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lisramos's review
emotional
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
3.0
madmatilda's review
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
asharticulates's review against another edition
3.0
The Apartment gives you a peek behind closed doors into unit 2B throughout 70 years. It also poses the question: how do we impact a space by just existing in it?
Overall, I enjoyed this book. There are great discussions about the history of one confined space, and the impact of immigration and gentrification in South Miami Beach.
However, I struggled a bit with the pacing, starting around the 60% mark.
I found some sections to be a little confusing or too short. I wanted more for from certain tenets and less from others. But, with 70 years covered and over 10 tenets mentioned, it is done well for the most part. There are some call backs to previous tenets that I loved.
This is my first time reading from this author and I’ll be reading from them again.
(Thank you to RBMedia and NetGalley for the audiobook ARC.)
Overall, I enjoyed this book. There are great discussions about the history of one confined space, and the impact of immigration and gentrification in South Miami Beach.
However, I struggled a bit with the pacing, starting around the 60% mark.
I found some sections to be a little confusing or too short. I wanted more for from certain tenets and less from others. But, with 70 years covered and over 10 tenets mentioned, it is done well for the most part. There are some call backs to previous tenets that I loved.
This is my first time reading from this author and I’ll be reading from them again.
(Thank you to RBMedia and NetGalley for the audiobook ARC.)
juliedew's review
3.0
2.5-3 stars
The Apartment tells the stories of the occupants of Apartment 2B of The Helena in Miami. I loved the premise and thought it started off strong with the POV of a Native woman on the land that will become The Helena. Each chapter is a different occupant, some of the stories I loved and others were so-so. I liked the connections between storied and wish there had been more.
Thank you to NetGalley and RBMedia for the audiobook ARC in exchange for my honest review.
The Apartment tells the stories of the occupants of Apartment 2B of The Helena in Miami. I loved the premise and thought it started off strong with the POV of a Native woman on the land that will become The Helena. Each chapter is a different occupant, some of the stories I loved and others were so-so. I liked the connections between storied and wish there had been more.
Thank you to NetGalley and RBMedia for the audiobook ARC in exchange for my honest review.
akblair's review
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- 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
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, and War
Moderate: Islamophobia, Mental illness, and Racism
booksnthreads's review
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.0
kaimo007's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
fast-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
4.0
bethreneereadsbooks's review
3.0
Bristling with compassion, desire, and a longing to connect, The Apartment is a portrait of the complex and at times troubled inhabitants of a single unit in a South Miami Beach building—an excavation of the literal and figurative ghosts that haunt our lives and a celebration of the communities that shine brightest in our darkest moment
An art-deco sentinel, The Helena apartment building has silently witnessed the changing face of South Miami Beach for seventy years, observing—without interfering—the countless lives housed within its walls. But a single unit has seen more life (and sometimes death) than others. Those who have called Apartment 2B home include: a Cuban concert pianist who now only plays in a nursing home; the widow of an intelligence officer raising their young daughter alone; a man waiting on a green card marriage to run its course so that he can divorce his wife and marry his lover, all of whom live together in 2B; a Tajik building manager with a secret identity; a Vietnam vet receiving packages from his ex-wife. Each tenant imbues 2B with energy that can either heal or overwhelm the latest resident, Lana.
A mysterious woman struggling with her own demons, Lana mourns her beloved while unaware of the apartment’s sometimes tragic history. Distraught and alone, she is watched over by a ghost, and together these two strangers brought into community by The Helena will find a measure of comfort and purpose, gaining a new insight into what we all owe one another.
I’m afraid for me this was a case of loved the idea, but not so much the execution. I tried and tried and failed to connect with these loosely interrelated stories. There were some more interesting moments, but collectively I just wasn’t feeling the spark.
Narrator Whitney Dykhouse did a nice job, though.
Thank you Ana Menéndez, HighBridge Audio, and NetGalley for providing this ALC for review consideration. All opinions expressed are my own.
An art-deco sentinel, The Helena apartment building has silently witnessed the changing face of South Miami Beach for seventy years, observing—without interfering—the countless lives housed within its walls. But a single unit has seen more life (and sometimes death) than others. Those who have called Apartment 2B home include: a Cuban concert pianist who now only plays in a nursing home; the widow of an intelligence officer raising their young daughter alone; a man waiting on a green card marriage to run its course so that he can divorce his wife and marry his lover, all of whom live together in 2B; a Tajik building manager with a secret identity; a Vietnam vet receiving packages from his ex-wife. Each tenant imbues 2B with energy that can either heal or overwhelm the latest resident, Lana.
A mysterious woman struggling with her own demons, Lana mourns her beloved while unaware of the apartment’s sometimes tragic history. Distraught and alone, she is watched over by a ghost, and together these two strangers brought into community by The Helena will find a measure of comfort and purpose, gaining a new insight into what we all owe one another.
I’m afraid for me this was a case of loved the idea, but not so much the execution. I tried and tried and failed to connect with these loosely interrelated stories. There were some more interesting moments, but collectively I just wasn’t feeling the spark.
Narrator Whitney Dykhouse did a nice job, though.
Thank you Ana Menéndez, HighBridge Audio, and NetGalley for providing this ALC for review consideration. All opinions expressed are my own.
thatsoneforthebooks's review
5.0
✨ Review ✨ The Apartment by Ana Menéndez; Narrated by Whitney Dykhouse
This book lives within Apartment 2B of the Helena, an art deco building in South Miami Beach, and through its eyes, we see 70 years of residents moving through its pages. From its first residents in the early moments of WWII in Miami for military mobilization, to its final resident, Lana, the inhabitants of this apartment parade by our eyes.
Often unfulfilling, these characters pass by without resolution to their stories, just as people's lives do not always neatly fit into their residency within a building. We see glimpses, incomplete pictures of the struggles and successes of these people, and for this lack of completion, this book may frustrate some. Sometimes, we only see pieces of their stories through the eyes of later residents, finding a cast iron pan or an indent in the floor, bringing clues to previous residents' pasts. I loved this complex layering of stuff left behind, furniture, photos, or other layers to the apartment throughout its life. It's a story deeply about space & place.
The final character, Lana, is lonely and alone, but finally succumbs to her neighbors' efforts to fold her into their circle. The book ends with a beautiful testament to community and neighbors and found family.
I enjoyed the audio narration, though in the later parts of the book when it shifts perspectives regularly, I found it hard to follow whose POV we were in. Switching to the ebook copy here helped as the section breaks at least signaled when POV shifted.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
This book lives within Apartment 2B of the Helena, an art deco building in South Miami Beach, and through its eyes, we see 70 years of residents moving through its pages. From its first residents in the early moments of WWII in Miami for military mobilization, to its final resident, Lana, the inhabitants of this apartment parade by our eyes.
Often unfulfilling, these characters pass by without resolution to their stories, just as people's lives do not always neatly fit into their residency within a building. We see glimpses, incomplete pictures of the struggles and successes of these people, and for this lack of completion, this book may frustrate some. Sometimes, we only see pieces of their stories through the eyes of later residents, finding a cast iron pan or an indent in the floor, bringing clues to previous residents' pasts. I loved this complex layering of stuff left behind, furniture, photos, or other layers to the apartment throughout its life. It's a story deeply about space & place.
The final character, Lana, is lonely and alone, but finally succumbs to her neighbors' efforts to fold her into their circle. The book ends with a beautiful testament to community and neighbors and found family.
I enjoyed the audio narration, though in the later parts of the book when it shifts perspectives regularly, I found it hard to follow whose POV we were in. Switching to the ebook copy here helped as the section breaks at least signaled when POV shifted.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️