Reviews

Punto de Cruz by Jazmina Barrera

tabithaholmes's review against another edition

hopeful informative reflective

4.75

lecturacompulsiva's review against another edition

emotional reflective medium-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? It's complicated

5.0

linorris_'s review against another edition

5.0

Un libro íntimo, muy íntimo, que trata de la relación de amistad entre tres adolescentes hasta su adultez. La muerte de una de las tres es lo que dispara la narración, la urgencia de escribir y de recopilar, de no olvidar como se han olvidado muchos patrones de punto. Es la actividad de tejer lo que da sentido al libro: a esta amistad, a las separaciones, a los reencuentros y a la propia estructura interna de la novela.

En la novela se intercalan fragmentos del pasado, desde la niñez; de un pasado no tan lejano, que llega hasta la actualidad; de la actualidad y unos brevísimos y sugerentes ensayos sobre las mujeres y los tejidos. Todo es tejido. Esta historia también, claro. El hecho de haber perdido tejidos por haber sido considerados mera artesanía, por no haberlos puesto en valor, hace de esta narración de un duelo aún más importante: una vida que se entretejió con muchas otras, un patrón que no olvidar. La urgencia y la importancia de mantener los proyectos, aunque queden incompletos, de no dejar de tejer. No tengo mucho más que decir salvo que lo leería mil veces.

knittingnoodle's review against another edition

slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated

2.5

mexican girlies in france, there were so many breaks in the plot to concisely plug other interesting stories and tales. 

evorongorota's review against another edition

emotional inspiring medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.75

katgman's review against another edition

inspiring reflective slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

Heartwarming and heartbreaking.  Now I want to take embroidery back up. 

cursedartichoke's review against another edition

[restarted] 

anna_rubin's review against another edition

emotional reflective sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

theryanreview55's review against another edition

dark emotional hopeful reflective sad fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? N/A
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

serendipitysbooks's review against another edition

emotional informative 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? Yes

4.0

 Cross Stitch opens with Mila learning of the death of Citali. Along with Dalia they’d been friends since middle school, volunteered for an adult literacy programme as teens, and later taken an eventful trip to Europe together. But, as so often happens, the three drifted apart as they got older. Much of the book is Mila’s memories of their friendship, the struggles as well as the good times. The focus is very much on their teens and early twenties. Coming-of-age is a key theme, and experiences such as sexual assault and disordered eating are traversed. It also explores loss, grief and regret as Mila questions whether Citali’s death was an accident or suicide, and if she could have done more to help her friend when she was showing signs of struggling.The book is also very much a love letter to reading and especially to embroidery, an interest the three of them shared. The novel is told via vignettes with facts about embroidery, including its history, and the portrayal of needlework in literature interspersed throughout. I appreciated the way this novel spotlighted embroidery, an art often undervalued because it is strongly associated with women. I also appreciated that the connections between the factual interludes and the fictional narrative were never explicitly stated; that the author trusted her readers to do that work themselves. While this book includes some difficult topics I found it to be a smooth, easy and enjoyable reading experience. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship

Moderate: Death