gusanadelibros's review against another edition
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
jessica_h's review against another edition
3.0
'The Children' starts off as a peculiar story, but at least one I could follow and make sense of. Effectively Laura, a middle aged woman (who lives alone with her greyhound, Brus), comes across a small boy who appears to be homeless. She takes him in, makes reports through all the relevant channels, and then hands him over to the social care system. She continues to think about him, so tries to get back in touch with him and makes enquiries with a friend of the family who works in that department.
Then slowly, it all gets a bit odd. Surrealist elements start creeping in and I'm not quite sure what to make of it. From my recent venture into attempting to read 'The Hearing Trumpet', it seems that surrealist fiction doesn't appear to be my type of thing.
Anyways, it's pretty clear that this is a commentary on the welfare state and care of orphaned children in Colombia, but told in this kind of allegory... I think it went a bit over my head. It very much reminded me of 'Fever Dream', not that the stories are much alike, but more in the sense that I had a similar reading experience with both of them. Both are short, punchy, translated reads that are surreal and in some moments quite frightening, but at the roots are trying to tell you something quite important. I'm just not sure I quite 'got' it this time.
I think I'll definitely benefit from a reread of this. But in the meantime, if you've read this, or have seen a good review around that goes into more depth, please let me know your thoughts!
Then slowly, it all gets a bit odd. Surrealist elements start creeping in and I'm not quite sure what to make of it. From my recent venture into attempting to read 'The Hearing Trumpet', it seems that surrealist fiction doesn't appear to be my type of thing.
Anyways, it's pretty clear that this is a commentary on the welfare state and care of orphaned children in Colombia, but told in this kind of allegory... I think it went a bit over my head. It very much reminded me of 'Fever Dream', not that the stories are much alike, but more in the sense that I had a similar reading experience with both of them. Both are short, punchy, translated reads that are surreal and in some moments quite frightening, but at the roots are trying to tell you something quite important. I'm just not sure I quite 'got' it this time.
I think I'll definitely benefit from a reread of this. But in the meantime, if you've read this, or have seen a good review around that goes into more depth, please let me know your thoughts!
lauren_endnotes's review against another edition
2.0
Clunky and repetitive prose about a woman who takes in a child off the street. Initial chapters were of interest, and then it became a muddled mess. Not sure if this was in need of an editor (in the original Spanish) and then a better translator, or some combination therein.
miescenafinal's review against another edition
3.0
no sé amigas, me gustó, me sentí todo el tiempo identificada con la locura de Laura, pero, mmm, no sé, me quedé en la locura. muy entretenido, esos sí.
miescenafinal's review against another edition
3.0
no sé amigas, me gustó, me sentí todo el tiempo identificada con la locura de Laura, pero, mmm, no sé, me quedé en la locura. muy entretenido, esos sí.
themaddiehatter's review against another edition
2.0
I feel like I have no idea what I just read, and, unfortunately, not in a good sense.
“The Children” (Los Niños), by Carolina Sanín is a short novella about a woman named Laura who, after a strange dialogue with a beggar, finds a six year old boy on the street. She takes him in for a few days, before contacting the people responsible and placing him in a children’s home. Soon after, he is still on her mind, and she starts looking for him again.
The story started off well enough, and in the first part of the book I was very intrigued and invested in the story. But then things just got confusing. Is it magical realism, is it happening or not, or is it just kind of boring? I had the impression at first that the book would tackle issues with orphanages in Columbia, but that was only a fleeting instance, which was a bit disappointing.
I listened to the audiobook narration in Spanish (which by the way was narrated beautifully by Luciana Gonzalez de Leon), so I cannot speak for the English translation, but since the story felt so confusing in its original language, I can’t expect it to be much clearer in English. Perhaps my expectations hurt this book, since I saw it categorized as “horror”, or “mystery/thriller”. To me it felt more like a very confusing magical realism story, with few eerie moments.
“The Children” (Los Niños), by Carolina Sanín is a short novella about a woman named Laura who, after a strange dialogue with a beggar, finds a six year old boy on the street. She takes him in for a few days, before contacting the people responsible and placing him in a children’s home. Soon after, he is still on her mind, and she starts looking for him again.
The story started off well enough, and in the first part of the book I was very intrigued and invested in the story. But then things just got confusing. Is it magical realism, is it happening or not, or is it just kind of boring? I had the impression at first that the book would tackle issues with orphanages in Columbia, but that was only a fleeting instance, which was a bit disappointing.
I listened to the audiobook narration in Spanish (which by the way was narrated beautifully by Luciana Gonzalez de Leon), so I cannot speak for the English translation, but since the story felt so confusing in its original language, I can’t expect it to be much clearer in English. Perhaps my expectations hurt this book, since I saw it categorized as “horror”, or “mystery/thriller”. To me it felt more like a very confusing magical realism story, with few eerie moments.
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