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barcodeborrower's review against another edition
3.0
The House on the Lagoon takes its readers through a multi-generational history of Puerto Rico as it was before and after it became an American territory. I went into this novel knowing virtually nothing about Puerto Rico and its history and was interested to see how Rosario Ferré painted Puerto Rico's history while making social and political comments about the independence movement, race relations, and the country's relationship with the United States.
Ferré relates this history through her character Isabel, who is writing her own novel about her family and her husband's history. Her husband, Quintín, is not too thrilled about how she is portraying him and his family, of which he is VERY proud of. I see Quintín as your typical upper-class asshole who, having experienced these negative aspects of his family members, refuses to let go of his pride when he finds pages of Isabel's manuscript. So...there's obviously going to be some conflict there. As for Isabel, I like her as a writer as she takes us through the chapters of her manuscript, but I feel like her present day self was still somewhat of a mystery. I would have loved to read about her reactions to Quintín finding and editing her manuscript. But alas, that does not exist in the book.
Ferré relates this history through her character Isabel, who is writing her own novel about her family and her husband's history. Her husband, Quintín, is not too thrilled about how she is portraying him and his family, of which he is VERY proud of. I see Quintín as your typical upper-class asshole who, having experienced these negative aspects of his family members, refuses to let go of his pride when he finds pages of Isabel's manuscript. So...there's obviously going to be some conflict there. As for Isabel, I like her as a writer as she takes us through the chapters of her manuscript, but I feel like her present day self was still somewhat of a mystery. I would have loved to read about her reactions to Quintín finding and editing her manuscript. But alas, that does not exist in the book.
krissyronan's review against another edition
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
I struggle liking books when I don’t feel like I can root for any of the characters. I pitied a few of the younger family members but they weren’t well developed so it was hard to fully embrace them. Offensive and outdated racial language was hard to ignore. Some stereotypical representation of African characters felt deeper than just an outdated perspective.
monicabfz's review
4.0
Me ha gustado bastante. Recomendaría esta novela a aquellas personas que hayan disfrutado con "Cien años de soledad" y "La casa de los espíritus".
books_n_pickles's review against another edition
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
jordanjor's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
informative
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Rape and Domestic abuse
dashes101's review against another edition
informative
lighthearted
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
I was told this was a re-writing of Absalom, Absalom! by Faulkner, but you absolutely don't need to read AbsAbs to enjoy this book. The entire thing is set within Puerto Rico but follows Isabel tracing her and her husband's lineage to find anger, allegedly to save their relationship and analyze how they can do better. (allegedly is a strong word in here). The book's episodic nature made it easy to engage with and dive into each part of the story -- it reads kind of like House (the show); there are certain themes like politics and theme of narration and its consequences that trace through the entirety of the story but each chapter is a new 'case'. There's also lots of discussion around the idea of writing and what it means from two different sides -- Isabel and her husband, Quintin.
If you love unreliable narration, gothic conventions adapted to a tropical area, want to learn more about PR, or just want an easy read, this is the book for you.
If you love unreliable narration, gothic conventions adapted to a tropical area, want to learn more about PR, or just want an easy read, this is the book for you.
frederica49's review against another edition
emotional
informative
reflective
fast-paced
This was an amazing book.The author tells the story through the perspectives of the various characters and at different periods of Puerto Rico's history. It has strong feminist themes deftly interwoven with politics and racism. Highly recommend.
rexpostfacto's review against another edition
4.0
A family saga of sorts that gets into the nitty gritty of Puerto Rican history.
This was enjoyable – it felt a bit long + dry at times, but overall I was fascinated by the story + history.
CW: colonialism/imperialism, murder, abuse, sexual assault, racism, suicide, ableism, classism
This was enjoyable – it felt a bit long + dry at times, but overall I was fascinated by the story + history.
CW: colonialism/imperialism, murder, abuse, sexual assault, racism, suicide, ableism, classism
verityw's review against another edition
3.0
A multigenerational story about a Puerto Rican family, written by a warring husband and wife who each have a different view of their families's histories. I liked it, but didn't love it. Would make a good book club read.