hellokittymc's review
3.75
i read this for class and thus my experience was automatically tarnished. this is one i want to reread in a few years since i think i would really be able to enjoy and appreciate it without the pressure of having to write an essay about it (i talked about women's bodies and female sexuality being represented as fruit btw). i absolutely liked the writing style; every line felt incredibly intentional and showed beautiful skill.
vasucrews's review
challenging
dark
mysterious
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
2.75
mc900ft's review
4.0
oh this book ... i feel exhausted from the read, my mind worked overtime not to miss anything. the words are beautiful, the description/character development is intensely thorough (but at times almost too much). you must work through this book for fear of missing or not appreciating everything viramontes wants you to see and feel. strong (and developing) chicana women and the landscape they exist in. seperate lives intricately come together. blows my mind with possibilities, it is powerfully written with an ending worth getting to. there is so much to this, at times i felt this could really turn into 2 novels. every word, every story reads like the words were labored over with specific choice. at times, devistating living. at times, inspirational.
lalicurates's review
4.0
This fictional snapshot of Chicano East LA in the 60's and 70's is detailed, gritty, and as another reviewer put it, "viciously beautiful". The writing style does not follow a traditional narrative flow- rather each chapter feels more like following the train of thought of the character in focus. Those thoughts move between the details of their surroundings, observing their current feeling, and drifting back and forth in time between past trauma and revelations. The fictional events surrounding the Quarantine Authority carry a relevant symbolism in regards to the over-policing of marginalized communities.
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