loxeletters's reviews
239 reviews

For what it was trying to achieve - being a romance book - it was very good. I was mostly interested in the writing aspects, but I did still enjoy the actual romance. I liked the character development and felt their problems, even the ones related to miscommunication, were believable and interesting. I only noticed some minor things that were a bit too cheesy or spelt-out too one the nose for me, but overall, a very solid book. I even cried a few times (to be fair, I cry easily).

I've been sitting in this review for a while... I enjoyed this book. It was funny, interesting, and well-written. I really enjoyed exploring the Las Vegas drug scene and the topic of addiction. I   

But there were also some major issues I had, especially the way this book treats PTSD. Manuel's trauma is confronted in a way which I found distasteful and unrealistic. I would have liked to explore the topic of Pinochets dictatorship more in depth in general - I was hoping it would be a big theme in the book, that's why I picked it up - but instead it felt rushed and shallow. This may very well be also due to the diary format, which of course lends itself to a lot of telling and less showing.

My second big issue with the book was the way the big mystery was realised. For the first half of the book, we're wondering why Maya is in Chiloé. Once the Las Vegas Part of the story is told, however, the stakes felt suddenly quite low. I felt like they were all being a bit overdramatic. Then, in the last thirty pages, things suddenly pick back up again and everything devolves rapidly. The final solution regarding Arana was also very speculative for me... Not enough actual proof, only some speculation on Maya's part to eplain his role. It felt weird.

All that being said, I really enjoyed the setting of Chiloé and the community of the little island. Makes me want to visit actually! I liked the characters, though I was frustrated by Maya at times. I enjoyed the parts about the dictatorship and about her addiction. I also appreciated the dry, understated humour.  Overall a mixed experience.  I was told this is Allende's most "YA" work, and I'm excited to read more adult works by her.

This book was interesting but did not hold up in comparison to "Teach Yourself Writing Poetry" by Sweeney and Williams, which I was reading at the same time.

Parts I enjoyed: 

Criticisms:

This book was addicting and a bit repulsive at the same time. I loved the prose, especially for a translation it was *so beautiful.* The two major characters, the protagonist and Xu, were both interesting. This book works excellenly as a depiction of a horrible, toxic relationship, and the very dysfunctional way the protagonist deals with her grief.
However, it did make me feel quite depressed, which I only noticed after a while, so I encourage anyone who is also a bit sensitive to be cautious while reading this. In any case, I am giving 4 stars for the absolutely gorgeous prose, which shone especially in the beginning.

This was fun! None of the stories really blew me away, but "The Old Man" does have a very nice twist for an ending. I continue to enjoy Du Maurier's prose a lot - it's captivating in a very simple way. Makes me want to keep reading no matter how interested I am in the actual story. Some major themes in this collection were humans & nature  (esp. "The Birds", "The Old Man") as well as the mundane, everyday depravity of humans? I'm not sure how to phrase this one, but it's especially visible in "The Apple Tree" and "The Little Photographer", both of which also had varyingly strong feminist undertones. 'Weird' relationships were a key theme to almost all of the stories. 
On a more personal note, as someone who grew up in the 21st century, the casual references to the war were quite interesting.