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kalin_grace's review
challenging
emotional
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
carlylottsofbookz's review
3.0
This is my second Saldana book. I think that I prefer this MUCH more to The Jumping Tree...but I think that Saldana is best in isolation: I only want to read one story...then stop. I don't really like reading a whole book of his.
crystal_reading's review
3.0
This was really a mixed bag though they were all sort of coming-of-age stories. Some of them were just okay and some of them drew me in deeper. They weren't all happy endings and some were even the opposite.
I liked that he used Spanish and didn't try to embed the definition in the next sentence. It felt natural like the way friends spoke in San Antonio when we lived there. There were a few words I had to look up, but most of the time I understood.
I liked that he used Spanish and didn't try to embed the definition in the next sentence. It felt natural like the way friends spoke in San Antonio when we lived there. There were a few words I had to look up, but most of the time I understood.
gwimo's review
5.0
I just put down the book for the second time in my life and I'm happy to say that my thoughts on it have changed for the better. Being YA lit, something I hardly touch, this book shows that there are two versions of the Valley: The one in which we live in and the one we remember living in. René Saldaña, Jr. ventures into both. Leaving us nostalgic for our lost innocence, but appreciating the course of events that brought us here.
It's a joy to read for both adults and teens alike. Each powerful story reminds us that if we should trip and fall in our journey into adulthood, the world does allow second chances. All we have to is pick ourselves up, dust off our clothes and never lose our way.
It's a joy to read for both adults and teens alike. Each powerful story reminds us that if we should trip and fall in our journey into adulthood, the world does allow second chances. All we have to is pick ourselves up, dust off our clothes and never lose our way.
emilym88's review
4.0
This was a hard book to rate, considering it's made up of a bunch of short stories--some of which I loved, and some of which I didn't like as much.
The stories that I loved made me feel a lot of emotion, more than I usually feel when reading only a short story. After reading some of them, I just had to stop to reflect for a little bit. The characters were really real and vivid, and I felt like I understood some of the teenagers' irrational actions. I also really liked the mix of English and Spanish. I have read very little Latin American fiction.
I thought the collection was appropriately titled, since each character is in the process of trying to grow up and figure out who they are. I would classify this collection as realistic fiction/short stories. I think that some teenagers would identify with the characters, but I'm not sure how many teenagers would find the book interesting as a whole.
The stories that I loved made me feel a lot of emotion, more than I usually feel when reading only a short story. After reading some of them, I just had to stop to reflect for a little bit. The characters were really real and vivid, and I felt like I understood some of the teenagers' irrational actions. I also really liked the mix of English and Spanish. I have read very little Latin American fiction.
I thought the collection was appropriately titled, since each character is in the process of trying to grow up and figure out who they are. I would classify this collection as realistic fiction/short stories. I think that some teenagers would identify with the characters, but I'm not sure how many teenagers would find the book interesting as a whole.
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