Reviews

A very special book about a group of lesbian friends and lovers in Uruguay in the 70s, and the way those friendships rippled throughout their lives. The heavy content of living under dictatorship, and the characters, trauma histories, something about the tone and clip of the book felt light. And until the end, the last few hundred pages, when I found myself crying, as early traumas were either resolved in the case of Venus, or unresolvable in the case of Malena. In some ways this is a book about creating the spaces you need in the world and queer family. and about all of the queer people who made brave and tremendous consequential decisions to live queer lives before it was safe to do so.

ieva13's review against another edition

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3.0

I liked this book and its prose a lot. It tells the story of five women in Uruguay during the 70s and 80s, living under a regime marked by kidnappings, torture, and censorship. The women feel caged by the oppressive environment. They come from different backgrounds and have different personalities, but they share a common attraction to other women.
These women come together to buy a small hut in a beach town, creating an alternative family and a refuge where they can feel free and be themselves. Over the years, they return to the little hut, sometimes all together, sometimes with different lovers, and sometimes alone.

It was an interesting exploration of how individual lives and emotions can be affected by a country's regime and how dulling it feels to live under a dictatorship.

For me parts of the book and the language used were beautiful, but the pacing was very slow, making it hard to stay engaged, but it is still a good read.

fruitbasket1's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful reflective medium-paced

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

4.5

The community these women built for each other was beautiful. They found family and acceptance in each other.

mstrouse's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional hopeful inspiring sad medium-paced

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

5.0

ladygagita's review against another edition

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5.0

gorgeous and unfair. queer found family enjoyers I dare you to read this one…. Feel what I feel

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