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africanbookaddict's review against another edition
4.0
4.5 stars. I loved this collection so so much. Why isn't Amina Gautier celebrated more for her work?? In the beginning, I felt the writing in this collection was a bit too calculated; but eventually, I began to appreciate her style.
Gautier's writing is generously descriptive without being superfluous. All the characters and storylines in this collection were wonderfully textured and unique.
I loved how Gautier explored Black and Puerto Rican identities through the characters. Some characters are a hybrid of both identities while others are Puerto Ricans living in Puerto Rico, some living on the mainland and others have the best of both worlds. I enjoyed how the characters in this collection were all interconnected. We see characters grow from one story to the next; it was so pleasant to see what various characters were up to months later. Characters deal with the stress of having bicultural identities, infidelity, abuse (of all kinds), family drama, love, homesickness, regret, pain, racial/ cultural prejudices.
(The first story, 'Aguanile' and fifth story, 'How to Make Flan' really struck me and had me thinking they were personal to Amina Gautier, as the main character almost matched her background).
I want to read more of Gautier's work! Shouts to Leslie and Ifeyinwa for piquing my interest in purchasing this collection. I was not disappointed! In-depth review + quotes on africanbookaddict.com, eventually.
Gautier's writing is generously descriptive without being superfluous. All the characters and storylines in this collection were wonderfully textured and unique.
I loved how Gautier explored Black and Puerto Rican identities through the characters. Some characters are a hybrid of both identities while others are Puerto Ricans living in Puerto Rico, some living on the mainland and others have the best of both worlds. I enjoyed how the characters in this collection were all interconnected. We see characters grow from one story to the next; it was so pleasant to see what various characters were up to months later. Characters deal with the stress of having bicultural identities, infidelity, abuse (of all kinds), family drama, love, homesickness, regret, pain, racial/ cultural prejudices.
(The first story, 'Aguanile' and fifth story, 'How to Make Flan' really struck me and had me thinking they were personal to Amina Gautier, as the main character almost matched her background).
I want to read more of Gautier's work! Shouts to Leslie and Ifeyinwa for piquing my interest in purchasing this collection. I was not disappointed! In-depth review + quotes on africanbookaddict.com, eventually.
car155a's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
funny
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
4.0
shyster's review
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
agnessastre's review against another edition
emotional
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.25
lukenotjohn's review against another edition
5.0
For the past two years, I have been living in a predominantly Puerto Rican (and Dominican) neighborhood of North Philly, and I can't imagine encountering a book that tops this one in capturing the sights, smells, tastes (attention to food is tremendously well done in this book, critically!), sounds, and more importantly lives -full of highs and lows- that exist here. Gautier is simply masterful at her craft, and this read as a top-level exploration, however brief they may be, into life here and within PR culture in all its beautiful and heartbreaking complexity and fullness. And I especially appreciate that she was willing to go dark and even despairing for some stories, resisting an urge to tell a more optimistic but ultimately incomplete half-truth that would have been more appeasing, yet shallow. Every single character felt true and real, moving through their chapter in organic and subtly meaningful ways.
Perhaps what I appreciated most about this book (beyond my own bias for the ways it speaks to the specific context I live in now and the friends I have here, which is huge) is the admirable restraint it shows all the way through. As far as I can remember , we see no climaxes here - we see what precedes and follows the most catalyzing moments in these characters lives, the build-ups and come-downs. Gautier allows and challenges her readers to imagine to "big moments" as they would unfold, the sexy and exciting ones most writers are salivating to write. I think it's such a beautiful gift of short story to be able to fade to black before that, to hold back and ultimately refuse to go there for us. In doing so, it makes these characters and their lives achingly real, and where a lesser writer may fall into mundane blandness, Gautier offers such subtle, nuanced complexity throughout those moments - which is, of course, how real life is.
