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bigbookbaby's review against another edition
5.0
i loved the first 85% - I LOVED THE FINAL 15% ðŸ˜ðŸ˜ðŸ˜
gwenswoons's review against another edition
dark
emotional
sad
tense
fast-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
4.5
Beautiful. I loved the audiobook, as I did with The Poet X - Elizabeth Acevedo’s reading of her own words is just so exquisite, vivid and just full of so much inflection and color. I didn’t love the other narrator in this quite as much as Acevedo herself, but I did really love that there were two voices to highlight and differently shape the two POVs here. Anyway - the writing itself is so incredibly beautiful, with such complexity and layering; and what an amazing thing to read a fictionalized version of this huge tragic event that so many of us don’t know about. As with The Poet X, I love the detailing and care that Acevedo gives to the very specific voice and perspective of teenage girls - just really rare and special.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism, Sexual assault, Stalking, Medical content, Physical abuse, Sexual violence, Gaslighting, Sexual harassment, Violence, Grief, Infidelity, Abandonment, Cancer, Death of parent, Homophobia, Bullying, Classism, Death, Emotional abuse, Racial slurs, Animal cruelty, Body shaming, Child abuse, Pedophilia, Pregnancy, and Vomit
luwestreads's review against another edition
5.0
Absolutely love this book, read it in half a day and its amazing! Emotional and engaging. Truly brilliant!!
authorcharlottee's review against another edition
5.0
This is one of the most beautiful books I’ve ever read. So far, it’s the best novel I’ve read all year. I found myself nearly sobbing at the start and especially near the end. I will recommend this to everyone!
cipotalectora's review against another edition
4.0
Dreams are like the pieces of fluff that get caught in your hair; they stand out for a moment, but eventually you wash them away, or long fingers reach in & pluck them out & you appear as what everyone expects.
When flight AA587 crashes to the ground, Camino and Yahairo Rios want nothing but to believe it was not the flight their father was in. Although for 16 years the two were not aware of each other, their father traveled back to the Dominican Republic every summer from living with Yahairo to being back with Camino. But when Camino is at the airport waiting for her father's bright smile and loud laugh, she didn't expect to see a crowd of crying people. In the states, Yahairo hears about her father's death when she is called to the principal's office, where her mother is waiting for her, with tears in her eyes, letting her know the tragic news.
With secrets their father left behind and unspoken words, the two girls find out about each other in unexpected ways, never thinking about how they might have had someone who shared their same features while being miles and miles away. To both of them, their father was their hero, but through sadness and tears, the two girls find comfort in each other, seeing and realizing how their father was not the man they thought he was.
Some things continue forever. Maybe anger is like a river, maybe it crumbles everything around it, maybe it hides so many skeletons beneath the rolling surface.
Poetry is not my friend, but Acevedo manages to make this novel more lyrical, while maintaining her tone of heartbreak, sadness, grief, agony, and anger through every verse. Clap When You Land is worth the hype. Although told in the form of poetry and dual pov, the tone of the novel catches you from the beginning, making you already quiver and ache in sadness as you read the sad news: A flight fell from the sky, which resulted in all passengers dying. There is something about the writing that Elizabeth manages to make you continue reading. The way she tells her story is similar to a regular novel, but at the same time, the rhythm is there.
I am not Dominican, but the constant descriptions of the food of la Republica Dominicana and the colors vibrating the island made me think of my second home, my parents home country, the land that saw them grow - El Salvador. From the descriptions of the food and spices to the small barrios and communities coming together, Elizabeth gives you an image of what the Dominican Republic is like. The stray dog, the community knowing each and every one, the remedies, herbs, teas, and Santos guarding you, it was beautiful to read of a country I have never physically seen, but could nonetheless imagine.
Can you be from a place you have never been? You can find the island stamped all over me, but what would the island find if I was there? Can you claim a home that does not know you, much less claim you as its own?
You can't do anything but root for the two girls, Yaya and Camino. The two thought of their father as their hero, never thought there was someone more inspiring than him, and the constant hurt they have to to go through after his death wrecks the reader. It is so common for children to find inspiration, ambition, and happiness from their parents, but sometimes we get too caught up on their perfections that we don't realize their imperfections. Although Yaya lived in NYC and Camino in DR, I rooted for both of them equally. Yaya, specifically, was hiding from her family, but you can't blame her. Finding out about this secret that you were not aware of isn't something lightly to take, and Yaya's anger and frustration is shown in every page. Her constant inspiration of her dad slowly died down, and you can feel the annoyance she later had for her dad. I rooted for her, and I was happy she had more comfort than only her mother.
