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125th out of 265 books
—
86 voters
The Girls from the Revolutionary Cantina: A Novel
by
Mike Padilla (Goodreads Author)
Inspired by their good-natured rivalry, career-oriented best friends Julia Juarez and Ime Benevides have never let anything come between them. Then enters Julia's new coworker, Ilario, who pulls both women's heartstrings, disrupts their friendship, and brings Julia's career to the brink of disaster.
Looking for support, Julia turns to her other friends: Concepción, a par
Paperback, 368 pages
Published
June 22nd 2010
by St. Martin's Griffin
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Think Sex and the City, Latina style. (Minus the Dior tee shirt/fancy skirt combos) Instead of four NYC gals tho, this novel has 5 LA chicks. Julia is a pretty work oriented, play it safe kind of gal. Her best friend is Ime. Julia has spent her whole life doting on Ime. Because Ime helped her out at a rough time in Julia's life, she feels she owes her something. Ime is VERY career oriented, risky, and takes what she wants when she wants it, to heck with everyone else, even Julia when it comes do...more
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I'm always skeptical of chic lit written by men, but this one was pretty good. I liked the character of Julia and how cultural elements were infused naturally into the story. Some of the 'drama' in the friendships (this friendship is over- yes it is, no it's not), and the story line regarding the movie star turned possible murderer was somehow over the top and underdeveloped at the same time. Despite this, the strength of Julia's character kept me interested and invested. I would recommend this...more
I actually was surprised how much fun this was, and how well done. It was so absorbing I read it in bed until I was done, missing hours of sleep! A thought I had as I finally closed it was: "delicious and nutritious!" Even though it was character-driven, there was plenty of plot. Personally, I was so interested in the characters I didn't need the murder part to keep me turning pages. I just really enjoyed this 'year in the life' of these strong & vital women as they explored issues of friend...more
Reviewed by: Elsie Contreras-Gonzalez
Member of Livin' la vida Latina
http://livinlavidalatina.blogspot.com
Review: When first starting to read The Girls at the Revolutionary Cantina, I expected a common cliché of women enjoying the camaraderie of friendship over drinks. However, once the plot thickened, I became attached to the characters and their different personalities. The Girls at the Revolutionary Cantina filled me with laughter, delight, and surprise.
The novel revolves around Julia Juar...more
Member of Livin' la vida Latina
http://livinlavidalatina.blogspot.com
Review: When first starting to read The Girls at the Revolutionary Cantina, I expected a common cliché of women enjoying the camaraderie of friendship over drinks. However, once the plot thickened, I became attached to the characters and their different personalities. The Girls at the Revolutionary Cantina filled me with laughter, delight, and surprise.
The novel revolves around Julia Juar...more
"The Girls from the Revolutionary Cantina: A Novel" centers on young sales representative Julia Juarez and her circle of friends. Julia is enamored by a new coworker, handsome Ilario, but when he comes to a party given by Julia's friend Concepcion, Ilario ends up with Ime, Julia's best friend. This new dynamic causes problems for Julia not only at the office, but also in her relationship with Ime.
With Ime busy with Ilario and Concepcion and Marta, owner of the Revolutionary Cantina, busy trying...more
With Ime busy with Ilario and Concepcion and Marta, owner of the Revolutionary Cantina, busy trying...more
This is an excellent book. I do not agree with other reviewers at all regarding the book having too many subplots. Not at all. The book is character driven at the beginning; our heroine Julia has foibles like everyone we know, and she is kind and compassionate – someone you’d like to know and won’t soon forget. The pace is good and builds nicely, pulling the reader into the story. We do not initially know what is driving some of the characters – providing some satisfying tension in the story. Bu...more
More than just a fun beach read, THE GIRLS FROM THE REVOLUTIONARY CANTINA is a well-crafted novel with a soul. Given the set-up—a group of women struggling to maintain friendships while coping with tensions engendered from relationships and career aspirations—it’s tempting to characterize the book as a Latina SEX IN THE CITY, but GIRLS cuts closer to the bone. Julia, the protagonist of the book, has much more at stake than Carrie Bradshaw. Bad choices—or bad fortune—for her mean a return to the...more
At first, I did not think I would connect with Padilla’s Girls. Julia seemed a little too self-deprecating for me, and Ime and Concepcion too superficial. Nina and Marta were interesting, but they seemed like minor characters by comparison. I was wrong. I soon became absorbed in the plot and started to connect with Julia and her desire to prove herself as an independent career woman in a society that had little regard for girls from the barrio.
