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library_whisperss's review against another edition
I was really excited to read this book but I didn’t know it was based off a reporters pov. & at first I was okay with that but i feel like it’s not talking about Teresa too much which is how I thought it would go. I’m not gonna give up on it entirely but for now it will be a dnf
twstdtink's review against another edition
3.0
A young Mexican girl moves up in the ranks of the drug world unintentionally. This book is full of the "how to's" and "why's" of the industry. So much so, I almost marked it as "educational". Although the story is interesting, it was also a bit too descriptive at times and I never quite took an interest in the main characters.
abarr3ra's review against another edition
5.0
I read this book in Spanish sooo I have no idea if its different then the English version but I am obsessed with Teresa Mendoza (main character) they have a telenovela (soap opera) that is also AMZAZING to watch!
jakewritesbooks's review against another edition
4.0
I’ve been slumping lately due to stress at work and have mostly been hewing to light fiction (see Daisy Darker). I didn’t expect to connect with Arturo Pérez-Reverte’s literary crime novel when cycling through what I wanted to read next but the writing hooked me from page one and away we went.
This is an interesting book. It’s good, very good. I’m not sure it’s great but I don’t want to dwell on that. I’ll focus on what I liked: it’s absolutely a retelling in some respects of The Count of Monte Cristo, but I also feel like it’s close to Scarface too. Not tonally (thank God) but similarly to that kind of person rising from a bad background to find purpose, and one true purpose.
It certainly helps that Teresa is a more interesting character than Tony Montana. The strength of the book is Pérez-Reverte diving deep into her inner monologue, her rumination on her life that has led her to become this major drug transporter in Spain and her business-or-else attitude to survive it all. Being a literary crime novel, the writer never reverts to stereotype so everyone from the Russian mobster to the Sinaloan drug baron to the money laundering lawyer gets the full, complete human treatment. It made all the stakes feel real and elevated this from what would have otherwise been a semi-entertaining, pulpy read.
The downside here is two-fold: The journalist angle of the man chasing Teresa is interesting though I’m not sure it works. It basically functions as the writer’s inner monologue for how he views his creation. I’ve said before that the best books are the ones that trust the reader to discern what’s being spelled out. It’s not bad from a reading perspective but I don’t think the book needed it.
Also, while I learned a lot about who Teresa was, what she became, and what she thought about it all, there’s still too much of an emotional distance from her. I’m kinda rooting for her but I don’t know why then I’m not sure I want to, and on and on until the book’s (unsatisfying) conclusion.
Still, it’s very good. One of the best things I’ve read all year. If you’ve seen previews for the USA television show, it’s probably not much like that, though I think Alice Braga is perfectly cast (again, going off previews here). But it’s worth a shot if you like rich writing and/or literary crime stories.
This is an interesting book. It’s good, very good. I’m not sure it’s great but I don’t want to dwell on that. I’ll focus on what I liked: it’s absolutely a retelling in some respects of The Count of Monte Cristo, but I also feel like it’s close to Scarface too. Not tonally (thank God) but similarly to that kind of person rising from a bad background to find purpose, and one true purpose.
It certainly helps that Teresa is a more interesting character than Tony Montana. The strength of the book is Pérez-Reverte diving deep into her inner monologue, her rumination on her life that has led her to become this major drug transporter in Spain and her business-or-else attitude to survive it all. Being a literary crime novel, the writer never reverts to stereotype so everyone from the Russian mobster to the Sinaloan drug baron to the money laundering lawyer gets the full, complete human treatment. It made all the stakes feel real and elevated this from what would have otherwise been a semi-entertaining, pulpy read.
The downside here is two-fold: The journalist angle of the man chasing Teresa is interesting though I’m not sure it works. It basically functions as the writer’s inner monologue for how he views his creation. I’ve said before that the best books are the ones that trust the reader to discern what’s being spelled out. It’s not bad from a reading perspective but I don’t think the book needed it.
Also, while I learned a lot about who Teresa was, what she became, and what she thought about it all, there’s still too much of an emotional distance from her. I’m kinda rooting for her but I don’t know why then I’m not sure I want to, and on and on until the book’s (unsatisfying) conclusion.
