Mary's review of The Mambo Kings Play Songs of Love
The Mambo Kings Play Songs of Love by Oscar Hijuelos
I started this a long time ago and stopped because I thought it was too sexist. I should try again. Sorry I haven't returned this Aaron. Ha. It must be about ten years I've had it.
Okay, finally re-read/finished it. So it wasn't "sexist". It was just saucy--so saucy that I was probably beet-red the entire time I was reading it in public. This is the kind of book where I'm reading it on the train and half the time I'm trying to make sure nobody is reading it over my shoulder and then looking at me and winking.
The book is very readable, and the first section is engrossing, but after that the meandering nature of Cesar's thoughts is a little too much to bear. Each memory is bright and full of life, but wandering down memory lane with a broken old man in a failing hotel is something that you only want to do for a few pages--you get the idea fairly quickly, and then you're just uncomfortable until the end.
Turns out the thing I was most fascinated by in this book was the...more
Okay, finally re-read/finished it. So it wasn't "sexist". It was just saucy--so saucy that I was probably beet-red the entire time I was reading it in public. This is the kind of book where I'm reading it on the train and half the time I'm trying to make sure nobody is reading it over my shoulder and then looking at me and winking.
The book is very readable, and the first section is engrossing, but after that the meandering nature of Cesar's thoughts is a little too much to bear. Each memory is bright and full of life, but wandering down memory lane with a broken old man in a failing hotel is something that you only want to do for a few pages--you get the idea fairly quickly, and then you're just uncomfortable until the end.
Turns out the thing I was most fascinated by in this book was the...more
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