Scan barcode
A review by jaina8851
Witches by Brenda Lozano
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
This book was my first book in my customized subscription from my local bookstore, so I knew nothing about it when I picked it up. They did a great job picking it for me though, because I really loved it!
There was so much about this book that resonated with me. I've really fallen in love with reading books in translation in general over the past few years as I've gotten back into reading as a hobby. I particularly love the bittersweet feeling of something missing, like I understood and loved this story, but I also can tell that if I were fluent in the language AND the culture, there is richness that is just out of my grasp. I love that meta aspect of this book in particular about the multiple layers of translation at play here, where I am reading the book translated from Spanish to English, and one of the characters is giving her narration through an interpreter. The translator note at the beginning of the book was a great touch, I loved the insight about how she views her role as translator and her thought process on which words should stay in the original language.
I was surprised to see in other reviews that folks found the narration difficult to follow. I usually am a bit picky about first person narration and was a little worried when I realized this would be alternating first person chapters. The voices for the two women are SO distinct though that it was not a problem at all for me. I suspect if I were listening to the audiobook, I might have a harder time unless they used two narrators. I never tired of the the rhythm of the language though in Feliciana's sections. It's like poetry, and I could tell the work that the translator put into it.
While overall I really enjoyed the slow contemplative pace of the book, I do think the second half of the book struggled a little bit with pacing. At about 75% of the way through, I started to feel a little bit of restlessness like "okay we're getting towards the end of the book here, is there any present-tense plot at all, or is this entire story a backward looking reflection for both of these women?" A couple of the chapters towards the end also felt like a very quick wrapping up of loose ends. But, the very last moments of the book really wrapped everything together SO beautifully and I just really enjoyed it.
I have so much I could say about this book. I found Zoe as a character to be SO relatable, and the blend of contemporaneous modern life and indigenous culture to showcase the similarities and parallels in their high level life story was so beautifully done. Read this book if you enjoy slow-moving contemplative character studies steeped in culture, poetic language, and reflections on how we are all connected.
There was so much about this book that resonated with me. I've really fallen in love with reading books in translation in general over the past few years as I've gotten back into reading as a hobby. I particularly love the bittersweet feeling of something missing, like I understood and loved this story, but I also can tell that if I were fluent in the language AND the culture, there is richness that is just out of my grasp. I love that meta aspect of this book in particular about the multiple layers of translation at play here, where I am reading the book translated from Spanish to English, and one of the characters is giving her narration through an interpreter. The translator note at the beginning of the book was a great touch, I loved the insight about how she views her role as translator and her thought process on which words should stay in the original language.
I was surprised to see in other reviews that folks found the narration difficult to follow. I usually am a bit picky about first person narration and was a little worried when I realized this would be alternating first person chapters. The voices for the two women are SO distinct though that it was not a problem at all for me. I suspect if I were listening to the audiobook, I might have a harder time unless they used two narrators. I never tired of the the rhythm of the language though in Feliciana's sections. It's like poetry, and I could tell the work that the translator put into it.
While overall I really enjoyed the slow contemplative pace of the book, I do think the second half of the book struggled a little bit with pacing. At about 75% of the way through, I started to feel a little bit of restlessness like "okay we're getting towards the end of the book here, is there any present-tense plot at all, or is this entire story a backward looking reflection for both of these women?" A couple of the chapters towards the end also felt like a very quick wrapping up of loose ends. But, the very last moments of the book really wrapped everything together SO beautifully and I just really enjoyed it.
I have so much I could say about this book. I found Zoe as a character to be SO relatable, and the blend of contemporaneous modern life and indigenous culture to showcase the similarities and parallels in their high level life story was so beautifully done. Read this book if you enjoy slow-moving contemplative character studies steeped in culture, poetic language, and reflections on how we are all connected.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Rape