Reviews

The Distant Marvels by Chantel Acevedo

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honeycomblibrary's review

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emotional mysterious reflective slow-paced

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

4.0

kathleenguthriewoods's review

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5.0

Beautiful. Had to zip through it, so plan on re-reading it when I have more time and can truly savor the language.

A book that starts in the 1960's and gives the history of Cuba through the eyes of Maria Sirena (now at the end of her life) as she shelters with other women during a hurricane.

Maria Sirena is known for her storytelling skills and so she distracts the women by telling her history which is the history of Cuba and the revolution to achieve freedom from Spain.

I like the way the story weaves the past and the present and the other women's stories add just enough to the storyline.

betweenthembooks's review

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4.0

the moment you open this book, you're hit with melancholy bleeding from each word you read. it was a beautiful but depressing story. maria is a just an enclave of memories that needed to be freed. i'm glad she was able to get that in the end.

rebeccarennerfl's review

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5.0

Acevedo is a talented storyteller. She expertly weaves the threads of many tales into a singular patchwork. The most Marvel-ous part of the book is the knowledge and texture with which Acevedo paints Cuban history. This reader certainly felt as if she was there, experiencing the heartaches of the narrator firsthand.