Reviews with content warning for Emotional abuse - Cantoras

"A Cantora is a woman who sings"

"Its [cantora] connotations were beautiful, but also obscene, depending on how you approached it"

This, this is one of the most beautiful sapphic stories I have read. It is the story of 5 queer women finding each other and learning to survive under the Uruguayan dictatorship of the 1970's.

It is a story of survival, friendship, love, betrayal, and political action. It is a beautiful story that takes you through the history of Uruguays & Latin Americas slow movement towards democracy and queer rights.

The relationships between the five women were heart warming. They were each strong women, who found a space where they could be happy, vulnerable, and themselves. Through the story we see these women break the barriers that have been imposed on them by society, fighting to be their true selves and for their own country.

This story made me realize how little I know about lgbt movement in LatAm. How so many fought for democracy, equality, and love. In This book I found my love for my mother tongue, Spanish, again. A language that throughout the book is often used to emphasize the beauty that exists around the world.

During this book I laughed, I cried, and celebrated the wonderment that is being a sapphic woman. A must read for everyone.

Content Warnings

lmaonice's review

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dark emotional hopeful informative sad slow-paced

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

5.0

I was initially very unsure what to rate this book. for the majority of the book I found it enjoyable but I felt a certain amount of distance from most of the characters. That is, until the last 2 chapters, in which I suddenly felt so attached that I sobbed throughout the last 30 pages or so. I think this book is a triumph, I think it balances the harsh reality of the setting with hopefulness and happy moments excellently, making it feel neither like wish-fulfillment nor torture porn. While there absolutely are horrific things happening in this book, it doesn't feel overdone for the sake of making the reader cry, it feel purposeful.

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imreallyraven's review

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adventurous challenging dark emotional funny hopeful informative inspiring lighthearted reflective sad tense 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? Yes

5.0

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alexiswiththefreckles's review

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dark emotional hopeful inspiring 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? Yes

5.0

This book held me and would not let go. I want to get a physical copy asap (listened on audiobook) so I can read it again and find all those sentences that felt more like lyrics to me. It was stunning, hopeful, heartbreaking, joyous, all at once. Following these queer women find themselves and lose themselves and struggle and succeed felt like an honor. I don't know if I have the right words, but I think this will be one of my top books of the year.

Content Warnings

skyesreads's review

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adventurous emotional hopeful informative inspiring reflective sad slow-paced

Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Content Warnings

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