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A review by lilbanne
Furia by Yamile Saied Méndez
2.0
On paper, Furia seems like a great book. I love YA books with strong female characters. Unfortunately, it was boring, and the main character annoyed me. The story was over the top. Something else just kept getting added to the plot. It was a slog to finish this read. Lots of eye-rolling.
The book's preview and the author's note mention addressing racial and political tension in Argentina. Still, these topics are only discussed peripherally with a light dusting as an afterthought in a few chapters rather than part of the larger narrative. There was an excellent opportunity to go deep into topics that need to be discussed. I felt let down based on the description of the book.
Furia is about Camila, a 17-year-old female football player from Argentina. Camila's nickname is Furia, a name she earned on the fields playing football. Camila falls in love with an up-and-coming football player named Diego. Diego is a friend Camila grew up with who has gone on to play professional football in Italy. Some even say he's the next Messi! Camila doesn't know what to do, pick the boy or football.
The story felt forced like someone trying to push a feminist agenda to an extreme and missing the point of feminism. I'm all for strong, badass female characters who don't need a man, but Camila's choices are strange and just felt extra for no reason. The characters are pretty surface-level and bratty. Camila constantly lies and never stands up for herself, so as far as a strong female character, is she really? I don't know. This one left me confused.
I wanted more Argentinian culture in this book! I'm always excited to travel and learn about different cultures in stories outside North America. Still, Furia did not go beyond the surface level and felt pretty juvenile, even for a YA story.
I'm torn between a 2-star and a 3-star. I'll let it sit for a bit. I'm disappointed, though. I had high hopes for this read.
The book's preview and the author's note mention addressing racial and political tension in Argentina. Still, these topics are only discussed peripherally with a light dusting as an afterthought in a few chapters rather than part of the larger narrative. There was an excellent opportunity to go deep into topics that need to be discussed. I felt let down based on the description of the book.
Furia is about Camila, a 17-year-old female football player from Argentina. Camila's nickname is Furia, a name she earned on the fields playing football. Camila falls in love with an up-and-coming football player named Diego. Diego is a friend Camila grew up with who has gone on to play professional football in Italy. Some even say he's the next Messi! Camila doesn't know what to do, pick the boy or football.
The story felt forced like someone trying to push a feminist agenda to an extreme and missing the point of feminism. I'm all for strong, badass female characters who don't need a man, but Camila's choices are strange and just felt extra for no reason. The characters are pretty surface-level and bratty. Camila constantly lies and never stands up for herself, so as far as a strong female character, is she really? I don't know. This one left me confused.
I wanted more Argentinian culture in this book! I'm always excited to travel and learn about different cultures in stories outside North America. Still, Furia did not go beyond the surface level and felt pretty juvenile, even for a YA story.
I'm torn between a 2-star and a 3-star. I'll let it sit for a bit. I'm disappointed, though. I had high hopes for this read.