Reviews with content warning for Violence - How Not to Drown in a Glass of Water

Reviews tagging 'Violence'

How Not to Drown in a Glass of Water by Angie Cruz

16 reviews

bookishevy's review

emotional funny hopeful informative inspiring lighthearted mysterious reflective sad tense fast-paced

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

5.0

Happy Monday, book besties! I hope you had a restful weekend. I finished this read yesterday and couldn't write my thoughts down fast enough.

This story follows Cara Romero as she navigates the job market for the first time in decades after losing her job at the factory of little lamps during the Great Recession. She enrolls in the Senior Workforce Program to get help finding work and narrates her life to the job counselor over the course of 12 sessions.

While discussing her work strengths, Cara ecounts her tumultuous relationship with her son Fernando's father and how that led to her fleeing the Dominican Republic; her love affairs; her tense relations with her mother, sister Angela and neighbor Lulu; her struggles with gentrification in Washington Heights, debt, grief, loss and what really led to her and Fernando becoming estranged.

Cara is quite the character. She's having to start over in her 50s after becoming unemployed, but she keeps going on these tangents during her counseling sessions. She and the counselor rarely discuss job opportunities, but the counselor doesn't seem to mind because Cara is a great storyteller.

Cara's a lot more like her mother than she is willing to admit, which is why her relationship with Angela is so strained and why Fernando walked away from her. She can be temperamental and controlling. She's more worried about how Fernando living his truth will reflect on her as a mother than she is about being supportive and loving. She must make a change if she wants healthy relationships with the people she loves or risk losing them forever.

Cara's a bit of a busy body, but you can't help but root for her. It's taking her a while to find employment, but she does so much for the people in her building. She's one of those women who takes care of her community, and Cruz dedicated the book to such women. The givers.

Cara's fighting spirit and willingness to swallow her pride make her an inspiration.

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leontyna's review

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emotional hopeful medium-paced

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

5.0

I loved this book! The story was really touching and I really liked the way it was told, through session transcripts and job applications. The main character and all her community seemed so realistic and vivid and I finished the book wanting to hear more stories about them.

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nozycozy's review against another edition

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challenging emotional funny hopeful lighthearted sad fast-paced

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

5.0

I love this book it was written in a way that the MC is talking to you so I highly recommend listening to the audio book. Listening to Cara Romero was like having a cafecito with a beloved Tia. She was spilling all the tea about her life and everyone she knew in her community. I felt like a chismosa haha But in a good way 😆 The story telling was phenomenal the ups and downs, the wisdom, the reflection kept me engaged. I felt conflicted with Carmen at times but in the end she’s human and she is doing her best to change. I loved Cara’s growth. As a daughter of immigrant parents Cara’s relationship with her son really hit close to home. I would get emotional. Cara Romero’s (Cara Bonita 💅) character was very well fleshed out and complex that she felt real and human. I enjoyed listening to her story and despite her mistakes I couldn’t help but root for her.

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abnormal_shadow's review

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emotional funny inspiring 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

I didn't go into this book with a clear understanding of what it was. I listened to this as an audiobook on Libby and I would very much recommend this method. It felt like a podcast. The main character address me as a character. In the book I answer her questions, I follow her story and I check up on her. The audiobook had music, the sounds of waves and the scratching of pens and pencils on paper. The main character is flawed, she often doesn't see how she makes people actually feel. She is confident and assertive to the extent that

it took a public argument with her sister to understand how she actual hurt the people in her life (Fernando and the sister). Its seeing the other side of a child's life, how she feels she was doing her best, her side of the day that her son left, her side of the lives of those around her, her account of events.

You can tell in the book that she is an unreliable narrator and its easy to sympathize with her until certain things click you as a reader get angry with her but not for long. She is not a bad person she is just doing bad things and doesn't understand that.

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mr_cain's review against another edition

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emotional funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted reflective tense fast-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

A sweet little story.

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veritea's review against another edition

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emotional funny hopeful inspiring sad

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

4.5

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alexisgarcia's review

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emotional funny reflective sad fast-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

4.5

i would HIGHLY recommend the audiobook for this. the main character was incredibly lovable and felt like someone i might know and love in my own life. while on the surface the main characters “monologue” seems surface level, there is actually so much depth in it. i felt like the main character became so well rounded and real as the book went on. i also loved the formatting of this book surprisingly.

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theabee's review

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emotional sad 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

3.5

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emily_koopmann's review against another edition

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funny reflective sad fast-paced

5.0

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bella_cavicchi's review

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emotional funny 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

4.5

4.5 stars. A sheer joy and a half to read. Angie Cruz has crafted what is effectively a 190-page monologue, showcasing what feels to me like one of the most distinct voices in recent literary memory. My sentimental heart was tearing up by the final few pages, but I’ll leave that for you to experience for yourself… :)

(And for anyone craving a multi-media (!) experience, reading it is well-paired with this episode of Thresholds: https://open.spotify.com/episode/5odDnfti2oq70ktRVZ4rdU?si=1379209cd6e14d86)

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