Still, it’s very good. One of the best things I’ve read all year. If you’ve seen previews for the USA television show, it’s probably not much like that, though I think Alice Braga is perfectly cast (again, going off previews here). But it’s worth a shot if you like rich writing and/or literary crime stories.
mcfade28's review against another edition
3.0
Teresa is the girlfriend of a drug smuggler. When he gets murdered in the opening pages of this novel, she flees for her life. In the next 600+ pages she turns to a life of crime herself and far surpasses her dead partner.
This was well written but unfortunately it just wasn't really for me. Something about the kind of dispassionate removed writing style didn't agree with me.
This was well written but unfortunately it just wasn't really for me. Something about the kind of dispassionate removed writing style didn't agree with me.
sbhatnag's review against another edition
3.0
This is why I like book clubs - you end up reading books that you wouldn't normally pick up. I enjoyed reading about Teresa Mendoza and her evolution as "Queen of the South." However, I could have done without all the maritime technicalities. I was also interested in how Arturo Perez-Reverte, as a man, portrayed experiences of "womanhood" - including rape and pregnancy - both which the character experienced with a degree of indifference. One last thing: don't watch the USA series based on the book. It *royally* sucks!
cherircohen's review against another edition
5.0
I just finished reading this again, and if possible, I liked it even more.
melaniecraft's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
inspiring
reflective
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
5.0
ivanssister's review against another edition
3.0
I have one quibble with this book, but it's probably just one of my "things" that no one else really cares about. There was a lot of "we're from Sinaloa, that's how we do it" and that concept drives me batty...I just don't get it.
Otherwise, this was an intriguing look into drug trafficking, and had some interesting characters. An interesting action-packed end, and I didn't really see it coming when they revealed what Guero really was.
Otherwise, this was an intriguing look into drug trafficking, and had some interesting characters. An interesting action-packed end, and I didn't really see it coming when they revealed what Guero really was.
willkay's review against another edition
5.0
I'm on holiday - hurrah! This means it is time to turn my attention to the (very important) task of learning Spanish. I made two "New Year's Resolutions". One was to learn some Spanish before the year was out, the other was to keep a running list of the books I have read on this here blog. So, time to work on one of my resolutions.
Instead of learning Spanish I have been reading! The Queen of the South by Arturo Perez-Reverte is the latest book that I have finished. The best way to describe it is "a page turner". On the opening page the heroine, Teresa Mendoza, receives a call on a phone, a phone that she has been told that: "If it rings start running. And don't stop running. Ever." The book covers the next twelve years of her life as she flees Mexico, ends up in Africa, spends time in jail, moves to Spain and then finally returns home.
It is really difficult to explain how much I liked this book. It's strange, I am sat here at the computer, reading as I type and I realise that I am being slightly "flat" in my description - which isn't fair to the book because it is a fast-paced, thrilling ride. Teresa starts the book as a girlfriend of a drug runner and ends up building a huge drug-running empire. The book is written in a very clever way, the author acts as an investigative journalist, writing the "biography" of "The Queen of the South" (as Mendoza becomes know). However, the book is written in such a way that at the end I googled Teresa Mendoza because I really, really thought she was a real person. The book includes many situations, many people that have happened or existed. And by the end of the book I had become so involved with the main character that I wanted her to be real. I wanted her to find the peace that she deserved. And yes, I realise that wanting a major drug runner to escape and live in peace is not the way I normally feel but the author makes you become invested in the characters. Hell, by the end of the book I had fallen in love with most of the drug runners and dealers and actually hated the authorities and their "witch hunts".
The other wonderful thing about this book was it gave me an insight into how Mexicans think and behave. Obviously I live with one (a Mexican that is) and have a small handle on her behaviour patterns but it was fascinating to discover that instead of Maria being a totally unique individual, she is also a product of her country. There was a lot of familiarity, for me, in the book. Place names, Spanish/Mexican expressions, a general understanding of "that's the way they think" and a total recognition of "that's the way they dress and wear their hair".
I loved this book. Because of the world I now occupy, drugs (running and dealing) are part of my life background - not because I am involved but because I come across it most every day, it exists in my life - and the history of drug cartels is something that I have become interested in. The fact that my nickname at Maria's office is that of a famous drug dealer might have something to do with my fascination. The fact that three times a week I cross the border knowing that as I do, there is a good chance that right next to me is someone smuggling drugs interests me.
This review probably doesn't do the book justice. I really enjoyed it, would recommend it.