fallingapple's review against another edition
Intrigued in the beginning and the prose is very beautiful but became a bit too wandering around for me
hadiii's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
portabletime's review against another edition
adventurous
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.5
skeindalous's review against another edition
challenging
reflective
sad
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
shaeloef's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
shanviolinlove's review against another edition
4.0
This is my second Aridjis novel after reading her quietly mesmerizing novel Asunder last year. Both novels feature a young woman (Sea Monsters' protagonist is a high school teen) navigating a soft-spoken existence of oddities and creature comforts before embarking on a journey that would shake up this otherwise placid life. In Luisa's case, the departure is more pronounced, as she absconds from school with a teenage crush she barely knows, to spend a few aimless days on a Oaxacan beach. Her proposed goals are far-fetched, to say the least; it is clear from the get-go that Luisa, however thoughtful and philosophical her interior thoughts run, propels herself into situations she does not fully understand. A romantic--careful to distinguish that she is too young yet to know which type of unrealistic romantic she is--she is governed by fantasies, the sort we easily project onto others, only to resent when the illusion fades and we see in disappointment or horror what is really there. Luisa craves thrill and mystery very typical for a young person at the hinge of adventure, but the thrill is always adjacent to her. She is constantly immersed in the company of others (mostly males) who live odd, sad lives, but to her these are thrilling trajectories, because they are chosen. And so her choice, to go to Oaxaca, is also at first a grand adventure, because it is hers. But as time transpires and one day melds into the next, she is faced with a more sobering reality. It is a poignant study on the loss of innocence, so to speak, although I wish the final chapter had focused more on her and less on a side character whose attention to his own narrative seemed a bit misplaced. Gorgeously, evocatively written.
keelinreads's review against another edition
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.25
tuinmuur's review against another edition
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
leanadezutter's review against another edition
emotional
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0