Reviews

We Never Asked for Wings by Vanessa Diffenbaugh

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3kidsrnumber1's review against another edition

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emotional reflective tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

stephanierupert's review against another edition

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4.0

The characters in the book have complex hopes, dreams, fears, flaws, desires and abilities. I was able to truly feel the struggle and triumphs of Letty as she navigated how to become an active, Involved mother to 6 year old Luna and 15 year old Alex. This story will give you a glimpse into the world of undocumented immigrants and their struggle to maintain the lives they worked hard to build in America.

I listened as an audio book, and would highly recommend that approach to any interested reader. The narrators (male for Luna and Alex, and female for Letty) do an excellent job of instilling emotion through the story, which enhances the story line.

passportdog's review

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emotional reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

jenafyre's review against another edition

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5.0

Review to follow.

lak250's review against another edition

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2.0

Diffenbaugh's "The Language of Flowers" is one of my all-time favorite books, so perhaps that's why I was so disappointed in "We Never Asked For Wings." In contrast to "The Language of Flowers," the characters in this book are thinly drawn and never really grab you. The first few chapters are excellent and I couldn't put the book down. But about halfway through, the book gets bogged down with too many plot elements, most of which felt thrown in. The story focuses on Letty's struggle to turn into the mother she never was, but all the good things in the novel happen to her instead of because of her; her character doesn't have much of a sense of agency. I was also a little disturbed by the development of Letty's son's relationship with his girlfriend; it was sweet how they found refuge in each other, but the turn the relationship took didn't mesh with Alex's character in the first half of the book. Overall, it was an OK read, but it doesn't come close to the novel that "The Language of Flowers" is.

coffeelitmama's review against another edition

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3.0

I wanted to love this as much as I loved "The Language of Flowers", but it fell flat for me. Letty was an irritating character, self-centered and had every excuse possible for not caring for her children. The fact that she abandoned them in the first chapter and has no idea how to care for them without her mother was wild to me.

Alex was the most interesting, his love for others and perseverance through tough times definitely came from his grandmother. His sister, however, goodness. The fact that Letty let a six year old tell her she wouldn't stay home & had to jeopardize her job repeatedly was baffling. The girl acted like a wild toddler through most of the book and Letty just carried on with her own love triangle and poor parenting choices.

It did get a little better towards the end (mostly because of Rick.)