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A review by terriep
Cantoras by Caro De Robertis
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Wow - this book was not what I expected.
I listened to the author read this book and I'm so glad I did. Her pleasant voice and pronunciation of all the Spanish (or Portuguese?) words added a lot to the story. Set in Uruguay in the 70s when the country was ruled by a harsh dictatorship, five queer women from different walks of life manage to connect with each other. That was especially challenging at that time, in that country.
The book spans 30+ years of friendship, hardship, falling in and out of love, surviving a restrictive national (and familial) attitude about their lifestyle choice, and how each woman grows. As we learn each back story, some are harsh, some sad, but while the author makes the characters believable, the story doesn't get bogged down in tragedy, but leans more to the uplifting.
The writing is just ..... outstanding. The phrasing is almost poetic sometimes; it's so evocative of the country of Uruguay and made me feel all the feels. It's not flowery and overdone, just words beautifully combined to tell a difficult but important story.
Potential triggers: rape, torture, harsh conversion therapy, suicide
I listened to the author read this book and I'm so glad I did. Her pleasant voice and pronunciation of all the Spanish (or Portuguese?) words added a lot to the story. Set in Uruguay in the 70s when the country was ruled by a harsh dictatorship, five queer women from different walks of life manage to connect with each other. That was especially challenging at that time, in that country.
The book spans 30+ years of friendship, hardship, falling in and out of love, surviving a restrictive national (and familial) attitude about their lifestyle choice, and how each woman grows. As we learn each back story, some are harsh, some sad, but while the author makes the characters believable, the story doesn't get bogged down in tragedy, but leans more to the uplifting.
The writing is just ..... outstanding. The phrasing is almost poetic sometimes; it's so evocative of the country of Uruguay and made me feel all the feels. It's not flowery and overdone, just words beautifully combined to tell a difficult but important story.
Potential triggers: rape, torture, harsh conversion therapy, suicide
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexual content, Rape, and Suicide