Tag: review

Review: AN OCEAN OF MINUTES

Posted on by Adrianna Sampedro

I’m embarrassed that I haven’t updated in a long time. A lot of personal things have arisen and July has been sort of the start of the avalanche.

Anyway, I’ve read other books this year prior to AN OCEAN OF MINUTES by Thea Lim. I read AN AMERICAN MARRIAGE and SUICIDE CLUB. I’ll talk about those soon as I am planning on re-reading SUICIDE CLUB.

Somehow my radar had missed that this book was being released. I generally pre-order things and get very giddy when I get the notification that a book has been delivered to my doorstep on the day of its release. I visited my local B&N instead to obtain a copy of this marvelous book. I love dystopian novels. I like to fantasize that one day I will be heavy with an idea that I can turn into a novel of this caliber.

AN OCEAN OF MINUTES is many things, it’s a love story, a story about class, and time travel. Time travel is an interesting topic to me. This story namely follows the protagonist, Polly, who travels to the future to save her boyfriend, Frank, from the 1981 Flu pandemic. Lim wrote a book that is rich with world-building and details. There have been complaints that this isn’t a “great” love story because certain readers complain that there is no “passion”.

But, I think that’s part of what makes AN OCEAN OF MINUTES phenomenal. It encapsulates what real love is. Real love isn’t always this burning need or wanton passion. It often starts that way but love that endures is made up of more than passion. Part of it is comprised of all the daily minutiae. I think that’s what makes this love story heartbreaking in AN OCEAN OF MINUTES. It’s Polly and Frank’s realization of what they robbed themselves of and how things can change.

This story is meditative on grief and loss. And it is also highlights issues of class. Overall, I did enjoy this book and read it over the course of three short days. It made me sad and left me wanting more but I think that if you love dystopia and aren’t looking for reckless love, that this is a book for you.

Review: I AM NOT YOUR PERFECT MEXICAN DAUGHTER

Posted on by Adrianna Sampedro

This year I’ve successfully finished reading one book. I am not sure yet what my goal is this year as I do want to set a lofty goal but I also want to be realistic. Mulling it over, I think my goal is going to be 26 books. If I go over it? Even better.

Another literary goal I set out for myself is to exclusively read women writers this year.

Last night, I finished reading I AM NOT YOUR PERFECT MEXICAN DAUGHTER by Erika L. Sanchez. I’d venture to say that I finished it in almost one sitting. This book is a beautiful and powerful read. The protagonist, Julia, is multi-dimensional and incredibly well-written. It’s been a decade since I was Julia’s age but her teenage attitude and perspective is completely realistic and it very much took me back to being that age.

Overall, most of the characters in I AM NOT YOUR PERFECT MEXICAN DAUGHTER are fleshed out–even Olga who is the deceased sister. However, Connor fell flat to me. His character initially left a sour taste in my mouth after he asks Julia where she’s really from. I find Connor two-dimensional because I never got a good idea of what his wants or desires were and he was simply a rich kid with not much else.

However, characters like Lorena, Juanga, and of course Julia liven this novel. It’s a wonderful coming-of-age novel and what that can mean in the context of Mexican-American culture. I deeply wish this book had existed when I was a teenager because Julia’s family and mine were very similar.

Furthermore, I love that this book did not shy from mental illness especially because it is often such a taboo subject among Latin American culture. I also appreciated that Julia’s parents did not react in a stereotypical manner to Julia’s depression and anxiety.

In the end, I’d recommend this marvelous novel to anyone both young adult and older.

Review: LITTLE FIRES EVERYWHERE

Posted on by Adrianna Sampedro

This post is long over-due. In early August I posted about how I was looking forward to LITTLE FIRES EVERYWHERE by Celeste Ng. I did in fact receive it the day it came out (thanks Amazon Prime!). Within two days I had finished this stunning novel.

Celeste Ng quickly became one of my favorite writers after I read her debut EVERYTHING I NEVER TOLD YOU. From there I sought out her short stories and anticipated her second book.

LITTLE FIRES EVERYWHERE is set in a small town in Ohio and follows the intertwining of the lives of two families. One family is comprised of lifelong residents with a matriarch who adheres and loves the unwritten rules of the town. The other family is a pair–a mother and daughter who appear to be more eccentric. There is also a custody battle playing out in the town between a white family, a Chinese baby, and the baby’s biological mother.

One of the elements I enjoy about Ng is that she writes characters that feel incredibly real–they are not 100% likeable nor 100% dislikeable. I am nothing like Elena Richardson, the matriarch, nor would I likely be friends with someone with her views but there were still moments where the reader could sympathize with her and not demonize her. Though it easy to love Mia Warren are her free-spirited way there are moments we recognize her as deeply flawed.

LITTLE FIRES EVERYWHERE is a compelling novel about motherhood, secrecy, race, and even–to an extent–moral ambiguity.

Review: THE LEAVERS

Posted on by Adrianna Sampedro

Just a few days ago, I finished reading THE LEAVERS by Lisa Ko. On the surface, THE LEAVERS is about immigration and the American dream that draws folks from around the world.

But THE LEAVERS is more than an immigrant story. It’s a story about a mother-son relationship. It’s rare to see this relationship shown in novels or film. We often get stories of mothers and daughters or fathers and sons. It’s also a story about identity and belonging. Both Deming and Polly struggle with fitting in their surroundings whether that be in New York, China, or Ridgeborough. That struggle of fitting is exacerbated for Deming when he is adopted by a white family.

Polly is easily my favorite character of THE LEAVERS. She is a flawed woman just like women in real life. She has hopes and dreams that she never gives up and though life has thrown a lot of hardships at her, Polly persevered. In some ways, this novel is about survival. Ultimately, what I loved the most that Polly was portrayed as a mother but she was not defined by motherhood. Polly maintained her own goals, aspirations, and dreams whether it was dreaming of managing the nail salon, moving to Florida, teaching, or the ending which I will not spoil.

The details are rich with imagery and dialogue and the alternating narratives worked well for the novel. This is a wonderful read that I’d recommend to anyone even those who don’t read often as it is not a difficult read but a well-worth one