scrow1022's review against another edition
5.0
Picaresque. Dreamlike. Playful. And then stayed with me, gently haunting.
shanviolinlove's review against another edition
5.0
A novel on Mexican migration primed me for a narrative fraught with graphic hardships, strong indictments against the economic and political systems that work against migrants and their home environments, the dangers of migration, and the reality of racism. And to be sure, this novel contains all of that.
What I was not expecting was how lighthearted, even dirpy, the overall tone of the novel is. It's an action adventure, and a fun-loving one at times. At some point I stopped "worrying" about the characters' well-being. Whether or not they would be successful in their quest would be determined over the course of the novel, but I was able to relax some and even enjoy the thrill of the adventure with Nayeli and her cohorts in their precocious aim to travel to the U.S. and bring back militaristic migrants to fight the bad men who have taken over her home village. Urrea's novel does expose this reality of unhappy migrants forced out of their home and living abroad, as well as many migrants' heart-wrenching ignorance of what life in America is really like (versus what they have been told and thus leave home to pursue). His nonfiction work, The Devil's Highway, demonstrates this in a much more serious indictment, but here, again, this is ultimately an adventure story. I fell in love with each character. I laughed a lot. I was moved. This novel showed yet another side to the brilliant storytelling prowess of a favorite author of mine.
What I was not expecting was how lighthearted, even dirpy, the overall tone of the novel is. It's an action adventure, and a fun-loving one at times. At some point I stopped "worrying" about the characters' well-being. Whether or not they would be successful in their quest would be determined over the course of the novel, but I was able to relax some and even enjoy the thrill of the adventure with Nayeli and her cohorts in their precocious aim to travel to the U.S. and bring back militaristic migrants to fight the bad men who have taken over her home village. Urrea's novel does expose this reality of unhappy migrants forced out of their home and living abroad, as well as many migrants' heart-wrenching ignorance of what life in America is really like (versus what they have been told and thus leave home to pursue). His nonfiction work, The Devil's Highway, demonstrates this in a much more serious indictment, but here, again, this is ultimately an adventure story. I fell in love with each character. I laughed a lot. I was moved. This novel showed yet another side to the brilliant storytelling prowess of a favorite author of mine.
quirme01's review against another edition
adventurous
hopeful
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
audiobooked for book club - adventure and immigration story but without much character depth
sonia_reppe's review against another edition
2.0
The writing style is more for younger readers (teen) but I don't know that I would recommend this because the plot does not keep moving, and it's kind of all over the place. I liked Nayeli's character; (I wish she had been drawn with more depth), but I was perplexed at the end (Spoiler) when she sees her father. Wasn't the lead-up of the whole book that she was going to reunite with him, or at least find him and see what's up? She sees him for a second and that's it? I did not enjoy this book. Urrea writes some good dialogue but his exposition was just annoying and I couldn't take it anymore. Maybe he could write a play. Maybe he has I dunno...I have lost interest.
esther_habs's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.25
cook_memorial_public_library's review against another edition
5.0
Into the Beautiful North by Luis Alberto Urrea is a timely book. This journey recounts the story of three teenage girls from a small Mexican village. One of them has realized there are few men left in their village. The reason is banditos have made it impossible for the men to make a living in their own hometown. The girls watch the movie "The Magnificent Seven" and decide they have to go to the United States to bring back seven men to keep the banditos from taking over.
You will learn what people endure to cross the border from Mexico into the U.S.A. It is a tale where we all learn what motivates people to risk their lives in this perilous journey to save not only themselves but the people they love and work with daily.
Reviewed by Carolyn Z.
Check our catalog: http://encore.cooklib.org/iii/encore/search/C__Sinto%20the%20beautiful%20north%20urrea__Orightresult__U?lang=eng&suite=pearl
You will learn what people endure to cross the border from Mexico into the U.S.A. It is a tale where we all learn what motivates people to risk their lives in this perilous journey to save not only themselves but the people they love and work with daily.
Reviewed by Carolyn Z.
Check our catalog: http://encore.cooklib.org/iii/encore/search/C__Sinto%20the%20beautiful%20north%20urrea__Orightresult__U?lang=eng&suite=pearl
catladylover94's review against another edition
3.0
an ok read, really slow in parts, the main girl, heads north to find men to help free her village, it would have been better if the author would have not bounced around with her so much, and it had been faster read
azchristenson's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
fernii9's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
inspiring
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0