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moh's review
4.0
Though I was impressed by the precision of Derek Palacio's writing, the sense of time and place, and the ways characters were shaped by loss, it was only in the last 70 pages or so that I was thoroughly drawn into The Mortifications. But that last part was stunningly beautiful in ways that made me put the book down and catch my breath before continuing on.
jacobsite's review
2.0
Just realized I sounded massively bitter in my old review so I'm just gonna delete me being toxic for the length of a dissertation and say that while I enjoyed a lot of the writing and structure of this novel, and the last third of the book I believe is genuinely fantastic, the plot for the vast majority of the book is tackling way too much for its own good, sometimes to the point of it being incomprehensible. This could've been a great coming of age book discussing loss and separation, but that core gets lost very easily.
constantreader471's review
4.0
This was a very dense book, and I took a long time to read it(14 days), sometimes reading only 10 pages in a day. The book starts with a Cuban refugee, Soledad Encarnacion, and her two children Isabel and Ulises, living in Connecticut. They left Cuba during the 1980 Mariel boatlift. Soledad's husband and father of her 2 children, Uxbal, remained in Cuba and wanted her to leave Isabel with him. He considers himself a rebel against Castro's regime and hides in the hills near their home of Buey Arriba.
This book is filled with images and religious mysticism. Isabel volunteers at a hospital and talks to dying patients. She believes that she helps them spiritually. She becomes known as "the Death Torch." She decides to become a nun, taking vows of chastity, silence, poverty and obedience.
But all 3, Soledad, Isabel and Ulises are drawn back to Cuba.
One Quote: "...offspring sometimes become conduits for want,another means of engaging a reluctant, distant partner."
I rate it 3.5(rounded up to 4) out of 5 stars. Thanks to LibraryThing and the publisher for sending me this book.
This book is filled with images and religious mysticism. Isabel volunteers at a hospital and talks to dying patients. She believes that she helps them spiritually. She becomes known as "the Death Torch." She decides to become a nun, taking vows of chastity, silence, poverty and obedience.
But all 3, Soledad, Isabel and Ulises are drawn back to Cuba.
One Quote: "...offspring sometimes become conduits for want,another means of engaging a reluctant, distant partner."
I rate it 3.5(rounded up to 4) out of 5 stars. Thanks to LibraryThing and the publisher for sending me this book.
vanloonsgeography's review
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
scaraquin's review against another edition
challenging
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
lovegirl30's review
This was my first Cuban-American novel. I had also never read anything in the political genre. It was a rather interesting story.
The story starts out with Soledad and her two twin children who immigrate to America in 1980 during the Mariel boat lift which was a mass emigration of Cubans who traveled from Cuba's Mariel Harbor to the United States. They ultimately were looking to gain asylum by taking refuge on the grounds of the Peruvian embassy; the Cuban Government announced that anyone who wanted to leave could do so. The ensuing mass migration was organized by Cuban-Americans with the agreement of Cuban President Fidel Castro.
At this time Jimmy Carter was President. This caused countless political problems. Apparently, it had been discovered that some the refugees had been released from Cuban jails and mental health facilities. The Mariel boatlift was ended by agreement between two governments in late 1980 after as many as 125,000 Cubans reached Florida.
Sadly I did feel a bit bored during the story. Ultimately, I was expecting an immigrant experience story, and it doesn't read like that, but more of a dysfunctional family saga. Many layers but lots of drama. Maybe even too much drama.
Overall a decent read.
Disclaimer I received this book for review. Thanks to Crown Publishing and NetGalley as well as Blogging for books. All thoughts are my own.
crtsjffrsn's review
2.0
This was an incredibly challenging read. The author doesn't use quotation marks and there is a lot of dialogue between characters interspersed with narration. It took a great deal of focus to keep track of who was speaking and when, and it significantly impacted the opportunity to engage with and enjoy the overall story.
The story itself is okay, but I found myself missing why it was particularly compelling. It may be that the problem with dialogue made it harder to connect with the characters, but it was definitely challenging to really find significance in what seems like it should be a very significant story.
[Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book from the publisher via Blogging for Books in exchange for an honest review.]
The story itself is okay, but I found myself missing why it was particularly compelling. It may be that the problem with dialogue made it harder to connect with the characters, but it was definitely challenging to really find significance in what seems like it should be a very significant story.
[Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book from the publisher via Blogging for Books in exchange for an honest review.]
courthompson's review
3.0
This was a bit too cerebral and internal for me. I couldn't relate to the religious pulls for most of the characters, but I thought the nostalgia for a life that never truly existed was beautifully described.