The Dirty Girls Social Club
by Alisa Valdes-Rodriguez (Goodreads author!)
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| published
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2003
by Hutchinson
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| binding
| Paperback |
| isbn
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0091795346
(isbn13: 9780091795344)
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| ebook |
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| pages
| 320 |
| date added
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07-01-07
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(showing 1-20 of 1389)
Read in August, 2007
recommends it for:
women
I like this book. I didn't love it. I was told that if I enjoyed "Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood" "Waiting to Exhale" or "The Joy Luck Club" then I would like this book. And I did. I liked it. I just didn't love it.
The book follows the story of the sucias, the dirty girls on the title, six women in their late twenties who went to college together in Boston. The thing that bonds these women in college, and later in life when we meet them,...more
I like this book. I didn't love it. I was told that if I enjoyed "Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood" "Waiting to Exhale" or "The Joy Luck Club" then I would like this book. And I did. I liked it. I just didn't love it.
The book follows the story of the sucias, the dirty girls on the title, six women in their late twenties who went to college together in Boston. The thing that bonds these women in college, and later in life when we meet them, is that they were the only six Latinas in the Communication/Journalism program at Boston University. We follow them through one year of their life and the changes that the year brings to their lives and subsequently their friendships. Like "Ya-Ya" as it follows a very specific culture in a very specific time, and like "Exhale" and "Joy Luck" because it is about a group of women in the 'minority' "Dirty Girls" stands out in it's moderness. Some of the jokes are so contmeporary they aren't even funny yet. That's good. I like to laugh.
My complaint comes in the actual friendships of these women. "Ya-Ya" has alaways been a favorite of mine, even though it generally glosses over the harder aspects of friendship, like jealously, dependency, etc. I have never liked "Exhale": it is a little too crass for me. "Joy Luck" has been a favorite book of mine since the 11th grade, simply because the friendships are so honest, in origin as well a emotion. Many of the women in "Joy Luck" are friends due to circumstance, which the book oesn't shy away from. After all, how many of us really choose our friends? More likely than not, we make due with the ones that fell into our lap and we love them like family: something given to us, but that we didn't necessarily ask for.
The women in "Dirty Girls" are the prime example of this: they are friends throuh circumstance and skin color. Of the six, three of them at one point admit to seeing a different one "only twice a year at the sucia gatherings." The ones who do see each other more frequently don't seem to like each other that much. My biggest issue was with the Rebecca/Lauren relationship. A lovely tension is built between these two that magically gets solved in about 6 pages. As any woman knows, problems don't get solved in 6 pages of life.
Worth the price of admission though, is the quick humor, the spot on commentary about the role of Latinas in America, and the often hilarious and adorable character of Usnavys, the chubbiest and most sympathetic of the women. Her relationship with the earnest Juan is believable and relatable, and her entrance into the book is one of the most memorable of chick lit....less
Read in August, 2008
Now and then, I enjoy reading something fun and different, way out of my normal genre. I found this book to be very easy to read, filled with a lot of great insights to life and love, friendship and relationships. I like the idea that friendships formed in high school and college can last a lifetime. Here are some of my random comments about the book.
1. The author is a pro at writing in the first person and giving us a sometimes hilarious stream of consciousness as each of the six girls ...more
Now and then, I enjoy reading something fun and different, way out of my normal genre. I found this book to be very easy to read, filled with a lot of great insights to life and love, friendship and relationships. I like the idea that friendships formed in high school and college can last a lifetime. Here are some of my random comments about the book.
1. The author is a pro at writing in the first person and giving us a sometimes hilarious stream of consciousness as each of the six girls tells us what is going on in their lives at a given moment. We receive these extremely private thoughts and private reactions to what is being said about them that makes us understand and enjoy each of the characters. For me, this is the main core of the enjoyment of the book. It is surprisingly well done and intimate and as we move from first person of one of the characters to the next, and hear her side of the equation, we understand and more fully understand the relationship.
2. Each of the individual stories is fun and interesting if not a bit exaggerated. But this is what makes a fun story. Something very significant happens over the course of a year to each of the girls as their very unique and successful lives morph primarily through their choice of relationships with men. Each of the girls have this Latina girl baggage of growing up that affects their choices and make them do sometimes foolish things.
