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The Caregiver
From the critically acclaimed author of This Burns My Heart comes gorgeous, emotionally wise tale about a daughter who unearths the hidden life of her enigmatic mother.
Mara Alencar’s mother Ana is the moon, the sun, the stars. Ana, a struggling voice-over actress, is an admirably brave and recklessly impulsive woman who does everything in her power to care for her little girl. With no other family or friends her own age, Ana eclipses Mara’s entire world. They take turns caring for each other—in ways big and small.
Their arrangement begins to unravel when Ana becomes involved with a civilian rebel group attempting to undermine the city's torturous Police Chief, who rules over 1980s Rio de Janeiro with terrifying brutality. Ana makes decisions that indelibly change their shared life. When Mara is forced to escape, she emigrates to California where she finds employment as a caregiver to a young woman dying of stomach cancer. It’s here that she begins to grapple with her turbulent past and starts to uncover vital truths—about her mother, herself, and what it means to truly take care of someone.
Told with vivid imagery and subtle poignancy, The Caregiver is a moving and profound story that asks us to investigate who we are—as children and parents, immigrants and citizens, and ultimately, humans looking for vital connectivity.
Mara Alencar’s mother Ana is the moon, the sun, the stars. Ana, a struggling voice-over actress, is an admirably brave and recklessly impulsive woman who does everything in her power to care for her little girl. With no other family or friends her own age, Ana eclipses Mara’s entire world. They take turns caring for each other—in ways big and small.
Their arrangement begins to unravel when Ana becomes involved with a civilian rebel group attempting to undermine the city's torturous Police Chief, who rules over 1980s Rio de Janeiro with terrifying brutality. Ana makes decisions that indelibly change their shared life. When Mara is forced to escape, she emigrates to California where she finds employment as a caregiver to a young woman dying of stomach cancer. It’s here that she begins to grapple with her turbulent past and starts to uncover vital truths—about her mother, herself, and what it means to truly take care of someone.
Told with vivid imagery and subtle poignancy, The Caregiver is a moving and profound story that asks us to investigate who we are—as children and parents, immigrants and citizens, and ultimately, humans looking for vital connectivity.
289 pages, Kindle Edition
First published September 25, 2018
146 people are currently reading
6801 people want to read
About the author
Samuel Park
19 books120 followersSamuel Park was an Associate Professor of Creative Writing at Columbia College Chicago. He graduated from Stanford University and the University of Southern California, where he earned his doctorate. He is the author of the novella Shakespeare's Sonnets and the writer-director of a short film of the same name, which was an official selection of numerous domestic and international film festivals. He is also the author of the novels This Burns My Heart and The Caregiver. His nonfiction has appeared in The New York Times. Born in Brazil and raised in Los Angeles, he split his time between Chicago and Los Angeles. In April 2017, Park died of stomach cancer at age 41 shortly after finishing The Caregiver.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 271 reviews
September 11, 2018
The book begins in California in the 1990’s when twenty six year old Mara Alencar, an undocumented immigrant from Brazil is a caregiver to an affluent woman with stomach cancer. In these early pages, I found Mara’s reactions to America fascinating and so enlightening as she tells of all of the things she has been surprised about in the ten years she has been in America. The narrative describes these things for several pages - how much is free here, public bathrooms, so many cars, that single women could be friends with married women, that it wasn’t okay for husbands to beat their wives, how everyone could eat at restaurants, that not everyone was white, grandparents lived separate from their grandchildren, that there were no words for certain things and so much more in these pages. This gave me a perspective that I quite honestly had not given much thought about, how strange things here might seem to an immigrant. Mara as an immigrant is only one facet of the story.
This is a multilayered story which covers a number of themes in a cohesive way . We are soon taken back to her childhood in this well written, first person narrative, taking us to Copacabana, Brazil in the 1970’s when she was eight years old. It’s in this time and place that we get a glimpse of the unconditional love of a mother for her daughter as her mother Ana gets caught up in a political scheme with a police chief who tortures people and the dissidents, the rebel guerrillas. Ana is a voice over actress who will do what it takes to provide for her daughter, even putting herself in danger. A horrific event takes place before Mara’s eyes and over the years Mara’s view of what happened and her mother’s role is never clear for her. She loves her mother and at the same time believes the worst about her.
