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Soledad by Angie Cruz
“Could it be that that’s just the way things go between people? Irreconcilable differences, which can’t really be explained or solved.” What could have been a polyphonic tragicomedy exploring trauma, abusive and dysfunctional relationships, generational and cultural divides, sex, love, and desire, is let down by a cast of cartoonish characters, repetitive dialogues and interactions,…
1990s, 2000s, 20th century, abuse, ABUSIVE RELATIONSHIPS, adolescence, Adult, America, Angie Cruz, Contemporary, DEATH, different styles (1st/2nd/3rd povs), Dominican American author, dominican republic, drama, Dreams, family, female authors, girlhood, grandmothers, illness, intergenerational, jealousy, latin america, latin american, latin american diaspora, latinx author, lesbian side characters, lgbtq+ side, MAGICAL REALISM, MELODRAMA, men who are sleazy, migration/immigration, motherhood, mothers & daughters, navel gazing, NEW YORK, no quotations marks, published in 2001, read in 2023, sex, sex scenes that are yikes, sexual assault/abuse/rape, SEXUALITY, Soledad, style over character, trauma, trying and failing @ feminism, unrequited love, womanhood/femininity -
The Houseguest: And Other Stories by Amparo Dávila
Whenever an author is compared to Shirley Jackson, I feel compelled to check their work out. More often than not, upon reading their stuff, I end up rather perplexed by the comparisons to Jackson. In the case of Amparo Dávila, well, this comparison isn’t wholly unearned. Jackson and Dávila’s approach to the horror genre certainly…
1960s, 20th century, 3 STARS, 3rd pov, Adult, Amparo Dávila, BOOK REVIEW, BOOK REVIEWS, Booklr, collection of short stories, curses, female authors, GOTHIC, grotesque, HISTORICAL FICTION, HORROR, latin america, latin american, latinx author, MAGICAL REALISM, mexican, mexican author, Mexico, My reviews, paranoia, PARANORMAL, published in 2018, read in 2021, reading, short stories, surreal, The Houseguest, TRANSLATED FICTION -
It Is Wood, It Is Stone by Gabriella Burnham
Aside from its pretty cover It Is Wood, It Is Stone doesn’t have a lot to offer. It is one of those novels that is very much all style, no substance. Plot and character development are sacrificed in favour of gimmicky narrative devices and flashy metaphors. I finished this less than a week ago and…
1st pov, 2 STARS, Adult, ALIENATION, America, american brazilian author, ARTISTS, BISEXUAL/PANSEXUAL, BOOK REVIEW, BOOK REVIEWS, Booklr, brazil, cheating, Contemporary, cultural dissonance, ennui, female authors, Gabriella Burnham, It is wood it is stone, latin america, latin american, latinx author, lgbtq+, LITERARY FICTION, MARRIAGE, My reviews, navel gazing, published in 2020, purply prose, queer, read in 2021, reading, SEXUALITY, slow pacing, style over character, stylised prose -
Eat the Mouth That Feeds You by Carribean Fragoza
An exceedingly underwhelming collection. The cover and title of Carribean Fragoza’s debut collection succeeded in making me want to read it. After reading the first three stories, however, I found myself feeling rather underwhelmed by Fragoza’s storytelling. I, later on, decided to give this collection another shot, hoping that I would find the other stories…
2 STARS, Adult, ALIENATION, America, BOOK REVIEW, BOOK REVIEWS, Booklr, Carribean Fragoza, collection of short stories, Contemporary, different styles (1st/2nd/3rd povs), Eat the Mouth That Feeds You, female authors, FOLKLORE, grotesque, HORROR, latin america, latin american, latinx author, MAGICAL REALISM, MEXICAN AMERICAN AUTHOR, Mexico, migration/immigration, motherhood, My reviews, paranoia, published in 2021, purply prose, read in 2021, reading, short stories, style over character, stylised prose, surreal -
The Inheritance of Orquídea Divina by Zoraida Córdova
When she left Ecuador for good, she learned how to leave pieces of herself behind. Pieces that her descendants would one day try to collect to put her back together. In The Inheritance of Orquídea Divina, Zoraida Córdova combines an intergenerational family drama with magical realism, and the end result will certainly appeal to fans…
