Reviews tagging 'Death'

How We Named the Stars by Andrés N. Ordorica

16 reviews

itschelseaw's review

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emotional 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

“Living is a blessing and I choose to honor it.” What a beautiful, bittersweet book. First loves, family traumas and legacies, growing up and dealing with all the challenges that accompany that. I was crying by the end, especially with the gas station scene.
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chris_reads'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? Yes

5.0

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chanreads's review

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challenging dark emotional hopeful reflective sad 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? Yes

3.75

Lovely book, just deducting points for the ending which felt a little “tied with a bow”, in the way that the grief arc plays out, but that’s over critical. I genuinely loved the book and didn’t want it to end. The vibrancy of the setting and culture really added to the story, and left me wanting to travel to the places that were so artfully depicted. Beautiful, heart wrenching, sensitive read. 
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carlatemis's review against another edition

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dark hopeful reflective sad tense 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? No

5.0

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royalwaterfowl's review

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emotional reflective sad fast-paced
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.75

It was like practicing my own grief for people who are still alive. I did a lot of crying towards the end. 
The male role models in Daniels life are great. This book had so many good examples of healthy, emotional masculinity. I loved Abuelo.
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sydapel's review

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emotional hopeful reflective 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? No

4.25

I may over use the work 'heart-wrenching' in my daily life, but please know that when I use it to describe this book, I do not do so lightly. This is a stunning portrait of grief, lost chances and trying to make a new beginning for your real self. For some ungodly reason, I chose to finish this on a beautiful Sunday morning in a public park and can guarantee more than one passersby was quite concerned with how violently I was crying. If you need a good cry or a good queer coming of age book, I offer this to you. 
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a1exander's review

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

2.75

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riverhetzel's review

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challenging emotional hopeful inspiring reflective sad 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

This is honestly one of my favorite books i’ve ever read. 
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bibliomich's review against another edition

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emotional reflective sad 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? It's complicated

4.0

Andrés N. Ordorica begins the epilogue to his novel How We Named the Stars by explaining to the reader that it is not a memoir. This disclaimer stood out to me, not because it matters if the story is true or not, but because the writing feels so profoundly true to the human experience, that as a reader, I never even stopped to question if it might be fiction.

Ordorica writes with such viscerally emotional prose that even if you have never gone through the specific experience(s) of his protagonist, you can still deeply relate to the feelings attached to these moments. As I watched Daniel fall in love for the first time, I also felt those feelings of falling. Just as his heart was broken for the first time, my heart also broke. In addition to the central love story of the novel, Daniel is also navigating the triumphs and challenges of being a first-generation Latinx college student at a predominantly white university, exploring his identity as a young gay man, connecting with his family in México, and facing grief in the wake of unimaginable loss.

Ordorica writes with the slow, careful prose of a poet, and I highly recommend taking your time moving through this story. Also, please check the content warnings (included in the comments).

Thank you to NetGalley and Tin House for my advanced copy of this beautiful novel.
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emzireads's review

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emotional inspiring reflective

3.0

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