caitlink's review against another edition
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
5.0
emilyusuallyreading's review against another edition
3.0
What I Liked
The friendship between Graca and Dores is well-written and tangible. The divides between their classes and the strong bond of friendship is the most beautiful part of this novel by far.
What I Didn't Like
Even though I love a good friend romance novel, I struggled to make it through this one. It is overly written and drawn out, with many, many detailed paragraphs about the Samba and music of the time, which is lovely if you are interested in that, but it did ultimately detract from the purpose of this novel, which was a tale of a friendship.
The friendship between Graca and Dores is well-written and tangible. The divides between their classes and the strong bond of friendship is the most beautiful part of this novel by far.
What I Didn't Like
Even though I love a good friend romance novel, I struggled to make it through this one. It is overly written and drawn out, with many, many detailed paragraphs about the Samba and music of the time, which is lovely if you are interested in that, but it did ultimately detract from the purpose of this novel, which was a tale of a friendship.
campreadkarin's review against another edition
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
lindasdarby's review against another edition
2.0
I know this book got great reviews but I just couldn't totally get into it. I went on vacation and it was easy to put down and I feel like I don't even want to pick it back up. There are too many books I do want to read so this is getting returned to the library. If any of you read it and say it is great maybe I will give it another try.
shornerk's review against another edition
5.0
This was one of my favorite books of 2018. The story is a rich investigation of the culture and history of samba. The story uses fictional characters to investigate the ethical dilemmas of the real-life Carmen Miranda as she was tossed into international stardom between the conflicting demands of Hollywood (becoming an objectified woman) and political changes that adjusted narratives of what it meant to be authentically Brazilian in response to foreign intervention and political power. The fictional characters are beautifully flawed, complex, and human. The narrative story commands a beautiful use of flashbacks and storytelling with language that is beautiful for insights into human conditions (I highlighted a lot of my favorite quotes). Loved the book.
akingston5's review against another edition
“We are all beautiful in our youth. And we are all forgiven.”
•••
“Shopgirls, good-time girls, cleaning girls, cigarette girls, errand girls, candy girls, showgirls, butterfly girls, and girls like Graça and me, who refused to be anything but ourselves. This is, of course, the most dangerous thing any girl can be.”
•••
Dores begins life as a servant on a Brazilian sugar cane plantation to the “little miss” — Graça— and we follow their journey through the birth of samba in 1920s Brazil. The story is beautifully written with a coming of age/star-rising story set in a unique backdrop, even if we do know what’s coming the entire time. While it’s not my favorite, I get all the buzz about it and it’s definitely worth a read!
•••
“Shopgirls, good-time girls, cleaning girls, cigarette girls, errand girls, candy girls, showgirls, butterfly girls, and girls like Graça and me, who refused to be anything but ourselves. This is, of course, the most dangerous thing any girl can be.”
•••
Dores begins life as a servant on a Brazilian sugar cane plantation to the “little miss” — Graça— and we follow their journey through the birth of samba in 1920s Brazil. The story is beautifully written with a coming of age/star-rising story set in a unique backdrop, even if we do know what’s coming the entire time. While it’s not my favorite, I get all the buzz about it and it’s definitely worth a read!
anniew415's review against another edition
4.0
Long but beautiful. Took me a while to get into the story and even now I’m not sure I care for either of the main characters. A lot of bitterness in this story which I suppose is the point... Would make a wonderful film though!
corgi66's review against another edition
calling this a beach read sells it short. the prose is accessible and easy but in a clear and effective way rather than a low-common-denominator or simple way. It takes ideas difficult to convey and does so in a way as good as anyone could. The story is narrated by the MC as a near centenarian so you know what happens but not how, which means it's not about plot twists but about the relationship between the two main characters and their reactions and the MC's interiority. Not waiting on plot twists makes you enjoy the book for what it is rather (friendship, ambition, envy AND jealousy, and everything else it says on the flap) than rushing through for plot.
Does a great job of describing how music affects the characters without purple prose, and words like harmony or rhythm don't even appear until the end. Makes me want to learn more about samba/fado/carmen miranda/brazil. Outside the top two characters, most are stock-type but it doesn't matter because the focus isn't on them, it's on the two leads. First 70 pages are about the slog of a poor childhood but written well enough you can overlook the slog.
Does a great job of describing how music affects the characters without purple prose, and words like harmony or rhythm don't even appear until the end. Makes me want to learn more about samba/fado/carmen miranda/brazil. Outside the top two characters, most are stock-type but it doesn't matter because the focus isn't on them, it's on the two leads. First 70 pages are about the slog of a poor childhood but written well enough you can overlook the slog.