20th century, 3.5 STARS, 3rd pov, Adult, America, American, BOOK REVIEW, BOOK REVIEWS, Booklr, Contemporary, curses, DEATH, drama, Ecuadorian American author, fairytalesque prose, family, FAMILY SAGA, FANTASY, female authors, gay side characters, HISTORICAL FICTION, latin america, latin american, latinx author, lgbtq+ side, m/m side, MAGICAL REALISM, My reviews, published in 2021, read in 2021, reading, The Inheritance of Orquídea Divina, Zoraida Córdova -
Velvet Was the Night by Silvia Moreno-Garcia
DISCLAIMER: as I did not like Velvet Was the Night my review will be, alas, a negative one. If you are a fan of SMG or you happen to love this novel, congratulazioni. Please, don’t @ me just because I don’t feel the same way as you do, I get it, YMMV. If you are…
1970s, 2 STARS, 3rd pov, Adult, BOOK REVIEW, BOOK REVIEWS, Booklr, drama, female authors, latin america, latin american, latinx author, mexican, MEXICAN AMERICAN AUTHOR, Mexico, missing girls, missing persons, My reviews, MYSTERY, Noir, Not Like Other Girls, published in 2021, read in 2021, reading, Silvia Moreno-Garcia, slow pacing, SUSPENSE, THRILLER, Velvet was the Night -
The Rock Eaters: Stories by Brenda Peynado
The Rock Eaters: Stories will probably appeal to fans of macabre tales, such as the ones authored by Samanta Schweblin, Mariana Enríquez, and possibly even Yōko Ogawa. This collection of speculative short stories is a highly metaphorical one. Brenda Peynado uses magical realism, aliens, dystopian and fantastic scenarios, to discuss immigration, xenophobia, and class disparity.…
2 STARS, Adult, ALIENS, America, American, BOOK REVIEW, BOOK REVIEWS, Booklr, Brenda Peynado, collection of short stories, different styles (1st/2nd/3rd povs), Dominican American author, dystopia, FANTASY, female authors, greek chorus, grotesque, latin america, latin american, latinx author, lgbtq+ side, MAGICAL REALISM, migration/immigration, My reviews, published in 2021, queer side characters, read in 2021, reading, SCI-FI, short stories, social issues, SPECULATIVE FICTION, surreal, The Rock Eaters, The Rock Eaters: Stories -
Fifteen Hundred Miles from the Sun by Jonny Garza Villa
“And I think about how Dad gave me everything I could need. Except for the one thing that shouldn’t have terms or conditions. That should be a given. That should be so easy. Acceptance.” Written in a simple conversational style Fifteen Hundred Miles from the Sun is a tender love story, equal parts funny and…
1st pov, 3.5 STARS, abuse, America, American, bi side characters, BOOK REVIEW, BOOK REVIEWS, Booklr, California, coming of age, Contemporary, fathers & sons, found family, friendships, gay, HIGH SCHOOL, latin american, latinx author, LDR, lgbtq+, LGBTQ+ Author, los angeles, m/m, My reviews, published in 2021, queer, read in 2021, reading, SEXUALITY, social issues, Summer, summer reads, texas, uplifting reads, YOUNG ADULT -
The Five Wounds by Kirstin Valdez Quade
“Is this what motherhood means? Being suddenly able to pity the adults in your life?” Set over the course of a year in Las Penas, New Mexico, The Five Wounds is a novel about failure and progress. Unsentimental yet moving The Five Wounds details the everyday lives of three members of the Padilla family. There…
2010s, 3.5 STARS, 3rd pov, addiction, Adult, America, American, AMERICAN AUTHOR, BOOK REVIEW, BOOK REVIEWS, Booklr, catholicism, Contemporary, DEATH, f/f, family, fathers & daughters, female authors, forgiveness, identity, illness, latin american, latinx author, lgbtq+, LITERARY FICTION, motherhood, mothers & sons, My reviews, New Mexico, pregnancy, published in 2021, queer, read in 2021, reading, Religion, self-harming, SMALL TOWN, unrequited love -
Of Women and Salt by Gabriela Garcia
However distressing, I appreciated the realities, issues, and themes Gabriela Garcia explores throughout her novel. Sadly, the author’s execution and writing style lessened my overall reading experience. I know that interconnected narratives can work well, and some of my favourite novels employ this technique (The Travelers and Travellers), but I would have probably preferred for…
19TH CENTURY, 20th century, addiction, Adult, America, American, BOOK REVIEWS, Booklr, child abuse, Contemporary, Cuba, different styles (1st/2nd/3rd povs), female authors, HISTORICAL FICTION, interconnected stories, latin america, latin american, latinx author, Mexico, Miami, migration/immigration, motherhood, mothers & daughters, published in 2021, read in 2021, social issues, style over character, stylised prose
luce [is reading] 