3. An additional genius of the book is to show how important these friendships really are and how each of the girl's lives is enhanced and aided by the other five girls and their opinions and the strength they offer to each other through some very difficult and trying times. It's clear that on their own, they may have faltered and could have made bad decisions. It reminds me somewhat of the friendships in "Sex and the City" series.
4. Each of the girls are from "Latina", yet totally different backgrounds and I think there was a lot of good information about how difficult it can be for people from different backgrounds to be approved of and successful in the American culture.
I think you'll find this to be a pretty fun and easy read full of mischief and fun, while still a pretty strong and insightful group of stories that fit very well together. ...less
bookshelves:
easy-read
Read in May, 2005
I love this author's writing style. She certainly has a sense of humor.
The Dirty Girls Social Club tells the story of six Latina women in their late 20s who met at Boston University as freshmen. Their Buena Sucia "Dirty Girls" Social Club still meets twice a year. The book takes us on a journey into their lives, each chapter is written in one character's perspective. This was an interesting way to move along the story, you were not left wondering what another character was thinking...more
I love this author's writing style. She certainly has a sense of humor.
The Dirty Girls Social Club tells the story of six Latina women in their late 20s who met at Boston University as freshmen. Their Buena Sucia "Dirty Girls" Social Club still meets twice a year. The book takes us on a journey into their lives, each chapter is written in one character's perspective. This was an interesting way to move along the story, you were not left wondering what another character was thinking. It was a very creative way of allowing the personality traits of the characters to emerge, making me feel connected to them. The chapters are laced with the humor and drama of their daily lives that reveals the strong bond that remains between them.
As the book progresses the reader learns more about the characters:
Usnavys: a large woman with Puerto Rican heritage that is the Vice President for Public Affairs for the United Way. She loves to live the good life, being treated like a queen, and expects nothing less from the men in her life; she has a fixation with money.
Sara: a stay-at-home mom to twin 5-year-old boys, she pretends to have the perfect sub-burban life yet lives in the shadow of her abusive, controlling corporate attorney husband.
Elizabeth: a beautiful former runway model turned co-host for a network morning show and finalist for a prestigious national news co-anchor position has a big secret.
Rebecca: a proud direct descendent of colonial New Mexicans she is owner and founder of a popular Hispanic woman's magazine and absolute perfectionist with a broken marriage to a lazy, wealthy man whose parents hate for marrying her.
Amber: a folk-rock en Español singer/guitarist waiting for a big break constantly struggling for success and inner peace.
Lauren: self described "Cuban white trash" that has a tendency to hook up with bad men and drinks too much. She works as a newspaper columnist, and has a mouth that fits her feisty spirit.
Fortune and tragedy befall these women but through their strength and support of one another they manage to find inner peace and balance. After reading this book you may wish you had girlfriends like these ladies....less
Read in September, 2007
Women’s Fiction / Dirty Girls? Pigeons and Doves.
This was a fun, quick read and I enjoyed entering the Latina world of the six Suisas and felt welcomed there—as though it were the author’s intention to give the reader a group of girlfriends for the duration of the read. I use the term “read” rather than “story,” because there wasn’t much of one. A lot happens. There are dramatic events such as the outing of a gay news anchor, a severe wife beating and murder, a st...more
Women’s Fiction / Dirty Girls? Pigeons and Doves.
This was a fun, quick read and I enjoyed entering the Latina world of the six Suisas and felt welcomed there—as though it were the author’s intention to give the reader a group of girlfriends for the duration of the read. I use the term “read” rather than “story,” because there wasn’t much of one. A lot happens. There are dramatic events such as the outing of a gay news anchor, a severe wife beating and murder, a struggling performance artist hitting the big time, break-ups, marriages . . . pretty much anything and everything that can happen in a lifetime. But in spite of this, there wasn’t a clear story I could sink my teeth into. It was fully character-driven, with Lauren the newspaper columnist heading each first-person, character-focused chapter, but the characters weren’t entirely likeable. And in spite of their bi-annual meetings and history together at Boston College—even their professed love for one another—I didn’t buy it. I didn’t believe they liked one another all that much.
As for their men? One had to read very closely to find a likeable man. The individual relationships with men were focused upon more than the Suisas' relationships with one another.
Luckily I read Spanish fairly well and many of the passages/communications/slang/flavor of the characters were not lost on me. (Translations don’t accompany each sentence or phrase en Español.) Still, I don’t think knowledge of Spanish is an absolute requirement to read or enjoy this book. It’s a good effort and can certainly be dubbed a crossover book to attract women’s fiction or chick-lit readers of all nationalities.
