Reviews

Mona by Pola Oloixarac

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anitaxlit's review against another edition

funny reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

me he pasado el libro diciendo “qué lista la tía, qué lista” y es que es eso. sus agudos diagnósticos del panorama literario actual me han hecho reír (y sonrojar al saberme a veces uno de esos insoportables personajes pretenciosos), aunque el final me ha dejado un poco desconcertada.

Content Warnings

bbklose's review against another edition

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4.75

I’m giving this book 5 stars because it was (truly) badass. Pola Oloixarao just went ahead and carelessly bent expectations for a book. It was confusing, funny and all the while, insanely beautiful. Made me want to meet the author cause it seems like she’s a baddie who simply does not give a fuck (but also has a very strong and wonderful mind).

indy_q's review against another edition

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dark emotional informative mysterious reflective sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

2.0

Pretentious is the one word I would use to sum up this book. I was not overly enthralled by this book as it did not seem to have a clear voice. The ending? Was is real or imaginary? Was it a manifesto on of her own emotions and memory coming flooding back? Who knows (I prefer to think of it as not literal) but yes the last 5 pages were not my favourite. I wish I could read the original because maybe some of the magic was within the original Spanish.

pearcoats's review against another edition

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dark mysterious reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated

3.0

crimsonncloverr's review against another edition

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4.0

An excellent weekend popcorn read! Pola Oloixarac simultaneously absorbed and often pained me through her use of satire. I had trouble drawing the line between what was ironic and what was a inaccurate generalization, particularly of other nationalities. Overall very impressed with her criticism of literary pretentiousness, ethnocentrism, and misogyny.