buffyb's review against another edition
5.0
It was fun, the writing was excellent and it made me want to read it without putting it down. I find much less to criticise about a book when that's the case. Some people seemed to have a problem with the fact that it was narrated by someone who is only revealed at the end and felt that it kept them distanced from the story and, most importantly, the action. I felt that it made it more personal. To each her own, I suppose. I thoroughly enjoyed it.
borna761's review against another edition
4.0
I have been fascinated by the story of Zorro ever since watching the TV series in the early 90s, so when the opportunity came to read a book about him, I did not hesitate to pick it up.
While it is always fun and exciting to read the stories of heroes and how they came to be, Diego de la Vega's striving for justice does not come out as too heroic or over the top. We get to follow his struggles as he grows up, caught between two parents and cultures, not knowing where he really belongs. As he travels to Spain to continue his education, while always proficient in his undertakings, he also has his occasional shortcomings. However, his desire for justice is always his guide.
The narrative is well-written and captivating, and leads you along the way through his life without ever feeling boring. Knowing that at some point he will return and take on the double life of Diego and Zorro, it is still an interesting and compelling read, wanting to know how he gets there and what happens along the way. Recommended!
While it is always fun and exciting to read the stories of heroes and how they came to be, Diego de la Vega's striving for justice does not come out as too heroic or over the top. We get to follow his struggles as he grows up, caught between two parents and cultures, not knowing where he really belongs. As he travels to Spain to continue his education, while always proficient in his undertakings, he also has his occasional shortcomings. However, his desire for justice is always his guide.
The narrative is well-written and captivating, and leads you along the way through his life without ever feeling boring. Knowing that at some point he will return and take on the double life of Diego and Zorro, it is still an interesting and compelling read, wanting to know how he gets there and what happens along the way. Recommended!
pennymine's review against another edition
2.0
I'm not sure if I get to rate this book or not, since I have decided to not finish it. I'm bored. There are so many other books out there that I could find interesting that I'm not willing to put in the time it would take to slog the rest of the way through it. I'm a little over 1/2 way through and I tried...I really did. But this book just does not cut it for me.
And by the by, I don't like that Zorro always gets it right. He never makes mistakes or goes overboard. Everything works out perfectly for him and everyone likes him. This is an overstatement, I know. But I found him difficult to relate to as a character-he was just a flat hero.
And by the by, I don't like that Zorro always gets it right. He never makes mistakes or goes overboard. Everything works out perfectly for him and everyone likes him. This is an overstatement, I know. But I found him difficult to relate to as a character-he was just a flat hero.
boxcar's review against another edition
adventurous
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
4.25
Really enjoyed this, and of course a story about Zorro is bound to be adventurous and fun. This is no exception, and Allende does a great job of telling the story. Great characterization, fun adventures, tragedy, some real heartbreak in here. I also love a good pure evil, spawn of satan antagonist, and Moncada is certainly that. I thought the ending was hasty, but I'm sure she could've gone on about Zorro's exploits for 1000 pages, and that would've been the wrong move. Gotta end it somewhere.
monicamjw's review against another edition
4.0
Wonderfully engaging tale of Zorro's beginnings by one of my favorite authors.
joyshak's review against another edition
3.0
I remember this being a decent read, but not necessarily enjoyable. It is a translated novel. Also, the author's writing style does not appeal to me. Lots of long paragraphs, with lots of long narrative prose. I never felt like I was IN the action. It felt more like I was listening to someone tell me a long, drawn out story. The worst is that I love the Zorro story and wanted SO BAD to love this book, but I found the writing style boring and it kept distracting me from the story.
kandicez's review against another edition
1.0
I confess, I did not actually finish, but I got more than 75% through when I realized it was too late for this to get any better. Allende is usually a beautiful writer and I went in expecting to be dazzled. I was not.
The first quarter of the book read like Numbers in the Bible. It was just a drone of this and then this and then this and then this... on and on. There was no color, no excitement. I felt Allende was telling us everything, showing us nothing.
About halfway through, the narrator began referring to themselves and I perked up. Now the really story will start. Now we are getting somewhere. One hundred pages later and we are not.
Too many books, not enough time.
The first quarter of the book read like Numbers in the Bible. It was just a drone of this and then this and then this and then this... on and on. There was no color, no excitement. I felt Allende was telling us everything, showing us nothing.
About halfway through, the narrator began referring to themselves and I perked up. Now the really story will start. Now we are getting somewhere. One hundred pages later and we are not.
