Comments on: Book Review: The Brief Wondrous Life Of Oscar Wao

By: The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao, by Junot Diaz | Linus's Blanket

The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao, by Junot Diaz | Linus's Blanket — Fri, 08 Jan 2010 00:41:10 +0000

[...] A Novel Menagerie [...]

By: Desiree

Desiree — Sun, 23 Aug 2009 20:35:55 +0000

I appreciate your honesty and the honesty of the previous posts, especially since I absolutely loved this book. For one, the spanglish of the novel is a fitting way to portray the reality of being both Dominican and American. Diaz introduces us to the world as he and many other Domincians experience it (with the intermingled language that many use within it), something that we should expect to encounter when reading any novel. For me, the meanings of most of the Spanish words were easily grasped from the context. I also did not find the multitude of characters confusing.

Perhaps I related to the novel because as a certain kind of New Yorker, there is familiarity in Yunior’s style of narration. I am also from Trinidad (by the way, we are English speakers) and was surprised by some of the similarities between ourselves and Dominicans (the Spanish and English speakers of the Caribbean tend to overlook these). Regardless of why I was able to relate to the novel and why others were not, it is important to tell your own story, in the language and style that best reflects your reality. I am excited to see that people from different walks of life are reading this novel and are noticing how different or similar this it is to their experiences. It’s a reminder that we are not alone in this world and that the way we live is not the only way to live it. There are many stories, many histories and many ways to write about them.

By: Mike

Mike — Mon, 03 Aug 2009 21:20:44 +0000

I enjoyed your review, and I share some of your feelings. I did not find the footnotes distracting; although, they made me feel guilty. The DR has such a sordid history, yet I as a smug American only know of it as it pertains to American baseball. It truly was one of the most unique reading experiences that I have had in a long time. The Spanish was also incomprehensible for me, but the author wrote it in a way that I could figure out what 90% of it meant (or at least whether it was something good or bad). I loved how you referred to Oscar as being cut from a Greek tragedy because that is it exactly. His life is one where he can not deviate from the path “fate” (or the fuku) has set for him.

I also loved the mystical aspects of the story, the recurring mongoose and man with no face.

All in all, this was an incredibly interesting novel, but one that is hard to pin down as it is so unique. Great reivew.

By: jane

jane — Mon, 13 Apr 2009 01:45:26 +0000

I disliked the book from beginning to end–too much Spanglish, what was the point? Very flip, which is not always synonymous with witty. The plot was totally lacking, just a bunch of horrible experiences barely strung together. The history of D.R. could have made the book fascinating if only the Diaz saw that subject as the true wonder, not the brief, choppy, surface, vulgar, imaginings of a person that seemed misunderstood, boring and not worth getting to know by the narrator, so why should we? The characters were mostly shallow, except for some brief inner imagined thoughts the less than interesting narrator cared to plop on the page as though he were merely relieving himself. Ahh, the vulgarity is catching, not something I as a reader aspire to.

By: TheChicGeek

TheChicGeek — Sat, 28 Feb 2009 05:58:17 +0000

Great review. I love when people give honest reviews. This book is on my TBR list and now I’m thinking. I’d love to hear an update after you’ve discussed it with your club. I read a Pulitzer recently, “March.” I absolutely hated it….I’m beginning to wonder who exactly decides what wins the Pulitzer…maybe it’s a cruel joke for us readers.
You have a lovely blog! I’ll definitely return!

By: Anna

Anna — Tue, 03 Feb 2009 14:23:42 +0000

For a review that was so painful to write, you did a wonderful job! I've seen this title around, but I'm not sure it's my cup of tea. The inclusion of so many Spanish words that I don't understand would probably drive me batty. Anna’s last blog post..January Wrap-Up

By: Menagerie

Menagerie — Mon, 02 Feb 2009 08:55:49 +0000

I would also recommend the book. It’s just so different than any other type of book that I’ve read that it’s hard to review.

However, this book WILL NOT be for everyone!

Sher