A review by jenlabrador
Ilustrado by Miguel Syjuco

3.0

I think if someone read this and did not have any ties or familiarity with Filipino culture this book would be 1-2 stars. Knowing things about Filipinos, the cons of this book (a sense of fragmentation, cumbersome and pretentious wording) made sense in the greater whole of what it was trying to achieve i.e. questions about identity and nationalism. As a Filipina-American I did get more insight into the Philippines and its current culture, thus the 3 stars. However, the read itself was not very enjoyable. I mildly enjoyed it while reading, but when I put it down for breaks, I was not really compelled to go back and read it again.