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mm812 's review for:
My ratings are relative to the goals of the author. This work was intended not to be a rousing adventure tale or a suspenseful thriller, but a thorough, journalistic retelling of a historic event. Based on that rubric, this is a 5/5 book.
If you're looking for a gripping, harrowing, voyeuristic, sensationalist piece: this will not please you.
I am deeply impressed at Tobar's ability to straddle the line between academic precision and heartfelt storytelling. It is notable that I never once felt the author speculating, editorializing, or needlessly inserting himself into the narrative.
I suggest that you skim when necessary. As mentioned, this book was intentionally designed to contain every relevant detail. Consequently, there are many digressions (such as the logistics of the mining industry, or the role of saintly "idols" in Catholicism) that may be fascinating to some readers but dull to others. It is on the reader to direct their attention accordingly. Just as you shouldn't read the whole dictionary preceding your desired entry, you shouldn't labor in the passages that bore you. There is plenty of story here to enjoy.
If you're looking for a gripping, harrowing, voyeuristic, sensationalist piece: this will not please you.
I am deeply impressed at Tobar's ability to straddle the line between academic precision and heartfelt storytelling. It is notable that I never once felt the author speculating, editorializing, or needlessly inserting himself into the narrative.
I suggest that you skim when necessary. As mentioned, this book was intentionally designed to contain every relevant detail. Consequently, there are many digressions (such as the logistics of the mining industry, or the role of saintly "idols" in Catholicism) that may be fascinating to some readers but dull to others. It is on the reader to direct their attention accordingly. Just as you shouldn't read the whole dictionary preceding your desired entry, you shouldn't labor in the passages that bore you. There is plenty of story here to enjoy.