kairosdreaming's review against another edition
3.0
Maybe if I had read the author's first book I would have been more charmed by this one. Certainly the author was genuine and had done some off the beaten path type of things with her life. But I just couldn't find a connection or really appreciate the story she had to tell.
Having lived in Afghanistan and then leave abruptly when her son is threatened with kidnapping, Rodriguez finds herself back in the states struggling to make sense of what happened. She stays for awhile with a friend turned a little more until he decides he's had enough of the relationship. And then it's off to Mazatlan Mexico where she buys a little house and settles down to try to pull the pieces of her life together. Here she makes new friends but still feels as if something is missing, and with personal problems, family problems, and other problems, peace sometimes seems unobtainable.
Rodriguez can be pretty blunt about herself at times. Especially when it comes to her choices in men. She is very frank about all her mistakes there. And her two sons, while seemingly important to her, actually feature very little in her life. Yes, one comes and lives with her, but that's when she starts describing him in detail and showing a sense of caring. She has a lot of drama. And it gets tiring. You want to just shake her and say why do you keep doing this to your life? The other characters she describes nicely though and she usually has something nice to say about almost all of them.
This book is drama. It's disguised by the fact that it's about moving to Mexico and becoming part of the community there. But really it's about Rodriguez's personal struggles and how she tries to overcome them. Mexican culture is a second, although through her interactions with her son's married family help bring the culture to the reader. She also mentions her first book a lot and that gets a little tiring. After about the fifth mention, it's like, "ok, you have a book about the beauty school you started in Afghanistan. That's fantastic, and wonderful for those women, but you've told me this before." It's obvious she's very proud of it, but redundant after awhile.
This is an ok memoir. A little too much drama for me and not enough description of everything else. I'm sure those who read the first book though will find it much more absorbing.
**This book was won in a Goodreads Giveaway**
Margarita Wednesdays
Copyright 2014
276 pages
Review by M. Reynard 2014
More of my reviews can be found at www.ifithaswords.blogspot.com
Having lived in Afghanistan and then leave abruptly when her son is threatened with kidnapping, Rodriguez finds herself back in the states struggling to make sense of what happened. She stays for awhile with a friend turned a little more until he decides he's had enough of the relationship. And then it's off to Mazatlan Mexico where she buys a little house and settles down to try to pull the pieces of her life together. Here she makes new friends but still feels as if something is missing, and with personal problems, family problems, and other problems, peace sometimes seems unobtainable.
Rodriguez can be pretty blunt about herself at times. Especially when it comes to her choices in men. She is very frank about all her mistakes there. And her two sons, while seemingly important to her, actually feature very little in her life. Yes, one comes and lives with her, but that's when she starts describing him in detail and showing a sense of caring. She has a lot of drama. And it gets tiring. You want to just shake her and say why do you keep doing this to your life? The other characters she describes nicely though and she usually has something nice to say about almost all of them.
This book is drama. It's disguised by the fact that it's about moving to Mexico and becoming part of the community there. But really it's about Rodriguez's personal struggles and how she tries to overcome them. Mexican culture is a second, although through her interactions with her son's married family help bring the culture to the reader. She also mentions her first book a lot and that gets a little tiring. After about the fifth mention, it's like, "ok, you have a book about the beauty school you started in Afghanistan. That's fantastic, and wonderful for those women, but you've told me this before." It's obvious she's very proud of it, but redundant after awhile.
This is an ok memoir. A little too much drama for me and not enough description of everything else. I'm sure those who read the first book though will find it much more absorbing.
**This book was won in a Goodreads Giveaway**
Margarita Wednesdays
Copyright 2014
276 pages
Review by M. Reynard 2014
More of my reviews can be found at www.ifithaswords.blogspot.com
skyroxy's review against another edition
1.0
Ok, Deborah Rodriguez goes from one adventure to the next, not caring who she leaves behind. What happened to the girls in Afghanistan when she left? She doesn't even know, nor does she seem to care. She mentions her Mother but never goes to see her. Her year in California is just a bleep in the book before she heads to Mexico. She has a house, a car, and enough money to live without a job. I am assuming that this situation is because of her book, which she is quick to sign and pass out, even the Spanish version. Note: She lives in Mexico for years, hangs out with a bunch of expats and never gets past a mish mash of Spanglish, always counting for someone to translate for her. She bad mouths her son Noah, until he comes to live in Mexico and then she does an about face. Her other son is barely mentioned. The one thing I got from Ms. Rodriguez is that she is quite in love-with herself.
katxlaura's review against another edition
adventurous
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
4.0
At first I would have given it a much lower rating as it dragged a bit in the beginning and was different to Deborah Rodriguez’s other books, although I do like her writing style as it’s so easy and relaxing to read. But upon finishing I was happy which is what matters so I did give it a higher score.
readsbyal's review against another edition
5.0
This was such a fun read!
I loved the descriptions of the people and places in the little beach town Rodriguez resides in. Her story of loss, PTSD, and healing was beautiful and powerful. She's hilarious, and this comes through in her anecdotes and observations. Rodriguez is someone who cares a lot and will do something about it. We learn a little of her past life in Kabul, and how it ends up translating over to her new life in Mexico. She wants to make a difference, and even if the difference seems insignificant (teaching women hairdressing and other beauty skills) it can make a world of difference for girls who may otherwise go into less ideal jobs to put food on the table.
If you want an inspiring and funny memoir, this is for you.
I loved the descriptions of the people and places in the little beach town Rodriguez resides in. Her story of loss, PTSD, and healing was beautiful and powerful. She's hilarious, and this comes through in her anecdotes and observations. Rodriguez is someone who cares a lot and will do something about it. We learn a little of her past life in Kabul, and how it ends up translating over to her new life in Mexico. She wants to make a difference, and even if the difference seems insignificant (teaching women hairdressing and other beauty skills) it can make a world of difference for girls who may otherwise go into less ideal jobs to put food on the table.
If you want an inspiring and funny memoir, this is for you.
paulina_i's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
informative
inspiring
reflective
slow-paced
3.0
thepottedplant's review
3.0
*I won this from a GoodReads giveaway*
I did not love this book. I don't mean to diminish the author's battle with her PTSD, but the beginning of this book, she leaves Afghanistan and goes to California, was extremely boring. It became more exciting once she decided to buy her house in Mazatlan, Mexico. It was interesting while she was talking about getting accustomed to her surroundings and making friends, but once again it slowed down and became hard to read. This book was ok but I would not recommend it.
I did not love this book. I don't mean to diminish the author's battle with her PTSD, but the beginning of this book, she leaves Afghanistan and goes to California, was extremely boring. It became more exciting once she decided to buy her house in Mazatlan, Mexico. It was interesting while she was talking about getting accustomed to her surroundings and making friends, but once again it slowed down and became hard to read. This book was ok but I would not recommend it.
mikolee's review
1.0
I listened to this as audio book so my perception is partially altered by the deep smokey voiced interpretation of the narrator. I really liked the beauty school of Kabul and I was interested in getting an update from this author. As always with autobiography the line between fascinating and self aggrandizing is slim. I understood that the author had PTSD and was struggling to regain her footing. Yet I was put off by her level of arrogance and privilege.
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