Publication Date:September 2, 2008 Shipping:Eligible for Super Saver Shipping Promotion:Data not availableTerms and Conditions Availability:Usually ships in 24 hours
fantastic and surprisingDecember 19, 2008 1 out of 1 found this review helpful
as a white, jewish guy, who grew up in Brooklyn, and consorted with Latinos of all backgrounds, it was wonderful to get an inside perspective on their experience both in America and back at home. I homogenize the experience, though in this book it's strictly Dominican, because America's involvement in Latin America was, sadly, mostly the same as it was in the DR, and therefore, many L. Amer immigrants story was quite similar. Both the fictional account of Oscar and his family and friends, and the Junot's editorials account of the horrendous dictator, Trujillo, were thoroughly engaging and written in a very contemporary, relevant prose. I highly recommend this book
MelancholyDecember 18, 2008 I finally read this book after so many recommendations and good reviews piled up. I was no disappointed; it's a poignant story about the life and history of a family, enough to rival any family-tree type saga in unluckiness, disappointment, luck, and love.
Ultimately, it was the melancholia of the novel that got me, that left me thoughtful and heavy for days after I finished. You'll laugh (especially if you comprehend the myriad fantasy/comic book/sci fi references -- I did and couldn't get enough) and you'll cry, but ultimately I think it's worth it.
Makes you Wonder into your childhood!December 17, 2008 0 out of 1 found this review helpful
I haven't read a book since the last Harry Potter and this is the book that my friends bragged about soooo much that I had to pick it up and WOW! As a hispanic I can relate to everything he said in this book 100% and as a non-hispanic this book gives you an insight into our culture. I love how Junot Diaz sneaks in the history parts within the sentences, I learned more about the Dominican history from this book than I remember learning while in school. I recommend this book for many reasons and EVERYONE would enjoy this book - Just Amazing!
a young Vargas LlosaDecember 16, 2008 This book reminded me of Mario Vargas Llosa, not only because the background is the Trujillista dictatorship (Feast of the Goat) but the writing as well. I could not put the book down.
Wondrous WritingDecember 10, 2008 2 out of 2 found this review helpful
The book, titled for Oscar de Leon, a fat, so-not a lover-boy begins and ends with him; but to me, the story belongs to his mother, Hypatia Belicia Cabral. It is she who anchors each character - Oscar, her mother, La Inca, her daughter, Lola, and Yunior, the primary narrator - to the shores of two countries. To enjoy Oscar's tale, the reader doesn't have to be literate in Spanish (I'm stuck mostly in the present tense and some colloquialisms escaped me). But, to "get" this book, it helps to know the SF/literary references and urban culture. Once I got back into the cadence peculiar to a type of NY-NJ speech, I tossed aside the dictionary and relied on context. By making English-speakers (and I suspect some Spanish-speakers) work at understanding Dominican history and the characters' play in it, makes for a realistic plot. Like in presenting a real life-story, Diaz doesn't give a linear account of what happens to the family over the decades. Nor does he clutter the narrative with the historical background that is so important to understanding both these Dominican-born and their American progeny. Instead, he footnotes the horror of the Trujillo regime from which the country has not yet emerged completely. Thankfully, Diaz doesn't get caught up in letting mysticism drive the story. He uses the fuku, the curse that follows Oscar's family, as a subtle device to offer a plausible explanation for what are really at times the characters' failure to act, at other times just plain old bad luck. Whether the action is taking place in a college dorm or the cane fields, the writer paints vivid imagery. Yes, the language is raw in its violence and profanity. It may make the reader flinch. But to soften it would diminish the impact of this wondrous writing.
