal, it's not what this book is famous for, it's just casually mentioned like as if his sister was becoming a doctor or a teacher.
.
The main narrative is also interrupted with the back story of one of the female characters who grew up in a travelling circus. I LOVE growing up in travelling circus stories. I always wanted to join a travelling circus as a child, so this was a major plus for me with this novel.
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Overall, the mafia stuff got a bit confusing, as there was a lot of name dropping of important mafia bosses I don't know, but it was well written, and an interesting peek into Cuba's darker side.
ralovesbooks's review
2.0
Would recommend: Probably not
Good things about this book: beautiful language, immersive atmosphere, intriguing characters and back stories.
Bad things about this book: the ending, and how it was completely disappointing.
I rarely read mysteries, so maybe I'm just not keyed in to the genre, but I sort of expected to know what the heck happened at the end of the book. Did I miss something? After getting attached to the characters, I felt like I had been cheated by the fizzled-out ending.
Good things about this book: beautiful language, immersive atmosphere, intriguing characters and back stories.
Bad things about this book: the ending, and how it was completely disappointing.
I rarely read mysteries, so maybe I'm just not keyed in to the genre, but I sort of expected to know what the heck happened at the end of the book. Did I miss something? After getting attached to the characters, I felt like I had been cheated by the fizzled-out ending.
books_n_pickles's review against another edition
2.0
Just not in the mood for this right now, but I hope to come back to it later.
featherbooks's review
3.0
Alternating stories of a young journalist investigating the organized crime activity in gambling in 1950's Havana and the confessions of his girlfriend, a one-armed former circus performer. Strange and bloody tale and I found it hard to care about the characters, although the Cuban atmosphere was authentic and rich. You could almost hear the danzon music.
mcf's review
5.0
Absolutely effing gorgeous. Stunning writing, fantastic story, dark and sad and funny and wonderful.
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