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bookshelves:
girly-books
Read in April, 2004
recommended to Brittany by:
Gillian
recommends it for:
Fans of Sisterhood of the Travelling Pants (for format) or Sister Chicas
How I Came To Own This Book: Gillian owned it.
The Plot: The book revolves around the intertwining lives of six friends whose latina backgrounds often conflict with their daily trials and tribulations. Think Sisterhood of the Travelling Pants (since the ladies are all quite different) with a latin flavour for adults. Lauren is a newspaper columnist hellbent on making destructive choices in her life, Usnavys is a charity worker/full-figured lady who won't settle for just anyone, Rebecca is an ...more
How I Came To Own This Book: Gillian owned it.
The Plot: The book revolves around the intertwining lives of six friends whose latina backgrounds often conflict with their daily trials and tribulations. Think Sisterhood of the Travelling Pants (since the ladies are all quite different) with a latin flavour for adults. Lauren is a newspaper columnist hellbent on making destructive choices in her life, Usnavys is a charity worker/full-figured lady who won't settle for just anyone, Rebecca is an uptight and miserable advertising executive on the brink of a rebirth, Elizabeth is a Colombian news anchor who finds herself under an uncomfortable spotlight after her personal life is unveiled, Sara is 'happily' married with a dark home life, and Amber is a musician/Mexican-liberation activist who is balancing her immaturity with her burgeoning career.
The Good & The Bad: I'm not a big fan of Valdes-Rodriguez's writing. It's trite, frustrating, and slow at times - but this book is definitely her best of the two I've read, and I've heard 'Make Him Look Good' is terrible. I liked some characters better than others (case in point, I still remember Rebecca, Amber, Sara & Elizabeth's storylines), and I think by the end I ended up liking this book more than I had anticipated in the beginning. I mostly think Valdes-Rodriguez capitalized on an untapped but very important (and large) Hispanic market in the US for chick lit. It's still relatable and enjoyable for Canadians like myself, but not my first pick of the chick lit pile.
The Bottom Line: Valdes-Rodriguez's best, but not the best out there.
50-Book Challenge?: No...less
Read in January, 2003
recommends it for:
Anybody with a BFF
The Dirty Girls Social Club is a great story about 6 Latina friends that are about as diverse as Latinas can be…they come in all shapes, sizes, colors, and backgrounds. What they do have in common is a shared heritage of being Latina in America, highly educated, not living in poverty, and sharing a common bond of friendship that cannot be shaken, no matter what trials and tribulations life brings them.
Alisa uses a very unique style for telling us the story that is sure to charm some reade...more
The Dirty Girls Social Club is a great story about 6 Latina friends that are about as diverse as Latinas can be…they come in all shapes, sizes, colors, and backgrounds. What they do have in common is a shared heritage of being Latina in America, highly educated, not living in poverty, and sharing a common bond of friendship that cannot be shaken, no matter what trials and tribulations life brings them.
Alisa uses a very unique style for telling us the story that is sure to charm some readers and annoy others, the story is told from the first person point of view of the chapter author, thus we get to know each of these Latinas from how they seen themselves, and then how their friends see them, a very unique and enchanting style. It really hits home that we filter, even our BFF’s through our own lens and what we think we know, is not always the way it is. It is sobering to see how what we see and know about the ones we love, can be totally different than their lived experiences. That even the assumptions we make about others, is not always the way it is for them.
I love the technique and know it is not very easy to do…it is a writing style that requires a lot of research and planning. As an Latina educator, I love this book as a teaching tool…it not only allows you to teach point of view and how to write and plan for it, but you get to explore six very diverse, very secure/insecure Latinas with style, vida, y amor.