There is yet another layer here with Mara’s role as a caregiver. How Kathryn deals with her illness is poignantly described and is even more impactful knowing that Samuel Park knew of which he wrote, dying of stomach cancer after this novel was written. It’s a captivating story about many things, not the least of which is a mother’s love for her daughter and a young woman coming to terms with the past.
I received an advanced copy of this book from Simon & Schuster through NetGalley.
This is a multilayered story which covers a number of themes in a cohesive way . We are soon taken back to her childhood in this well written, first person narrative, taking us to Copacabana, Brazil in the 1970’s when she was eight years old. It’s in this time and place that we get a glimpse of the unconditional love of a mother for her daughter as her mother Ana gets caught up in a political scheme with a police chief who tortures people and the dissidents, the rebel guerrillas. Ana is a voice over actress who will do what it takes to provide for her daughter, even putting herself in danger. A horrific event takes place before Mara’s eyes and over the years Mara’s view of what happened and her mother’s role is never clear for her. She loves her mother and at the same time believes the worst about her.
There is yet another layer here with Mara’s role as a caregiver. How Kathryn deals with her illness is poignantly described and is even more impactful knowing that Samuel Park knew of which he wrote, dying of stomach cancer after this novel was written. It’s a captivating story about many things, not the least of which is a mother’s love for her daughter and a young woman coming to terms with the past.
I received an advanced copy of this book from Simon & Schuster through NetGalley.
November 7, 2018
The story open with Mara working as a caregiver to a woman with stomach cancer. The novel than travel back in time, to Rio De Janiero in the 1980's, a very fraught political time in that country. Mara's mother will do anything to take care of her daughter, and this leads her into a dangerous situation, one with huge implications.
A touching mother, daughter tale, and one that shows how the political can affect our lives, and not always for the better. Brazil is a country I have read very little about, and this novel does a good job of showing the different faces this country presents. Mardi Gras with all the glam and glitter, beaches that look beautiful unless you look too closely. The struggles under the rule of a dictatorship, the brutality of a police chief who uses torture to elicit information about the resistance. A story written with a great deal of compassion, with a few twists I didn't see coming.
It seems way to often that I pick up a book about another country and find traces of my countrys involvement in a way detrimental to that country. Very awakening politically. Marax journey is an interesting one, how she comes to the United States and her hopes for the future. The authors own life takes a devastating turn, one mimiced in condition of one of these characters. The note at book end explains.
A touching mother, daughter tale, and one that shows how the political can affect our lives, and not always for the better. Brazil is a country I have read very little about, and this novel does a good job of showing the different faces this country presents. Mardi Gras with all the glam and glitter, beaches that look beautiful unless you look too closely. The struggles under the rule of a dictatorship, the brutality of a police chief who uses torture to elicit information about the resistance. A story written with a great deal of compassion, with a few twists I didn't see coming.
It seems way to often that I pick up a book about another country and find traces of my countrys involvement in a way detrimental to that country. Very awakening politically. Marax journey is an interesting one, how she comes to the United States and her hopes for the future. The authors own life takes a devastating turn, one mimiced in condition of one of these characters. The note at book end explains.
September 25, 2018
!! NOW AVAILABLE !!
“You taught me precious secrets of the truth, withholdin' nothin'
You came out in front and I was hiding
But now I'm so much better so if my words don't come together
Listen to the melody 'cause my love's in there hiding
“But I love you in a place where there's no space or time
I've loved you for my life, yes, you're a friend of mine
And when my life is over, remember when we were together
We were alone and I was singin' my song for you, yes
We were alone and I was singin' this song for you, baby
We were alone and I was singin' my song
Singin' this song for you”
-- A Song For You, Leon Russell, Songwriters: Leon Russell
This story begins with the prelude in Bel Air, California in the early 1990s with Mara Alencar, who is at that time 26 years old, and an undocumented home caregiver for a woman, Mrs. Kathryn Weatherly, divorced, is in her early forties, and has been diagnosed with stomach cancer.