Perhaps what I appreciated most about this book (beyond my own bias for the ways it speaks to the specific context I live in now and the friends I have here, which is huge) is the admirable restraint it shows all the way through. As far as I can remember , we see no climaxes here - we see what precedes and follows the most catalyzing moments in these characters lives, the build-ups and come-downs. Gautier allows and challenges her readers to imagine to "big moments" as they would unfold, the sexy and exciting ones most writers are salivating to write. I think it's such a beautiful gift of short story to be able to fade to black before that, to hold back and ultimately refuse to go there for us. In doing so, it makes these characters and their lives achingly real, and where a lesser writer may fall into mundane blandness, Gautier offers such subtle, nuanced complexity throughout those moments - which is, of course, how real life is.
bwolfe718's review against another edition
5.0
Read my full review here: http://readherlikeanopenbook.com/2014/11/06/now-we-will-be-happy-explores-the-lives-of-puerto-rican-americans-navigating-multiple-cultures/
One of the most encouraging developments in contemporary literature is the increased attention being paid to Afro-Caribbean writers. Writers such as Julia Alvarez (Dominican Republic), Edwidge Danticat (Haiti), Jamaica Kincaid (Antigua), Esmeralda Santiago (Puerto Rico), and Tiphanie Yanique (Virgin Islands) are acclaimed for their distinctive contributions to this literature of both a place and a way of being. Amina Gautier now stakes her claim to join this esteemed group of writers.
Gautier, who is of African-American and Puerto Rican descent and who understands both cultures intimately, has published more than 75 stories in some of the country’s most prestigious literary journals. She won the 2011 Flannery O’Connor Award for Short Fiction, leading to the publication of her first collection, At-Risk, in 2012. That volume probed the lives of African-Americans in Brooklyn with empathy and passion.
...
In these eleven finely wrought stories, the characters face questions of identity raised by family members and society but most often by their own divided hearts and minds. They struggle with remaining authentically Puerto Rican while embracing the idea of being an American. Does that require frequent trips back to the island, having a wide circle of PR friends, speaking Spanish (how much?), attending cultural events and waving the flag literally or figuratively? Who decides? How can one be comfortable in his or her own skin when dealing with matters of nationality, culture, race, ethnicity, and language? And these complexities are not simplified by the fact that Puerto Ricans are American citizens.
... [discussion of several stories]
Now We Will Be Happy is as good a collection of stories as I have read in the past year or two. These are powerful, haunting stories that will have you wondering how the characters are doing weeks after you’ve finished reading it. Anyone interested in how immigrants and their descendants navigate multiple cultures is advised to pick up a copy without delay. And keep the name Amina Gautier on your radar; I suspect we will be reading many more impressive stories and novels from her in the coming years.
One of the most encouraging developments in contemporary literature is the increased attention being paid to Afro-Caribbean writers. Writers such as Julia Alvarez (Dominican Republic), Edwidge Danticat (Haiti), Jamaica Kincaid (Antigua), Esmeralda Santiago (Puerto Rico), and Tiphanie Yanique (Virgin Islands) are acclaimed for their distinctive contributions to this literature of both a place and a way of being. Amina Gautier now stakes her claim to join this esteemed group of writers.
Gautier, who is of African-American and Puerto Rican descent and who understands both cultures intimately, has published more than 75 stories in some of the country’s most prestigious literary journals. She won the 2011 Flannery O’Connor Award for Short Fiction, leading to the publication of her first collection, At-Risk, in 2012. That volume probed the lives of African-Americans in Brooklyn with empathy and passion.
...
In these eleven finely wrought stories, the characters face questions of identity raised by family members and society but most often by their own divided hearts and minds. They struggle with remaining authentically Puerto Rican while embracing the idea of being an American. Does that require frequent trips back to the island, having a wide circle of PR friends, speaking Spanish (how much?), attending cultural events and waving the flag literally or figuratively? Who decides? How can one be comfortable in his or her own skin when dealing with matters of nationality, culture, race, ethnicity, and language? And these complexities are not simplified by the fact that Puerto Ricans are American citizens.
... [discussion of several stories]
Now We Will Be Happy is as good a collection of stories as I have read in the past year or two. These are powerful, haunting stories that will have you wondering how the characters are doing weeks after you’ve finished reading it. Anyone interested in how immigrants and their descendants navigate multiple cultures is advised to pick up a copy without delay. And keep the name Amina Gautier on your radar; I suspect we will be reading many more impressive stories and novels from her in the coming years.
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