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Chrishayden
"Cyniquian" Level Poster
Username: Chrishayden
Post Number: 6138
Registered: 03-2004
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Saturday, January 19, 2008 - 10:44 am: | 
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By Junot Diaz
(And naw, I an't gonna write a review, don't ask me)
Just finished this one. This is a strange book--tragic, Dominican American Speculative Fictional Realism, sort of Ben Okri or Vargas Llosa meet Paul Beatty meet George Lucas--and that really don't do it justice.
Strange as it is, and downbeat, I enjoyed it.
It is flawed--he told a lot more than he showed--breaking the cardinal rule, and he abruptly switched POVs but it was not distracting.
I would recommend it.
He writes good. Plus I have met him personally and he is good people.
Junot Diaz gots Thang. |
Emanuel
Veteran Poster
Username: Emanuel
Post Number: 489
Registered: 03-2004
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Sunday, January 20, 2008 - 12:33 am: |
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Chris,
I got my library copy today. I should be able to finish it between tomorrow's football games and the Super Bowl. |
Chrishayden
"Cyniquian" Level Poster
Username: Chrishayden
Post Number: 6143
Registered: 03-2004
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Tuesday, January 22, 2008 - 01:04 pm: |
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When you finish get back on here and we'll rap--as I said it is an odd book--I liked it primarily because it is very well written--have had some negative comments though--and some problems.
See if you got the same... |
Chrishayden
"Cyniquian" Level Poster
Username: Chrishayden
Post Number: 6144
Registered: 03-2004
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Tuesday, January 22, 2008 - 01:04 pm: |
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By the way, that ought to be Marquez instead of Vargas Llohsa--he did One Hundred Years of Solitude, didn't he? |
Emanuel
Veteran Poster
Username: Emanuel
Post Number: 496
Registered: 03-2004
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Tuesday, January 22, 2008 - 05:58 pm: |
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Gabriel García Márquez.
Okay, I'll post something when I (or if) I finish the Diaz book. |
Wfcooper
Regular Poster
Username: Wfcooper
Post Number: 20
Registered: 12-2007
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Thursday, January 31, 2008 - 11:37 am: |
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Yeah, He smoked it... Read it a second time recently. Motivated me to dig deeper within myself. I like the narrative approach, as long as it provides poignant imagery. Gotta have that perfect blend between Conversation and narrative. |
Emanuel
Veteran Poster
Username: Emanuel
Post Number: 502
Registered: 03-2004
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Friday, February 01, 2008 - 02:16 pm: |
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I'm about at page 100. My notes so far:
fearless, page-turner, interesting, annoying footnotes, annoying Spanish without translation (even though my Italian helped a lot), female POV is not convincing (reads male).
Had to put it down for a while to work on some stuff that actually pays the bills.
Good stuff so far though. I'm looking forward to finishing it.
I'll write more later. I'm dieting now and haven't had a good jolt of caffeine in days. I'm a caffeinated thinker! |
Crystal
Veteran Poster
Username: Crystal
Post Number: 385
Registered: 01-2004
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Wednesday, February 06, 2008 - 11:55 am: |
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I'm about a 1/3rd of the way in and am enjoying it. Emanuel, I like the footnotes. Makes it kinda seem like an historical novel - my favorite. |
Chrishayden
"Cyniquian" Level Poster
Username: Chrishayden
Post Number: 6248
Registered: 03-2004
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Saturday, February 09, 2008 - 11:06 am: |
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fearless, page-turner, interesting, annoying footnotes, annoying Spanish without translation (even though my Italian helped a lot), female POV is not convincing (reads male).
(I had that problem at first, too but one of my favorite novels, "For Whom the Bell Tolls" has the same flaw.
He probably should have included a glossary or translated all the Spanish. |
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