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cinereus's review against another edition
5.0
Honestly I picked up this book on a whim for the "by an author from Mexico or Canada" summer book bingo square at Seattle Public Library and it was a delight. It plays on a lot of Mexican/Latin American literary tropes so may be best enjoyed if you have some familiarity with other literature of this region (there were especially many moments evocative of Allende's House of the Spirits and Esquivel's Like Water for Chocolate for me), but overall it was just a lot of fun to read and had some great humorous, poignant, and weird-semi-magical-realism moments. While the plot was a bit loosey-goosey (this book is more slice of life than beginning-conflict-climax-resolution, though there is a low-level conflict throughout) there's a clear narrative and thematic thread about death, the meaning of art, class barriers and revolutions, and what it means to grow old and be forgotten (or not). Long live the cockroaches (if not the dogs).
revveryerin's review
dark
funny
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
booktroverted's review against another edition
challenging
funny
reflective
sad
slow-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
3.75
If you're an artist, the drive to create will never abandon you. Nor will it ever let you rest. This story is a reminder.
This is my 2nd Juan Pablo Villalobos book and I'm still not sure if I enjoy his writing. But it does stretch my perceptions and knocks me off my safe and cozy reading couch onto something more precarious and potentially rewarding. Like a wobbly bar stool where I might take a tumble, but I'm guaranteed at least a cold cerveza after my fall. (Possibly served with gringo dog tacos.)
**Not recommended for soft-hearted animal lovers.**
This is my 2nd Juan Pablo Villalobos book and I'm still not sure if I enjoy his writing. But it does stretch my perceptions and knocks me off my safe and cozy reading couch onto something more precarious and potentially rewarding. Like a wobbly bar stool where I might take a tumble, but I'm guaranteed at least a cold cerveza after my fall. (Possibly served with gringo dog tacos.)
**Not recommended for soft-hearted animal lovers.**
Content Warnings
Moderate: Animal cruelty
kate_in_a_book's review
4.0
I really liked this farce about an old man living in a block of flats reserved for retirees in Mexico City. Teo (not his real name) enjoys standing apart from the other residents, refusing to join their daily book group and accusing them of snobbery about his having been a taco seller all his life. He’s a drunk and also suffers from dementia, so it’s hard to know whether to believe him when he insists to his neighbour Francesca (not her real name) that he’s not writing a novel.
He’s a joker and a flirt, but a trace of the sorrows of old age still comes through the humour. Teo has measured out how many years he has left in which he can afford beer and rent, and jealously guards every peso to retain the equilibrium he has found. He counts among his friends a wannabe revolutionary old greengrocer, a Mormon missionary from the US and a young man known as Mao who may actually be revolutionary.
Read my full review: http://www.noseinabook.co.uk/2017/08/04/we-were-there-the-ones-who-one-day-had-to-renounce-our-aspirations/
He’s a joker and a flirt, but a trace of the sorrows of old age still comes through the humour. Teo has measured out how many years he has left in which he can afford beer and rent, and jealously guards every peso to retain the equilibrium he has found. He counts among his friends a wannabe revolutionary old greengrocer, a Mormon missionary from the US and a young man known as Mao who may actually be revolutionary.
Read my full review: http://www.noseinabook.co.uk/2017/08/04/we-were-there-the-ones-who-one-day-had-to-renounce-our-aspirations/
wormytoby's review
dark
funny
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
megan_eightball's review against another edition
2.0
This was funny! When I think back about what happened it seems funnier in retrospect than it seemed to me at the time. Maybe I was too distracted to appreciate it properly.
Definitely irreverent.
I suspect I would have gotten more out of it if I was more familiar with the artists and historical figures mentioned.
Definitely irreverent.
I suspect I would have gotten more out of it if I was more familiar with the artists and historical figures mentioned.
alina_haas_cartagena's review against another edition
3.0
A very ‘meh’ book. Have no positive nor negative emotions. 0 value
dontmindmiri's review
adventurous
dark
funny
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
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
3.75