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christinawwarburton's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
funny
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
brittyashley's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
reflective
sad
fast-paced
3.5
ameliatrace's review against another edition
4.0
This book is a feat of storytelling, and also feels totally indescribable, if almost unfinished (but only in plot! For sure all author goals were achieved). Maybe it’s an achievement in setting? Of character creation? Of character abandonment? Of humor writing? Certainly the most fully Pitbull has ever been rendered in a novel!
Every perspective was a gift, and there were so many observations that felt culturally monumental (emotional crippling via machismo! Female prospects in a patriarchal religious world! Pop culture as a life plan!). And poor Izzy - a sympathetic dope who only understands grandiosity - whose potential for growth is always countered by the prescient narrator that reminds you he is, in fact, not growing. So much of everything, in short, but maybe also too experimental to feel completely satisfying. (I’ve also never seen Scarface or read Moby Dick, so perhaps my perspective is moot!)
Tl;dr — what a ride! Recommend.
Every perspective was a gift, and there were so many observations that felt culturally monumental (emotional crippling via machismo! Female prospects in a patriarchal religious world! Pop culture as a life plan!). And poor Izzy - a sympathetic dope who only understands grandiosity - whose potential for growth is always countered by the prescient narrator that reminds you he is, in fact, not growing. So much of everything, in short, but maybe also too experimental to feel completely satisfying. (I’ve also never seen Scarface or read Moby Dick, so perhaps my perspective is moot!)
Tl;dr — what a ride! Recommend.
laureeannes's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
annmarik's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
funny
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
5.0
iameasytofind's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
kathrinpassig's review against another edition
3.0
An sich ein Konzept, das ich mag: Allwissende Erzählfigur, abwegige Prämisse (junger Mann mit "Scarface"-Berufsplänen entwickelt telepathische Verbindung mit einem Orca), interessante Abschweifungen in alle Richtungen, und ich wusste vorher so gut wie nichts über kubanisches Leben in Miami. Es hat für mich aber trotzdem nicht funktioniert, ich glaube, vor allem aus zwei Gründen: Die Handlung kommt gletscherartig langsam voran, und alle Personen, in deren Gedanken man Einblick bekommt, denken / schreiben wie in einer geisteswissenschaftlichen Uni-Arbeit (auch der Orca). Mich stört daran nicht der Uni-Tonfall, sondern nur, dass alle Figuren mit dem gleichen Kopf denken.