Reviews

Sera in paradiso by Lucia Berlin

vibrantglow's review against another edition

funny reflective fast-paced

• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.0

paigenorman's review against another edition

inspiring slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? N/A
• Loveable characters? N/A
• Diverse cast of characters? N/A
• Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A

2.0

seba20's review against another edition

3.0

«Hay ciertas cosas de las que nunca se habla. No me refiero a las cosas difíciles, como el amor, sino a las más bochornosas, como por ejemplo que los funerales a veces son divertidos o que es emocionante ver arder un edificio»

Este libro no me gustó. O sea, hubo cuentos que me gustaron y otros que no. Me costó poder encantarme o que me pudiera atrapar. Claro, cuando iba leyendo me iba interesando más. Pero pausaba la lectura y no tenía ninguna gana de volver a retomar.

Hay algunos cuentos que se salvan y me gustó cómo los relataba, que siempre hubiese un hilo conductor (¿con su propia vida, supongo?), que siempre nombrara algo que aparecía en el cuento anterior, que siempre existiera eso de ser/no-ser parte de algo y la maternidad y la infancia, etc.

Más allá de eso, no sé si lo recomiendo mucho.

juliabuckingham's review against another edition

4.0

3.5!

pinwheeling's review against another edition

4.0

i liked cleaning women better but there were still a number of great stories in this one.

bobbyman's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny hopeful reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

cliff's review against another edition

dark funny reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

lucytulloh's review against another edition

4.0

I adore Lucia Berlin's writing, the way she can describe a moment or a thing so vividly. This collection didn't hit me quite as hard as A Manual for Cleaning Women - or, not all of it did - but it's still ridiculously beautiful.

chloehamburn's review against another edition

4.0

Not as impressive as A Manual, naturally, but her writing is just stunning in its simple clarity. If there was ever a writer to emulate, she's the one for me. Love her work.

kpeterson922's review against another edition

2.0

I may be in the minority, though I did not enjoy 85% of this collection. Highly atmospheric rather than plot or character driven, a style I'm unused to in short fiction. i looked forward to this book based on the hype of "Cleaning Woman," having not yet read, so it may or may not be fair or accurate to say that this seems scraped together to compile another posthumous collection without the benefit of an editing process. I'll still read "Cleaning Woman," though to be honest, not quite as excited to after reading "Evening in Paradise." I enjoy a fair amount of short fiction, though unsure Berlin's writing style particularly works for me. I found many of the stories slow to get to the point, with extraneous character, and while I realize these shorts are semi-autobiographical, found it irritating that the same names were used in different stories though seemingly no connection? A lot of the endings seemed abrupt and unfinished, again leading me to wonder if an editor may have provided some counsel on this. I missed much of the humor that other reviews mentioned and found myself skimming far more than usual. However, the most positive standouts were "Noel 1974" and "My Brother's Keeper" - both engrossing, entertaining pieces that resonated with me far more than most other. Nevertheless, I appreciated a preview copy by NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.