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savaging's review against another edition
4.0
Capo Crucet's writing is rooted deep in a specific ecology and community. These are character-driven stories, not plot-driven, but all the same the body count is high. Almost all of the pieces in here are about death. Those that aren't are about bodies that decay or fail.
I tried typing down my favorite stories, but found that the list was getting too long and all-inclusive. If you want to read about a radio intern enlisting nuns and santeras in the quest to resurrect Celia Cruz, or what happens to a dead man's ferret, or Miami-Cuban funerals and Christmas Eves and multiple sclerosis and tai chi -- and you don't mind an unconventional narrative arc that often leaves you without a concluding dun-dum-DUUUUM -- then find this book. At the very least, read the title essay, "How to Leave Hialeah," which is remarkable.
I disliked the few stories about young, heterosexual couples -- but I'm not certain they were written to be liked.
I tried typing down my favorite stories, but found that the list was getting too long and all-inclusive. If you want to read about a radio intern enlisting nuns and santeras in the quest to resurrect Celia Cruz, or what happens to a dead man's ferret, or Miami-Cuban funerals and Christmas Eves and multiple sclerosis and tai chi -- and you don't mind an unconventional narrative arc that often leaves you without a concluding dun-dum-DUUUUM -- then find this book. At the very least, read the title essay, "How to Leave Hialeah," which is remarkable.
I disliked the few stories about young, heterosexual couples -- but I'm not certain they were written to be liked.
michelleloretta's review against another edition
4.0
Fun collection of short stories. Essential reading for anyone who lives in Miami.
notesonbookmarks's review against another edition
3.0
I'm torn. 2.5? I REALLY did not like some of these stories. Like, visceral distaste.
arturob's review
funny
reflective
sad
medium-paced
4.0
For all the Miami Cubans who've left Florida, that title story is gonna hit more than any other story you'll ever read, dios mio.
chaleyah's review against another edition
The required reading was only a portion of the book.
madmatilda's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
livingprose's review against another edition
emotional
funny
reflective
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? It's complicated
3.75
manjamlyn27's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.75
Short story collections are usually a mixed bag, but How to Leave Hialeah is excellent! I could clearly see and empathize these characters and settings; it felt like I knew these people intimately after only 10 pages or so!
High points for me were “And in the morning, work” and “Noche Buena.”
Funny enough, my least favorite would be the title story, “How to Leave Hialeah.” For me, the writing in this book is strongest when we are plopped into a short frame of time, versus the years that the final story encompasses.
All-in-all, I highly recommend this.
High points for me were “And in the morning, work” and “Noche Buena.”
Funny enough, my least favorite would be the title story, “How to Leave Hialeah.” For me, the writing in this book is strongest when we are plopped into a short frame of time, versus the years that the final story encompasses.
All-in-all, I highly recommend this.
djinnmartini's review against another edition
4.0
I came upon Jennine Capó Crucet quite by accident, through an excerpt from her forthcoming novel in Guernica (highly recommended). These stories deal primarily with the Cuban-American community in and around Miami, and while there are one or two stories that utilize Cuba as a backdrop I think Crucet's strength is in depicting the curious hybridity of Cuban Miami. She obviously has a great and complicated affection for Miami and for Florida and I am really hoping that in her future works she does more with the landscape of the city. My favorite facet of this work is (surprise) how she explores masculinity and how she uses it as a device, especially in my personal favorite of the short stories, "Men Who Punched Me in the Face." I am really looking forward to seeing more work from Crucet.