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ardaigle's review
5.0
I was excited to discover this novel: I received it in a Goodreads giveaway and was eager to read it and discover a new author, Sarah McCoy.
The story was very sweet and the characters definitely had an authenticity and depth to them. With no exposure to either Puerto Rico and its inhabitants I found the novel interesting for the glimpse it gave me into another way of life.
It was an easy read and a quality piece of young adult fiction. The themes were not so childish that I was disinterested, but not so grown-up that the subject material wasn't believable.
I definitely recommend this book to others and look forward to other novels that she will publish.
The story was very sweet and the characters definitely had an authenticity and depth to them. With no exposure to either Puerto Rico and its inhabitants I found the novel interesting for the glimpse it gave me into another way of life.
It was an easy read and a quality piece of young adult fiction. The themes were not so childish that I was disinterested, but not so grown-up that the subject material wasn't believable.
I definitely recommend this book to others and look forward to other novels that she will publish.
susan_e's review against another edition
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
smrankin5's review
2.0
I kept thinking while I was reading this book, is this it?
Seems like the kind of book that has been written a hundred times.
Kind of boring!
Seems like the kind of book that has been written a hundred times.
Kind of boring!
lumos_libros's review
3.0
Did you know that everybody has a story behind their name? I'm not talking about your given name, but your nickname. It's true what they say in this book, in the hispanic culture you are always given a nickname that you're called by. In my house nobody calls me by my given name. Verdita starts her story by sharing the story of her name. Perfect way to unfold the story.
Verdita is an eleven-year-old girl who is growing up in Puerto Rico in the 1960's. The country is starting to see changes, like fast-food joints coming in and incorporating English into the school curriculum. All this American influence does come at a price of course, just like any change does. Though we do see some of the historic references of this time, the plot concentrates on this girl growing to be a young lady.
This book reminded me of [b:Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret|37732|Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret|Judy Blume|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1388356524s/37732.jpg|4121], but a Puerto Rican version I guess. The story was sweet, but Verdita was a big pain to be honest. I shouldn't be so harsh though because realistically it makes sense. She is an only child, her mom gets pregnant all of a sudden, and she's at an awkard stage in growing up. I do get that and I have to admit at eleven I did have a selfish mentality, but she was too bratty for me in the beginning of the book. I must say she does redeem herself nicely towards the end. The author's forte was describing the lifestyle, culture, and environment in Pureto Rico. I really did get a good grasp of what it's like to live there, and the roles of each member of the family is clearly depicted.
I will definitely read anything else this author comes out with.
Verdita is an eleven-year-old girl who is growing up in Puerto Rico in the 1960's. The country is starting to see changes, like fast-food joints coming in and incorporating English into the school curriculum. All this American influence does come at a price of course, just like any change does. Though we do see some of the historic references of this time, the plot concentrates on this girl growing to be a young lady.
This book reminded me of [b:Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret|37732|Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret|Judy Blume|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1388356524s/37732.jpg|4121], but a Puerto Rican version I guess. The story was sweet, but Verdita was a big pain to be honest. I shouldn't be so harsh though because realistically it makes sense. She is an only child, her mom gets pregnant all of a sudden, and she's at an awkard stage in growing up. I do get that and I have to admit at eleven I did have a selfish mentality, but she was too bratty for me in the beginning of the book. I must say she does redeem herself nicely towards the end. The author's forte was describing the lifestyle, culture, and environment in Pureto Rico. I really did get a good grasp of what it's like to live there, and the roles of each member of the family is clearly depicted.
I will definitely read anything else this author comes out with.
ncrabb's review
3.0
The backdrop for this book is 1961 Puerto Rico. Island residents are in the throes of determining whether the island will remain closely tied to the United States or become independent. The 11-year-old protagonist is also seeking her own way in a complex and uncertain world. Like many adults on the island, she feels the tug and influence of the United States and the simultaneous undeniable pull of her culture and family traditions.
This is heavy on the fiction and somewhat lighter on the history. Bu 's a memorable coming-of-age book that focuses on the tides of tradition and a yearning to spread wings and launch and the conflict that can arise when a young person is pulled between the two powerful forces.