Too many books, not enough time.
bookishwendy's review against another edition
2.0
I was looking for a clever retelling of this fictional American homegrown hero, something with an interesting feminine twist. What I got was indeed a retelling, but not as clever or interesting as I had hoped.
This is a "tale of origin" explaining how Zorro became the masked avenger. He is born Diego de la Vega, son of a Spanish hidalgo and a fierce Shoshone she-warrior. Apparently, the author took great pains to research this book. Kudos. Despite all the research, there seemed to be something a little off. It wasn't so much the facts that were suspect(although I'd like to check if the Shoshone values of "Okahue" were created to serve the plot), but the way the facts integrated--or failed to integrate--with the story. At one point Diego is bitten by a rattlesnake. "Diego remembered some of the facts he had learned about rattlesnakes..." The facts that follow may as well be numbered, taken from some text or scientific article. The fencing scenes are even worse. You might as well read from a manual. I listened to the audiobook, so here is my best paraphrase: "He held his arm 180 degrees in front, foil pointed forward, left arm raised 90 degrees over his head for balance." Yes, that makes for quite the thrilling fight scene. The gripes go on. Every other word is a cliche (the translator's fault?), there is hardly any dialogue, the prose is bland, the characters flat and impossible to sympathize with, as they have as much pep as are papier mache.
This is my first Allende book, and I hear she is renowned for her well-drawn female characters and ability to write emotional drama. I can't speak for her other books, but here I found Julianna a distressed damsel, and Isabelle just annoying. Nuria, the girls' chaperone, is religious, superstitious and narrowminded, which makes her the most interesting of all. As for the men...Bernardo the mute Shoshone is sympathetic, mainly because of some emotional manipulation on the writer's part by making him an orphan who refuses to talk due to his suffering. She tries to make Zorro a sort of "scarlet pimpernel" type who behaves flamboyantly while defending the downtrodden from behind his mask. As with all her descriptions, she never gets more specific than saying he "dressed well" and "behaved flamboyantly". No "show", all "tell". She also tends to spell things out in case the reader wasn't observant enough to figure out something themselves.
I'd like to end on a positive note. Scientific discussion of rattlesnake bites aside, I did enjoy Diego's and Bernardo's Spirit Quests with the Shoshone tribe. I thought the two boys' respective experiences finding their totem animals did more to establish character than any other anecdote in this book.
This is a "tale of origin" explaining how Zorro became the masked avenger. He is born Diego de la Vega, son of a Spanish hidalgo and a fierce Shoshone she-warrior. Apparently, the author took great pains to research this book. Kudos. Despite all the research, there seemed to be something a little off. It wasn't so much the facts that were suspect(although I'd like to check if the Shoshone values of "Okahue" were created to serve the plot), but the way the facts integrated--or failed to integrate--with the story. At one point Diego is bitten by a rattlesnake. "Diego remembered some of the facts he had learned about rattlesnakes..." The facts that follow may as well be numbered, taken from some text or scientific article. The fencing scenes are even worse. You might as well read from a manual. I listened to the audiobook, so here is my best paraphrase: "He held his arm 180 degrees in front, foil pointed forward, left arm raised 90 degrees over his head for balance." Yes, that makes for quite the thrilling fight scene. The gripes go on. Every other word is a cliche (the translator's fault?), there is hardly any dialogue, the prose is bland, the characters flat and impossible to sympathize with, as they have as much pep as are papier mache.
This is my first Allende book, and I hear she is renowned for her well-drawn female characters and ability to write emotional drama. I can't speak for her other books, but here I found Julianna a distressed damsel, and Isabelle just annoying. Nuria, the girls' chaperone, is religious, superstitious and narrowminded, which makes her the most interesting of all. As for the men...Bernardo the mute Shoshone is sympathetic, mainly because of some emotional manipulation on the writer's part by making him an orphan who refuses to talk due to his suffering. She tries to make Zorro a sort of "scarlet pimpernel" type who behaves flamboyantly while defending the downtrodden from behind his mask. As with all her descriptions, she never gets more specific than saying he "dressed well" and "behaved flamboyantly". No "show", all "tell". She also tends to spell things out in case the reader wasn't observant enough to figure out something themselves.
I'd like to end on a positive note. Scientific discussion of rattlesnake bites aside, I did enjoy Diego's and Bernardo's Spirit Quests with the Shoshone tribe. I thought the two boys' respective experiences finding their totem animals did more to establish character than any other anecdote in this book.
garfunkleha345's review against another edition
adventurous
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5