So far, I am really not convinced about this book. Perhaps, I was expecting a bit more from this book, partially because I am writing about her on Wikipedia and have read many rave reviews about her work, but I am liking it less than many of the other books we have read in the class. I find her style to be rather immature, resembling young adult fiction a little more than I would chose to read at this point in my life. I also find it her style flatter than the other writers...Rivera, Marti, and Cisnernos wrote with a conviction that kept my interest and captivated me. They all brought a certain poetry that I really enjoyed reading that I find lacking in this book, while I simultaneously havn't found the story that interesting. Lastly, and this is my last complaint, I have found the characters to be both unrelatable and unlikable. I am not fond of the father, nor am I fond of any of the daughters so far.
I have not written this book off yet however, and am willing to continue with it with an open mind. I hope that as I get into the story more, the insights that it offers will become a bit more apparent to me. I really wanted to like this book, and based on what I had heard previously, had heard nothing but good things, and premtively thought it was going to be one of my favorites of the class. My dislike at this point could be a result of high expectations and for this reason I will be curious to know how it unfolds.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
5 comments:
would say that I had quite the opposite reaction while reading this book..I found it faced paced, captivating and the author's style has me really intrigued so far.
It's interesting how people can read the same book and have totally opposite reactions to it.
I can relate to that in regards to Marti's work, however, because while I didn't really enjoy it, many others did..!
I definitely understand where you're coming from. It's really hard not to be disappointed to some degree when you begin a book about which you've heard nothing but rave reviews. We build things up in our minds to the point where nothing can ever fully live up to our great expectations. I do, however, think that as you read on and get comfortable with Alvarez' style you will most likely change your tone towards her work. It is also easy to be fooled by her simplistic, casual style and anything-but-pedantic vocabulary. Alvarez doesn't ascribe to the excessively scholarly methods of writers such as Marti, because she is able to effect the same (if not a more sophisticated) purpose without the implementation of pedantic methods.
Nevertheless, I find your opinion both valid and intriguing, whether I agree with it or not. Like Jacqui, I think it's great that as members of the same class, we can hold such opposite opinions. I am curious to know how far along you have read.
*I think it is also important to keep in mind that How the Garcia Girls Lost Their Accents was Julia Alvarez' first novel, after which she went on to write several others works of the same nature, which likely gained more and more sophistication with each attempt.
I'm also doing my project with her, but I'm finding this book totally appealing. I sat in a waiting room today for an hour erading it and was really compelled into their lives. I feel somwhat sucked into this story already, and am really excited to see how it ends
Hey Emily,
I wanted to comment on your blog because you're one of the few who doesn't seem to be enjoying the book! I'm writing my Wikipedia article on it, so I have finished it, and I have some thoughts and reactions to your comments. I can understand where you're coming from saying that her writing style resembles that of young-adult fiction, but I think you really need to look deeper at what Alvarez is trying to say. She's writing the stories from her perspective, in her voice. The way she writes is essentially a part of the big picture, somewhat similar to Cisneros. She is trying to convey to the reader the experiences of an immigrant family, while incorporating a fun, easy-reading style. I also found it interesting (but understandable, I suppose) how you said you couldn't relate to the characters. I'm not even a girl and I can totally relate to these four sisters! Perhaps that's just myself, and I guess everybody sees things differently.
Really interesting observations!
Kaan
Post a Comment