This is heavy on the fiction and somewhat lighter on the history. Bu 's a memorable coming-of-age book that focuses on the tides of tradition and a yearning to spread wings and launch and the conflict that can arise when a young person is pulled between the two powerful forces.
serenaac's review
4.0
The Time It Snowed in Puerto Rico by Sarah McCoy is a coming of age novel about a young girl, Maria — also known as Verdita — in Puerto Rico during the debate about whether or not the nation should become a member of the United States or remain independent. Part of Maria Ortiz-Santiago’s family lives in the United States and part lives on the island in a little barrio, and readers get a taste of the differences between the two lives when Omar, her cousin, comes back to visit. As the two grow older and grow apart, Verdita continues to ramp up her competitive spirit when he’s near to retain her hold on her father. She’s always had a fear that a boy would usurp her father’s affections, especially after her mother becomes pregnant.
Read the full review: http://savvyverseandwit.com/2012/05/the-time-it-snowed-in-puerto-rico-by-sarah-mccoy.html
Read the full review: http://savvyverseandwit.com/2012/05/the-time-it-snowed-in-puerto-rico-by-sarah-mccoy.html
laraval's review
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.5
I truly wanted to love this book, but I hated it. It’s just little details that showed the author clearly did not do research despite having family in Puerto Rico AND claiming she has been visiting them since she was a kid. It was frustrating to read the mistakes; a lot of Spanish words were not written correctly, historical inaccuracies like mentioning the chupacabra, which was first “sighted” in 1995, but this book is set in the 60’s, and describing a black character’s hair as food ??? are you kidding me??
Examples:
- “Coche” instead of “carro” for the word car. In Puerto Rico, coche means stroller.
- “Me gusto coquito, coquito, coquito.” It’s suppose to be “Me gusta”
- She hyphenates the last names like Ortíz-Santiago; we don’t do that. Our last names aren’t hyphenated (there are a few, EXTREMELY rare exceptions)
- The story begins with the main character explaining that in Puerto Rico we have two names; our government name and our nicknames. The mother’s nickname is Venusa, after the goddess Venus. It irritated me because Venus’ name in Spanish is simply just Venus. Venusa does not sound right out loud at all and it seemed the author did so to make her name seem more Spanish.
“I know. Pero stoy aburrido.”
“Huh? What’d you say?”
“This is boring.”
That’s the incorrect translation; the correct way to say “this is boring” would be “esto es aburrido”.
“Pero estoy aburrido” means “But I am bored.” (Masculine). Also, estoy is written incorrectly as “stoy” and, because the character who says the line uses she/her/ella pronouns, the correct word would be the feminine “aburrida”.
There are a lot more that I probably missed because I ran out of post-its lol and I got tired of having to underline every mistake every time I read another paragraph. This could’ve been a beautiful and interesting story if only more research was put into it.
There are a lot more that I probably missed because I ran out of post-its lol and I got tired of having to underline every mistake every time I read another paragraph. This could’ve been a beautiful and interesting story if only more research was put into it.
ksangabriel15's review against another edition
3.0
I want to give this more stars because I did enjoy it, but I needed more. This is a fairly short story that seems like an excerpt from a more expansive novel.
For this novel to be set in 1959, I couldn’t exactly tell other than a few mentions of Elvis and JFK. Actually, there were lots of things that could’ve been more prominent in the story, especially as the main character, Verdita — a prepubescent girl, ages and begins to learn about mature topics such as politics, family planning, and romance. I wasn’t sure where any of Verdita’s experiences would lead her and — mini-spoiler — many of them lead nowhere or resulted in no great consequence. Even the most devastating part of the story (in my opinion) was sort of glossed over and resolved quickly.
And the ending... It wasn’t really a cliffhanger, but I didn’t feel like Verdita’s story had concluded. Again, I liked this book, and because I did, I want to know more! It doesn’t look like the author has written a sequel but I sure wish she had.
For this novel to be set in 1959, I couldn’t exactly tell other than a few mentions of Elvis and JFK. Actually, there were lots of things that could’ve been more prominent in the story, especially as the main character, Verdita — a prepubescent girl, ages and begins to learn about mature topics such as politics, family planning, and romance. I wasn’t sure where any of Verdita’s experiences would lead her and — mini-spoiler — many of them lead nowhere or resulted in no great consequence. Even the most devastating part of the story (in my opinion) was sort of glossed over and resolved quickly.
And the ending... It wasn’t really a cliffhanger, but I didn’t feel like Verdita’s story had concluded. Again, I liked this book, and because I did, I want to know more! It doesn’t look like the author has written a sequel but I sure wish she had.
thepickygirl's review against another edition
The Time It Snowed in Puerto Rico opens in 1961 with 11-year-old Verdita on her birthday. Her father makes her a special treat and then tells the beautiful story behind her nickname – because in Puerto Rico, “everybody ha[s] two names. One was printed on a birth certificate. Another was the one you were called … and that name always came with a story.”