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Has a copy to sell/swap
—
Read in September, 2004
In an effort to support Latina authors and their work, I read this book. I was not disappointed. I loved it, loved its flaws, loved its strengths, loved it. I loved the style Alisa picked for the novel. Each chapter is told in first person by one of the six main characters. As a result, we come to know each one of her protagonists both through their own storytelling and through the views of the other five. I don't know if this was a result of Alisa's own weakness in writing in third person...more
In an effort to support Latina authors and their work, I read this book. I was not disappointed. I loved it, loved its flaws, loved its strengths, loved it. I loved the style Alisa picked for the novel. Each chapter is told in first person by one of the six main characters. As a result, we come to know each one of her protagonists both through their own storytelling and through the views of the other five. I don't know if this was a result of Alisa's own weakness in writing in third person, but it works. The novel does have a very chick lit feel to it, but it's fun and not trying to be a literary masterpiece, so who cares? Alisa does an excellent job of showing that Latinos are diverse cosmetically and politically. I love the parts where Lauren has to deal with her boss' subtle racism and ignorance. I love the sexy scene between Rebecca and her love interest. Women reading this can ask the whole Sex and the City question: are you a Carrie or Samantha, etc? Are you a Lauren, Usnavys, Rebecca, etc?
I think the book's biggest flaw is that Alisa tried too hard to make her point. Latinos are diverse, we get it. She exaggerated her characters so much in order to prove this that they became one-sided, no longer complex personas. And seriously, I doubt that a group of women this diverse would ever be friends in real life. She left them with too little in common. I think a friendship like that would actually be too strained to survive. Still, I can understand why she did it and I can applaud and appreciate the effort....less
bookshelves:
didn-t-finish
Read in February, 2008
Meh...started reading it, made it in about 50 pages and decided to stop. Ok, it wasn't even 40. I thought I'd like it, because I love Valdes-Rodriguez's blog and her resignation letter at the LA Times, which was 3,000 words or something ridiculous but pretty entertaining. I figured if a writer could really exploit the possibilities in the resignation letter genre, chick lit would be no problem.
But this was like a weak, novelized version of her rant against the Times. The narrator is a weak, ...more
Meh...started reading it, made it in about 50 pages and decided to stop. Ok, it wasn't even 40. I thought I'd like it, because I love Valdes-Rodriguez's blog and her resignation letter at the LA Times, which was 3,000 words or something ridiculous but pretty entertaining. I figured if a writer could really exploit the possibilities in the resignation letter genre, chick lit would be no problem.
But this was like a weak, novelized version of her rant against the Times. The narrator is a weak, novelized version of herself. If you know her backstory, you can see the shades of her own story in all the characters and that seemed to ruin it for me. And her writing just wasn't as good. It seems like she dumbed things down for the chick lit crowd, which would be super-uncool.
She always has something intriguing to say about race and politics and art and writing and it's a lot easier to appreciate what she says without a heavy-handed narrative.
Check out one of her blogs:
http://alisavaldesrodriguez.bl...
Oh, but if this ends up on the big screen, I'm there. Though, personally, this seems like it might be a better TV series, since it's more character-based than plot-based. She spent the first forty pages introducing characters and I hadn't even "met" all of them.
Come on, Ms. Valdes-Rodriguez. Let's try that classic chick lit refrain: You could do so much better....less
Read in July, 2008
recommends it for:
chick-lit fans who want something a little smarter
I bought this book for $2 at Boomerangs in JP on a 100 degree day when all I wanted to do was go sit somewhere air conditioned and give my brain a break. I was looking for mindless, meaningless chick-lit. The cover was covered with pink, it had cartoon-y drawings of curvy women wearing fancy shoes and drinking champagne. Score, a book to read in an afternoon then promptly give back to the used book store.
I didn't know it when I picked it up, but TDGSC takes place in Boston. In the 1st chapt...more
I bought this book for $2 at Boomerangs in JP on a 100 degree day when all I wanted to do was go sit somewhere air conditioned and give my brain a break. I was looking for mindless, meaningless chick-lit. The cover was covered with pink, it had cartoon-y drawings of curvy women wearing fancy shoes and drinking champagne. Score, a book to read in an afternoon then promptly give back to the used book store.
I didn't know it when I picked it up, but TDGSC takes place in Boston. In the 1st chapter, the girls have dinner on Centre St in JP, at the Cuban restaurant on the corner of Paul Gore across from Hi-Lo foods. That's my neighborhood! Chick lit always takes place in NYC, LA, or some countryside in the UK. I was so happy to read about where I live. And, one of the 6 main characters is a lesbian. Yay! The book deals with racism, homophobia, eating disorders, and some serious domestic violence - definitely a departure from the genre.
