Reviews

Cuatro Por Cuatro by Sara Mesa

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tataro's review against another edition

dark mysterious sad slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

I picked this up from the library because I thought the cover looked sick, but I was surprised that I really enjoyed this book. From the moment I started reading it, I couldn't put it down. Sara Mesa does a damn good job of writing flawed characters.

I also enjoyed the main theme of this story being the cycle of abuse and the power dynamics between the powerful and powerless. Like the fact that in Ignacio's development, he goes from being bullied abused to someone who bullies and abuses others. It's morally wrong, and his actions are not at all okay, but seeing what Héctor did to him, I can see how he ended up this way. The kids in this story are all victims of the adults, whether that be direct or indirect. The colich masquerades as being a school that strives for greatness and prowess, while also being sympathetic with the student's needs and concerns. In actuality, it's the adults, who have the power and who are supposed to be there for the children, who take advantage of their blind loyalty.

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I don't know too much about the historical context of this book, but based on my impressions after my first read I'd definitely recommend this to anyone who enjoys flawed characters and dark themes. Mesa is not one to shy away from graphic details, but I think they're intentional.

One critique I have of the writing has to be the way fatphobia is baked into the character's way of speech. It doesn't feel specific to one person, but I'm not sure if this was intentional or not, but I just found it interesting how in detail Mesa went into describing someone who was considered fat.

Content Warnings

chillcox15's review against another edition

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4.0

The Secret History and/or Hangsaman by way of Pale Fire/Pnin for the Pizzagate era, which is to say I dug this immensely. That being said, it feels almost too explicit with its intentions?

verderebelde's review against another edition

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3.0

Un libro dividido en dos partes con dos estilos narrativos muy diferentes: la primera mitad me fascinó, sin embargo la segunda consiguió desconectarme y sólo llegué hasta el final por terminarlo.

srval's review against another edition

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2.0

Para Historia. Non me gustou. Ningún personaje excepto Celia tiña motivación algunha e esa acaban con ela antes da segunda parte do libro.

chaitea444's review against another edition

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mysterious tense slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

2.0

hanntastic's review against another edition

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2.0

Global Read Challenge 46: Spain

I could not get into this book. There were a million loose threads that were never explored at all. Why was Lux killed? The professor? How did his ex-girl friend find him and what was her purpose? What happened to Booty? Then there's this big bombshell of maybe sex trafficking but it isn't explored or fleshed out. It was like the author had a good idea but didn't bother to do the actual work of turning it into narrative.

Also, I could not get past the author's description of fat people. There was just so much disdain for Valen and Sacra, it dripped off the page. Most people's physical descriptions were minimal but the author went to great pains to let you know how odious these people were.