On the other hand, Camino is struggling with her TÃa. After her mother's loss, she has relied on her father to pay for her private school and has managed to grow into a strong and capable young woman thanks to her TÃa, but her constant fear of El Cero grows each and every day as days pass by. She's being stalked by him, and now that her father is gone, she can't pay him to stay away. The anger you feel for her makes you want to just take El Cero apart, and it sucks how realistic the scenes of El Cero are for many young women in countries like DR. The constant grooming, catcalling, and assault becomes normalized to the point where the older people think it is just a relationship.
The jealousy Camino feels for Yaya in the beginning is discouraging at first. It is notably there, and Camino wishes she could not love Yaya because of the fortunes she has. She's angry that she's able to freely and easily travel to DR without any issues; angry that she has more open options for her future; angry that she still has a parent; angry that her father spent more time with her. The jealousy is there, but you can't get angry at Camino for it.
Yaya and Camino would sooner or later have to see that their father was not the perfect hero they painted him as, but instead he was flawed, and sadly he had to live two different lives that the other was not aware of. Their sister-hood grows, and the connection they have from the moment they meet is beautiful, evidence and proof that the 16 years of hiding could not disconnect them.
Is this what sisterhood is? A negotiation of the things you make possible out of impossible requests?
The mourning of Camino and Yaya's dad is felt so deeply, especially within the community. In cities like theirs, in both NY and DR, it is common for many Latinos to form their own groups, their community, and become attached to these people that come from similar places, from similar suffering. The loss of their father is felt within the communities, and the girls know it. They're given condolences, asked if there is anything the public can do for them, asked how they are doing, wondering how they can help. Candle lights are lit up in the areas, the girls are seen with sad and weary looks, and the anger the builds in them is painfully real. Deaths and tragic losses result in constant sorries and I'm sorry for your loss', but Yaya and Camino are tired of having to see these people go from strangers to people that suddenly know their pain, and it's frustrating how much people can change. It's like Yaya put it:
As Mami & I sit in the front row, people come up to us to pay their respects. Such a funny phrase, pay respects. As if suffering is a debt that can be eased by a hug & a head nod.
And you know, I was thankful both girls had sources to rely on, but especially Yaya. I think Acevedo's addition to Drea being her girlfriend was necessary, and I believe she did it really well. Drea was roaming Yaya's galaxy, and all Yaya could do is hold on to her. She was slowly floating away, hurting and dying in ache and pain, and Drea was able to pull her back. Their relationship was beautiful, and I know this story was not about them, so I was really glad that Elizabeth provided just enough scenes from them.
Camino's reliable source and most trusted person were her TÃa and best friend, Carline, but her TÃa holds a special place in my heart. She reminded me of my grandmother. My grandma Elena, small and grumpy, are and were important members of the community. I'm constantly told stories of my grandma and how everyone in her barrio respected her, called her TÃa even if she wasn't their TÃa. I've been told how quick she was, angry but kind, strong but soft-hearted. The most important and empowering women in my life have constantly told stories similar to Camino's TÃa, and it was so beautiful to read about how necessary it is to be empowered, to be strong, to be resilient, and to remember that you do not come from a family that will take no for an answer. Camino and her TÃa's relationship blended in so well, and the importance of family, love, and communication developed so well. We take advantage of the life we have at the moment, we never really realize when it could be taken away.
She has no idea what it means to completely abandon your dreams. She cannot. Because it seems what everyone has known but me is that I won’t be a doctor. I won’t ever be anything more than a girl from a small barrio who helps her aunt with herbs. & that might be the whole of my life. & that will have to be enough. Isn’t that what makes a dream a dream? You wake up eventually. But that girl, that girl gets to keep living in the clouds.
The book ends at the 430 or so page mark, but the poetry style of it makes you breeze through it. The writing is beautiful, having you hang on from every mark and page. With that being said, I really would have wished this was written in just a novel form. Acevedo's writing reminds me a little like that of Anna-Marie McLemore's - beautiful, inspiring, whimsical - but it was difficult for me to read it correctly because it's poetry. Adding on to that, I am aware Acevedo is a poet, therefore if she continues writing her future works in poetry, I wouldn't complain nor be surprised.
All in all, the love and praise Elizabeth Acevedo receives is deserved, and I can see why her books and words manage to grip the reader into continuing with her flow. It's easy and mellow, but at the same time it will sting your heart.
emilycmorris0923's review
adventurous
challenging
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
jenmangler's review against another edition
2.0
I really liked the ending a lot, but the rest of the book was "meh." I am a fan of Acevedo, but this is my least favorite of her books so far.