I can't give a book like this (chick-lit) 5 stars, just based on principle, but it completely exceeded my expectations and earned a place on my shelf instead of getting dropped off at the used book store. ...less
bookshelves:
chicklit,
would-rec
Read in January, 2006
i like reading chicklit that's aimed at "other" audiences - just to see what it's like.
this is basically sex & the city meets hispanic new york, and it's just genius. i don't know how to describe it. there's Usnavies - (yes, her mother named her US Navies, but she pronounces it different) - and there are four other fantastic characters. you feel for them all, you love them all, you get the idea of the differences between hispanics - puero rican, dominican, latin american, mexi...more
i like reading chicklit that's aimed at "other" audiences - just to see what it's like.
this is basically sex & the city meets hispanic new york, and it's just genius. i don't know how to describe it. there's Usnavies - (yes, her mother named her US Navies, but she pronounces it different) - and there are four other fantastic characters. you feel for them all, you love them all, you get the idea of the differences between hispanics - puero rican, dominican, latin american, mexican - they are different yet the same, and somehow . . .
i don't know. sometimes i think chicklit is the best venue for showing american women what the other side is like, and i love this book for that. i would recommend it to anyone, and that seems like i have such little taste, but it's a fun read, and it's serious at the same time, and honestly, the characters are so well done, you love them all. ...less
Read in August, 2008
I'm one chapter in and, so far, I feel kind of meh about this. On the one hand, I love the language; I haven't heard "chisme" ("gossip") used since I moved from Cali four years ago, and this word, and others, bring back memories of my friends. On the other hand, it's too...calculated, I guess, as if she were trying to cover all of her bases and bring in every type of Latina character she can come up with: the blonde Jewish Latina; the Cubana from the wrong side of the track...more
I'm one chapter in and, so far, I feel kind of meh about this. On the one hand, I love the language; I haven't heard "chisme" ("gossip") used since I moved from Cali four years ago, and this word, and others, bring back memories of my friends. On the other hand, it's too...calculated, I guess, as if she were trying to cover all of her bases and bring in every type of Latina character she can come up with: the blonde Jewish Latina; the Cubana from the wrong side of the tracks; the large and boisterous Latina that everyone loves; the militant Mexica; the beautiful black Dominican Latina; and the uptight Latina who just needs to break out. I'm thinking, as I'm reading this, that these women would probably not be friends in real life; aside from being Latina they don't appear to have anything in common. So the diversity is distracting, rather than believable. We'll see as I go along just how this plays out.
And later on...I just can't get into this. My reading time is limited so I'm going to return this to the library from whence it came....less
Read in August, 2008
Okay, okay. I know, hardcore chick lit from a reader such as myself? Eh, I suppose that's putting on airs. Anyway, I started this novel full of cynicism and reluctance, but for lack of anything else and having just finished Eaters of the Dead, I felt a lighthearted read was just the ticket. I was surprised, in a good way, that the book was so much better than I suspected. Maybe it's because I came in with such low expectations, but I really enjoyed it.
Generally I get annoyed by these kinds of...more
Okay, okay. I know, hardcore chick lit from a reader such as myself? Eh, I suppose that's putting on airs. Anyway, I started this novel full of cynicism and reluctance, but for lack of anything else and having just finished Eaters of the Dead, I felt a lighthearted read was just the ticket. I was surprised, in a good way, that the book was so much better than I suspected. Maybe it's because I came in with such low expectations, but I really enjoyed it.
Generally I get annoyed by these kinds of books and finish them grudgingly or I forget about them completely within hours of turning the last page. Despite the word (term?) pantsuit coming into play way too much and some stock-still boring dialog (seriously, the Rebecca and Andre discussions - you couldn't have left some of this out?), it was a good read. It's been a few days and it's still on my mind. Is it a great tromp through literary fields, strongly standing on its own as a classic years from now? Nope. But if I come across this author again, would I read her? Definitely. ...less
bookshelves:
bc,
chick-lit
Read in July, 2007
I think I never read a book about Latinas (or Latinos for that matter), so it was really interesting to see how they see themselves and what differences they make between themselves (from which country someone or their ancestors are).
In the beginning I really didn't know what to expect from this book, in which direction it will go. But it turned out (surprisingly) nicely. Each chapter is dedicated to one member of the Club, so that they take turns in telling their story.
The episodes abo...more
I think I never read a book about Latinas (or Latinos for that matter), so it was really interesting to see how they see themselves and what differences they make between themselves (from which country someone or their ancestors are).