Puertoriqueno. Isn’t that such a beautiful word? I have always been drawn to Latin cultures; some of my favorite reads are Latin: The House of the Spirits by Isabel Allende, The Memory of My Melancholy Whores by Gabriel Garcia Marquez, Water for Chocolate by Laura Esquivel. I have been a salsa dancer for years and can’t help but sway when I hear a Latin beat. However, I had not heard of this book, The Time It Snowed in Puerto Rico by Sarah McCoy. No, I met the lovely Sarah McCoy on Twitter and only heard of her book after she initiated a conversation with me and I visited her blog. Then I saw the cover of this book and had to buy it. Isn’t it gorgeous?
The opening of the book is just as beautiful and idyllic as the cover, but the novel is also a coming-of-age story, and at 11, Verdita is very much on the brink of young womanhood. She sees her parents lying together intimately on the couch, and her mother yells at her to go away. After that, for months, Verdita harbors anger toward her mother without really understanding why.
At the same time, the political climate in Puerto Rico is charged as the possibility of incorporation looms over the heads of Puerto Ricans eager to safeguard their own culture and government. Verdita buys into American culture, though – hook, line, and sinker. Her cousin lives in Washington D.C., and though at first she makes fun of him for forgetting aspects of Puerto Rican culture when he visits, she soon longs to “look” and “feel” more American. She loves reading the Dick and Jane stories and seeing the blond girl with white skin. She forces herself to eat a hamburger she doesn’t really enjoy because it’s “American.” She treats her mother condescendingly for her island traditions and inability to speak English. I ached for Verdita to enjoy what she had, but she cannot reconcile who she is with what she sees around her.
No, instead Verdita fights it. At the same time little girl and growing young woman, Verdita is confused, embarrassed, angry, and hurt. She doesn’t always understand the way she acts, but by the end of the story, she seems to have come to terms with much of what has happened to her and around her. When I turned the last page, I simply wanted more. The ending is not abrupt, but it certainly left me wondering about this young girl with curly dark hair and the green eyes of a parrot.
Puertoriqueno. Isn’t that such a beautiful word? I have always been drawn to Latin cultures; some of my favorite reads are Latin: The House of the Spirits by Isabel Allende, The Memory of My Melancholy Whores by Gabriel Garcia Marquez, Water for Chocolate by Laura Esquivel. I have been a salsa dancer for years and can’t help but sway when I hear a Latin beat. However, I had not heard of this book, The Time It Snowed in Puerto Rico by Sarah McCoy. No, I met the lovely Sarah McCoy on Twitter and only heard of her book after she initiated a conversation with me and I visited her blog. Then I saw the cover of this book and had to buy it. Isn’t it gorgeous?
The opening of the book is just as beautiful and idyllic as the cover, but the novel is also a coming-of-age story, and at 11, Verdita is very much on the brink of young womanhood. She sees her parents lying together intimately on the couch, and her mother yells at her to go away. After that, for months, Verdita harbors anger toward her mother without really understanding why.
At the same time, the political climate in Puerto Rico is charged as the possibility of incorporation looms over the heads of Puerto Ricans eager to safeguard their own culture and government. Verdita buys into American culture, though – hook, line, and sinker. Her cousin lives in Washington D.C., and though at first she makes fun of him for forgetting aspects of Puerto Rican culture when he visits, she soon longs to “look” and “feel” more American. She loves reading the Dick and Jane stories and seeing the blond girl with white skin. She forces herself to eat a hamburger she doesn’t really enjoy because it’s “American.” She treats her mother condescendingly for her island traditions and inability to speak English. I ached for Verdita to enjoy what she had, but she cannot reconcile who she is with what she sees around her.
No, instead Verdita fights it. At the same time little girl and growing young woman, Verdita is confused, embarrassed, angry, and hurt. She doesn’t always understand the way she acts, but by the end of the story, she seems to have come to terms with much of what has happened to her and around her. When I turned the last page, I simply wanted more. The ending is not abrupt, but it certainly left me wondering about this young girl with curly dark hair and the green eyes of a parrot.
abookishaffair's review against another edition
3.0
Verdita is a young girl growing up in Puerto Rico during the 1960s, a time of great change in the life of the country and in her own life. This is definitely a coming of age story. Verdita confronts growing up and struggling with the things that we all struggled with as young adolescents.
I loved that the story took place in Puerto Rico, a very fascinating place.
I loved that the story took place in Puerto Rico, a very fascinating place.
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