Girls has all the challenges, romance, and drama of...more
Girls has all the challenges, romance, and drama of...more
3.5/5 stars
While reading The Girls From The Revolutionary Cantina I found myself thinking it would make an entertaining cable television series. After I finished reading the book it was clear why – the characters’ dialogue is great. The emotions I felt because of what author M. Padilla’s characters said and did ran the gamut from exasperation to sympathy. There were moments when I stopped reading and thought ”OMG, I can’t believe that just happened!” The first half of the book seemed a bit slow...more
While reading The Girls From The Revolutionary Cantina I found myself thinking it would make an entertaining cable television series. After I finished reading the book it was clear why – the characters’ dialogue is great. The emotions I felt because of what author M. Padilla’s characters said and did ran the gamut from exasperation to sympathy. There were moments when I stopped reading and thought ”OMG, I can’t believe that just happened!” The first half of the book seemed a bit slow...more
This book was one tough editor short of three stars. Someone needed to tell Padilla when he'd strayed too far from his main plot to the sub plots; someone needed to ask him if the actions of Julia (the main character and the POV of the whole story) in the subplots were consistent with the main plot. In my opinion, they weren't, at that made those subplots stick out all the more. One reads like it was added for slapstick effect, and both subplots have a "look! this book is topical!" feeling more...more
I really enjoyed this book! It was very fun and the stories developed quickly which made it a quick read as well. I thought it would remind me of “The Dirty Girls Club” which it did, but moved at a faster pace closer to an Emily Giffin novel. I loved the little insight you got into each girl’s life and how they got where they were and how much they helped each other and looked out for one another. I would probably classify this book as chick lit, but I’m a sucker for those. I’d definitely recomm...more
I received this book in a GoodReads giveaway.
This light read follows a group of Latina women and their pursuit of jobs, men and overall happiness.
The Pros: The Spanish dialogue. It's peppered with words that most of us know and I found it endearing and funny.
The character Marta: Marta is divorced, chubby, and she talks dirty. One of my favorite lines in the book was her perspective on movies and how deaths by cancer in them were good. I have a great visual on her face, body and personality.
The...more
This light read follows a group of Latina women and their pursuit of jobs, men and overall happiness.
The Pros: The Spanish dialogue. It's peppered with words that most of us know and I found it endearing and funny.
The character Marta: Marta is divorced, chubby, and she talks dirty. One of my favorite lines in the book was her perspective on movies and how deaths by cancer in them were good. I have a great visual on her face, body and personality.
The...more
I really loved this character-driven story of a group of Latina friends living in the Valley. It was funny and engaging, and I wanted to keep reading to see what the characters would do next. I can see why it's being characterized at a Latina Sex and the City, to me it felt deeper than that. I do like and read a lot of chick lit, but I think this will stick with me longer than the usual fluffy fun book.
I read this book in one sitting; I just had to keep finding out what happens next! Friendship, infatuation, romance (sometimes a little complicated) Southern California...I think I want to move from the rainy Northwest and find some friends like Julia's. Padilla has created a smart, funny, well paced drama you are sure to enjoy.
"For what I thought would be just a breezy summer read, "The Girls..." has been engaging; even a page-turner. With vivid characters in believable and relatable situations, I was actually sorry to see this one end."
Sep 09, 2010
Marjanne
added it
This story was ok, but not as good as it could have been. The main character was easy to understand, but she really had some crazy friends. There was some unnecessary vulgarity, generally from the character of Marta. I'm not sure if I would read another book by this author.
If you're a certified valley girl like me, you will love this book immensely!
Light read, didn't always fully understand the motivations of the characters. Still entertaining.
May 31, 2010
Lisa
marked it as to-read
Another freebie!! Keep them coming!
Jul 25, 2010
Karineh
added it
i just cant seem to put this book down. sigh
I won this from FirstReads. I ended up finishing it because, well, it was just sitting there. It redeemed itself a little by being slightly entertaining. It's a summer beach read, at best. The characters live a pretty selfish existence. I wasn't impressed and wouldn't recommend it to anyone I know.
I won this book on first reads. It was a fun book, and felt fairly light despite all the drama. It read like a "reality show", there was a bit too much going on to truly invest yourself, but still worth reading if you're in the right non-serious mood.
Quick, easy read. Good for the beach or lazy summer day. Padilla manages to keep the plot busy with multiple conflicts (romantic, career, criminal) but almost too busy at times. Would have almost preferred more development over all the conflict, but was enjoyable none the less.
Holy cow, this book was so much more than I anticipated. I figured it would be poor-to-middling chick lit, but it was lovely. Complex characters struggling with real issues. Definitely recommended!
A drama-filled and insightful portrait of friendship with a great sense of humor and memorable characters. Full review TK.
it was like reading the latina version of valley of the dolls...except it was alcohol, not pills! light read.
Not bad for chica lit written by a man
Apr 18, 2013
Jamie
marked it as to-read
Feb 19, 2013
Jacqueline
marked it as to-read
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Mike Padilla/M. Padilla is the author of the comic novel THE GIRLS FROM THE REVOLUTIONARY CANTINA and the award-winning short story collection HARD LANGUAGE.
HUFFINGTON POST INTERVIEW: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/mark-co...
More about Mike Padilla...
HUFFINGTON POST INTERVIEW: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/mark-co...
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