In the beginning I really didn't know what to expect from this book, in which direction it will go. But it turned out (surprisingly) nicely. Each chapter is dedicated to one member of the Club, so that they take turns in telling their story.
The episodes about Sara were shocking, I just cannot understand how someone stays with a person like Roberto. But on the other hand - I've never been in such a situation, so maybe I shouldn't judge.
I was curious about Lauren and Rebecca, if they get their love-interest or not. The parts about the singer Amber bored me a bit, these parts were the least interesting for me.
But all in all quite a nice read, and as I said a whole new perspective for me....less
bookshelves:
female-s-perspective,
fiction,
latin-american-authors
Has a copy to sell/swap
—
Read in August, 2008
recommends it for:
Someone who wants very light reading
Ambitious in scope, The Dirty Girls Social Club was a disappointment for me. Unquestionably an artful writer, Valdes-Rodriguez seemed to run out of story for some of her characters, leaving the reader with a flat ending. And, while each of her characters had very distinct voices initially, as the novel progresses some of them lose their individuality, causing a muddiness, a just-who-is-speaking-right-now quality to some of the later chapters. This was due to weak character development earlier...more
Ambitious in scope, The Dirty Girls Social Club was a disappointment for me. Unquestionably an artful writer, Valdes-Rodriguez seemed to run out of story for some of her characters, leaving the reader with a flat ending. And, while each of her characters had very distinct voices initially, as the novel progresses some of them lose their individuality, causing a muddiness, a just-who-is-speaking-right-now quality to some of the later chapters. This was due to weak character development earlier in the story.
Certainly, lines like, “Five minutes later, stupidity arrives in a leather jacket,” and “Doves are pigeons. It’s the same bird, better publicists,” are amusing, but the repeated pummeling of celebrities such as Edward James Olmos and Christina Aguilera are oddly misplaced and border on slander.
If one is looking for very light reading, pick this up. It is a good airplane novel.
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bookshelves:
chick-lit,
personal-collection
Read in July, 2005
My daughter and me (she was 15 back then) we loved it. This was what I wrote about this book on Monday, July 04, 2005
In case you did not,Rowena (15) stole it from me and she loved the book.
She pleaded to me not to release it + she wants me to check if this writer has written more books. (I think this was her first one )
so it was a great success
I had read the first pages but had some problems because so many names and characters are introduced by Lauren in that first chapter
Any...more
My daughter and me (she was 15 back then) we loved it. This was what I wrote about this book on Monday, July 04, 2005
In case you did not,Rowena (15) stole it from me and she loved the book.
She pleaded to me not to release it + she wants me to check if this writer has written more books. (I think this was her first one )
so it was a great success
I had read the first pages but had some problems because so many names and characters are introduced by Lauren in that first chapter
Anyway even though I had some problems I knew I would love this book, and I was right
Love books about various women and there friendships together and in which each of them tells there own story.
That's why I like jennifer Weiner and Rona jaffe's books to and this is one similar.
You did send me (us) a great book of my wish list
Thanks for this spring fling gift :-)
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Wow, this book caught my eye in a airport book store in Dallas, TX. Random, right? When I shop for books, I look for interesting covers, and this one looked "cute" so I picked it up, and as I usually do, I flipped to a random page, and started reading. It looked good, and read good, so I convinced my dads girlfriend to get it for me. And oh was I glad she did. This book was filled with fun stories of six friends, LATINA friends, they share boy stories, girl stories, everything goes thr...more
Wow, this book caught my eye in a airport book store in Dallas, TX. Random, right? When I shop for books, I look for interesting covers, and this one looked "cute" so I picked it up, and as I usually do, I flipped to a random page, and started reading. It looked good, and read good, so I convinced my dads girlfriend to get it for me. And oh was I glad she did. This book was filled with fun stories of six friends, LATINA friends, they share boy stories, girl stories, everything goes through this book including steamy scenes, dramatic events, and tear-jerking moments. For me, this was one of those books that it would nearly break your heart to set down for a few minutes while you pee! Haha. The author is Alisa Valdes-Rodriguez, my favorite so far! She has been rated 1 in Latina Chick Lit. If you get this book, make sure you have time not to put it down!
