Published to coincide with the Anchor Books edition of Peel My Love Like an Onion, this Spanish translation is a major addition to the Vinta...
read full description
reviews
Mar 30, 2009
Gitane
rated it: 
It's been more than ten years since I read Sapogonia and I loved this as much as the first. Ana weaves chicana, flamenca, and gypsy cultures with the dysfunctions of family and a downtrodden city life together so beautifully that you want to live a day in the life of Carmen. She creates a romantic triangle of heartbreak and then surprises you with a heroine at the end. Carmen la Coja will make you want to have a room at the Hollywood hotel with late nights of flamenco dancing with the gypsy boy
More...
0 comments
like
(1 person liked it)
Dec 08, 2009
Liana
rated it: 
Perhaps I should have started my foray into Xicanisma with a different title by Ana Castillo. There is her ever mysterious-magical-realist So Far From God and there's also her first, The Mixquiahuala Letters. But I read this one. I was taken away immediately into a Chicana world I'll never know: Chicago. And flamenco dancing with gypsy lovers. But with several nods to familiar behavior and lexicon existent in my own family, I found that I could still relate. And of course it's about love so I co
More...
Oct 18, 2008
Connect-ion
rated it: 
Chicago native Ana Castillo will not disappoint you. She knows this city and can kindle the spirit of the early Chicanos that lived where the University of Illinois at Chicago houses its campus, a controversial area often defined as East Pilsen, University Village or whatever is the newly fashioned name positioned by real estate interest.
Her expertise in the city certainly makes her a must read for Chicagoans deeply vested in the historical makeup of this diverse, robustly en More...
May 21, 2008
Patty
rated it:
This was an interesting read. I liked the book, but did not love it. Definitely a page turner though - it was unpredictable, which was one of the things I liked about it. The uncertainty of Carmen's relationships with Manolo and Agustin kept me reading on! She also portrays some of the characters well, particularly her family. I could picture them, as well as the house that they lived in. I would have liked to have read more development in her relationship with neighbor ChiChi, as well as
More...
Oct 07, 2011
Melissa
rated it:
I've been wanting to read this for awhile now and finally got around to it. This story is a walk through a cultural wonderland. Me, being a white chick, struggled a bit, as a lot of the language is dialects of Spanish and I found myself looking up many words to keep track. It also inspired me to research flamenco dancing. Ultimately it is a story of a dancer caught between two lovers - a powerful strong female character, despite many downfalls. Expect to learn a thing or two and be inspired to r
More...
Nov 15, 2008
Wizzard
rated it:
I like this book. I can relate to the author who is similar to me in someways (politically aware, facing physical health challenges, artistic) but different in many of the specifics(flamenco dancer, Latina, Chicago) The book's pacing is wonderful, fast because it jumps around via memories and beautiful metaphors. Her style is unique -- I like it because it is informed but not academic. It is complex and alive even abstract at times but it is not heady. In my own way I want to learn from the
More...
Jul 21, 2011
Crystal
rated it:
I haven't finished this book yet but the author speaks in a unique voice. The book reads like a Tella Novella. The heroine is likeable and the idea of a crippled flamenco dancer is sort of hard to believe. Her romantic exploits, time with her family, and career issues are all believable and poignant. Overall, I’d recommend this novel.
Feb 08, 2009
Faye
rated it:
I had that disappointed feeling when I finished this book, always a good sign of a good book. Castillo drops interesting gems about the characters in unusual ways and forces you to read very carefully or it seems you will miss something. This book is about a post-WWII family (much like my own) except for Catholic and growing up in a suburb on Long Island. Key themes are the son that goes to Vietnam, the lives of the remaining siblings, and patterns that shape our lives from generation to gene
More...
Nov 05, 2009
Freya
rated it:
Very stream of consciousness - it's my bedside book which may not be the best choice as I sometimes read, sometimes don't and it takes a while to get back into the book. It's interesting though and a bit sad... The author sets the scene very descriptively, you can smell the smoke the sweat, feel the pain of sore feet...
Apr 08, 2010
Lisa
rated it:
I love Castillo's writing style - so simple and unassuming yet I found myself rereading sentences just to soak in its depth. A really interesting story about womanhood through the eyes of a flamenco dancer who is partially crippled because of polio. One of my faves for sure!
Jan 10, 2009
Rhi
rated it:
He became as essential to my life as the sun that rises each morning to tell us we have not died the night before but just gone to sleep to dream.
0 comments
like
(1 person liked it)
Oct 16, 2010
krin
rated it:
This was a very good love story interlaced with music and dancing. I liked how Carmen learned to find her own voice and dignity.
Nov 05, 2010
Salem
rated it:
This was the first book my book club and i read. It hasn't been the best book, but it is the one we had a lot to talk about.
Apr 21, 2011
I really, really disliked this book. The writing style was self-indulgent, and the plot too postmodern for my tastes.
0 comments
like
(1 person liked it)
Oct 03, 2011
Curlita
rated it:
I really love this book, but I haven't reread it yet. So I probably don't need this copy.
Oct 09, 2007
Laura
rated it:
A flamenco dancer in Chicago..... what more do you need for a fantastic premise to a book? In truth, the story gets a little old, and there's definitely not enough details about the actual dancing for my taste (too many details about the typical drunken revelry of an "artist's life")... but Carmen, the main character, grew on me as she grew into herself. I really enjoyed Ana Castillo's writing style, so, even if this book doesn't rank among my favorites, it's a lead-in to Castillo's
More...
Jun 20, 2007
Naomi
rated it:
I love this book because the voice of 'Carmen la Coja'(the protagonist) is truly authenic; she seems like someone you know. I remember telling a story to my friend once, and I was trying to remember who had originally told it to me. And then it dawned on me: the person who told me this story was not someone I actually knew. It was Carmen, in Peel My Love Like and Onion, who had first told it to me.
Jan 26, 2008
Krista
rated it:
This is my first introduction to the lyricism of Ana Castillo. I would greatly recommend for everyone to read her work, which contrasts raw emotion with beautiful word choices. Her work is both soft and jolting in the truth of emotion. I look forward to reading more of her work.
Dec 17, 2009
Olga
rated it:
Loved this book...loved it, loved it! The narrator's voice is wry, funny, self-critical, authentic. I had many moments where I laughed out loud or demanded that my roommate read a particular passage. Read it for the love story, read it for the social justice content, but just read it.
Jul 11, 2007
erin
rated it:
As I was reading this book one rainy, Portland afternoon, I turned to my mom and expressed a desire to possibly become a professional flamenco dancer. She was not terribly supportive. Carmen's life isn't pretty or easy, but the story is real. It'll bring you down, but in a good way.
Dec 27, 2007
Robin
rated it:
The title of this book improves immensely when you read it in the context of the poem it comes from. (Which is at the beginning of the novel) I love the characters in this book--it's a feel-good book, but a quirky one and a must for anyone who loves flamenco.
Feb 11, 2010
I began this book looking to fill a void.. then i got distracted... then i forgot about the void... then, i think i found another void to fill and put this in my sub-conscious.. now, i want to get back to it, without needing a void filled, just because..
Nov 28, 2007
Maria
rated it: 
I read this for book club. It made for a decent discussion, but mostly we agreed that there wasn't all that much depth to it. It's a quick read, but in the end I didn't care that much about the main character or the love triangle.
Oct 03, 2010
mjsquared
rated it:
This was a difficult book to read due to the author's style of writing and layout of the book. The characters were not ones that I was able to relate to at all. Overall not a book I would recommend.
0 comments
like
(1 person liked it)
