Reviews

Cantoras by Caro De Robertis

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arikareads's review

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adventurous challenging emotional hopeful inspiring relaxing tense

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

o_rivera's review against another edition

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4.0

Reading this book is like living five lives at once. De Robertis creates a engaging experience as she seamlessly weaves the narratives of five wildly, empowering, queer women.

kian_annus's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional hopeful informative inspiring reflective sad tense medium-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

4.5

renuka__'s review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional inspiring medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

what a stunning, harrowing narrative, so beautifully weaving together the stories of 5 lives to depict the realities of thousands we will never know.

kaynova's review

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emotional hopeful inspiring slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

am i typing this review while in tears? yes, but that’s my business. this work of fiction was so extraordinary; i loved every single one of the characters even through their flaws that reminded me no experience is like the other. their friendship—family—transcends time, to see them grow as humans and as cantoras (a word i didn’t know existed until this book to identify sapphic women). to see each woman grapple with what does it mean to be a woman in love, family, friendship, and to the world, made me as an uterus person feel seen. with la venus and her bisexuality and the need to be a mother to flaca the glue to their group but also the glue to her own family, this felt like a memoir to women and knowing you are not alone. absolutely loved this and now i need to own the physical copy, to feel the weight of love in the palm of my hands.

Content Warnings

gnomes95's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful reflective sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.75

A beautiful book about 5 women who forge a deep bond as friends, lovers, and ultimately family. Set during the Uruguayan dictatorship their lives are shrouded in secrecy that can only be escaped in Cabo Polonio. This novel provides great historical insight into this period. I leaned so much about Uruguay and was so glad the story didn’t end with the fall of the dictatorship. I was tearing up by the end. Such a beautiful and heartfelt story about queer love and resistance.

dijaa's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

racqthebelle's review against another edition

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5.0

I love de Robertis’s writing style. She creates vivid imagery without overloading with detail and the characters were so easy to love and envision. This is a beautiful story that shows us that joy is found in community and community can help you ride the tides of anything. I loved reading about this group of cantoras finding their way and reading about their love transforming and transcending. My only wish is that this story didn’t follow the Lesbians Must Die/Bury Your Gays trope.

kid_barabbas's review against another edition

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1.0

weird almost positive portrayal of pedophilia

bybyberry's review against another edition

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5.0

I can't believe this book has an ending. I can't believe I'm never gonna meet these characters again, never gonna hear about the rest of their lives, their joys, their heartbreaks. I can't even believe they're not real and I can't sit down and drink mate with them. God. Not even kidding, finishing this book, I cried and held it to my chest, hugging it. I'm crying writing this review. Help!!

This was so beautiful. Oh my god!!! A wonderful tale of queerness, political rebellion, trauma, chosen family, sapphic love and lust, acceptance, escapism... It felt so special seeing these five women grow together, go through all these hardships, but also these very real moments of happiness, of belonging somewhere, finally.

I loved discovering more of Uruguay's history, loved how the book was both precise in its historical and political context without reading as too "non-fiction"-ish. It felt accessible without compromising its depth.

God, this book definitely belongs in the top 3 of my 2024 discoveries so far. Such a special book. Blessed be the bookseller at Gay's The Word who recommended it to me!! Aaaah I love books!!!! And queer women's stories!!!

(Also please I need this book to be translated in French so I can gift it to all my friends.)

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