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bookshelves:
modern-romance--chick-lit
Read in January, 2007
recommends it for:
fans of Hispanic literature and/or chick lit
This book was not as good as Valdez-Rodriguez' first novel, but it was still pretty enjoyable. the characters are interesting and diverse, even if obviously intended/ specifically written to be diverse to illustrated the diversity of the Hispanic world and cultures (a major theme in this book). the main problem with the characters is that there are just so many of them! it can be hard to keep track of them all--to remember what they're doing and which one is narrating at the moment.
it's reall...more
This book was not as good as Valdez-Rodriguez' first novel, but it was still pretty enjoyable. the characters are interesting and diverse, even if obviously intended/ specifically written to be diverse to illustrated the diversity of the Hispanic world and cultures (a major theme in this book). the main problem with the characters is that there are just so many of them! it can be hard to keep track of them all--to remember what they're doing and which one is narrating at the moment.
it's really interesting to learn about the diversity of Hispanic culture throughout the US and the rest of the Americas. I did enjoy the book. Maybe just keep a notebook with the book as you read, so you can keep track of which character is which. It's amazing how much you can learn about a culture just by reading a fluffy novel like this! ...less
Read in August, 2008
I found it hard to believe that the six women in this book are friends for life...some of them only see each other at their semi-annual get togethers. They also don't seem to like each other all that much. I was halfway through the book before I really began to care much what happened to these ladies. The "friendships" seem forced and I don't think the ending meshed with the way the story was laid out. Most women will share with their girlfriends all the things that can't share wit...more
I found it hard to believe that the six women in this book are friends for life...some of them only see each other at their semi-annual get togethers. They also don't seem to like each other all that much. I was halfway through the book before I really began to care much what happened to these ladies. The "friendships" seem forced and I don't think the ending meshed with the way the story was laid out. Most women will share with their girlfriends all the things that can't share with anyone else- their heartache, their deepest desires, their goals and personalities. I didn't get that in this book. I just didn't buy it. I did, however, love the style and the Spanish thrown in- just enough to flavor the book, not too much that I didn't understand what was going on!...less
Read in June, 2007
recommends it for:
women
Great beach/poolside read. I'm glad i knew ahead of reading this that each of the women fit into a specific stereotype, because otherwise i think it would have been harder to look past that, but once you do it brings up some great topics to think on, especially if you haven't been exposed to them before. I think this book had some great takes on race, and on the american/latina/female identity and how it all fits together. I liked how the 5 different characters all expressed such different vie...more
Great beach/poolside read. I'm glad i knew ahead of reading this that each of the women fit into a specific stereotype, because otherwise i think it would have been harder to look past that, but once you do it brings up some great topics to think on, especially if you haven't been exposed to them before. I think this book had some great takes on race, and on the american/latina/female identity and how it all fits together. I liked how the 5 different characters all expressed such different views on pretty much everything, it really gave a lot of different angles to every situation. I'm surprised this wasn't required reading by any of my college professors, it may not be exactly university level literature, but there would have been a lot to talk about. ...less
bookshelves:
cultural,
womenslives
Read in September, 2007
recommends it for:
women/all interested in broadening their cultural perspective
Sent to me by a California aunt, first read by my summer intern -- an incredibly intelligent and talented young U.S.-born "Mexica" -- I hardly put this book down once I started reading it. It's a fun story about female friends, it's a dramatic story of friends supporting each other though life's threats and challenges, and it's a rich, enlightening story of "Hispanic" women. It helps us understand that "Hispanic" is no more one flavor of people than "Anglo&qu...more
Sent to me by a California aunt, first read by my summer intern -- an incredibly intelligent and talented young U.S.-born "Mexica" -- I hardly put this book down once I started reading it. It's a fun story about female friends, it's a dramatic story of friends supporting each other though life's threats and challenges, and it's a rich, enlightening story of "Hispanic" women. It helps us understand that "Hispanic" is no more one flavor of people than "Anglo" (a category that does nothing to illuminate the ethics, values, and cultural heritage of those of us whose DNA ties to Scandinavia). It's the perfect time in the U.S. to grow our perspective so entertainingly described by Alisa Valdes-Rodriguez. I, for one, will read more of her. Enjoy....less
book data (includes all editions)
avg rating
(all editions):
3.41 (1389 ratings)
avg rating
(this edition): 3.00
(2 ratings)
number of reviews: 221
other editions
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The Dirty Girls Social Club: A Novel (Paperback)
isbn: 0312313829
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The Dirty Girls Social Club (Paperback)
isbn: 009945324X
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The Dirty Girls Social Club (Hardcover)
isbn: 0312313810