The story then leaves the 1990s and California and takes a step back in time, and place, to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil in the mid-to-late 1970s. Mara is, at this point, eight years old, and she and her mother Ana are living in Copacabana, when a song in America, Copacabana sends American tourists there in droves.
Ana does voice-overs for actresses, dubbing over their English to Portuguese, and is attractive enough that men turn and stare as she walks by, a fact that doesn’t go unnoticed by Mara. Mara has never known her father, and Ana doesn’t want to discuss him with her, he’s the past and together they are the future. Money is tight and, after much convincing, she’s persuaded to take a job she’d prefer to decline. The problem is, this job involves the student guerillas, revolutionaries, and the police.
Back in 1990s Bel Air, Mara struggles in caring for Kathryn, her fear of reliving those days before she came to America, and as these days of giving care to Kathryn go on, the roles begin to blur more, while Kathryn speaks of leaving her house to Mara, and speaking of her to others as her daughter. Kathryn speaks more frequently of her fears of dying, words that haunt Mara, and she finds herself revisiting old memories of the days caring for her mother.
Beautifully written, this is Park’s final novel, a poignant story of life with all its struggles, of love in all its variations, the push and pull of maternal love, the confidential and clandestine nature of romantic love, a moving contemplation of the end of our days and of those with whom we share our love.
Shortly after he finished writing this novel, Park’s own battle with stomach cancer came to an end, leaving us with this, a final gift.
Pub Date: 25 SEP 2018
Many thanks for the ARC provided by Simon & Schuster
“You taught me precious secrets of the truth, withholdin' nothin'
You came out in front and I was hiding
But now I'm so much better so if my words don't come together
Listen to the melody 'cause my love's in there hiding
“But I love you in a place where there's no space or time
I've loved you for my life, yes, you're a friend of mine
And when my life is over, remember when we were together
We were alone and I was singin' my song for you, yes
We were alone and I was singin' this song for you, baby
We were alone and I was singin' my song
Singin' this song for you”
-- A Song For You, Leon Russell, Songwriters: Leon Russell
This story begins with the prelude in Bel Air, California in the early 1990s with Mara Alencar, who is at that time 26 years old, and an undocumented home caregiver for a woman, Mrs. Kathryn Weatherly, divorced, is in her early forties, and has been diagnosed with stomach cancer.
The story then leaves the 1990s and California and takes a step back in time, and place, to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil in the mid-to-late 1970s. Mara is, at this point, eight years old, and she and her mother Ana are living in Copacabana, when a song in America, Copacabana sends American tourists there in droves.
Ana does voice-overs for actresses, dubbing over their English to Portuguese, and is attractive enough that men turn and stare as she walks by, a fact that doesn’t go unnoticed by Mara. Mara has never known her father, and Ana doesn’t want to discuss him with her, he’s the past and together they are the future. Money is tight and, after much convincing, she’s persuaded to take a job she’d prefer to decline. The problem is, this job involves the student guerillas, revolutionaries, and the police.
Back in 1990s Bel Air, Mara struggles in caring for Kathryn, her fear of reliving those days before she came to America, and as these days of giving care to Kathryn go on, the roles begin to blur more, while Kathryn speaks of leaving her house to Mara, and speaking of her to others as her daughter. Kathryn speaks more frequently of her fears of dying, words that haunt Mara, and she finds herself revisiting old memories of the days caring for her mother.
Beautifully written, this is Park’s final novel, a poignant story of life with all its struggles, of love in all its variations, the push and pull of maternal love, the confidential and clandestine nature of romantic love, a moving contemplation of the end of our days and of those with whom we share our love.
Shortly after he finished writing this novel, Park’s own battle with stomach cancer came to an end, leaving us with this, a final gift.
Pub Date: 25 SEP 2018
Many thanks for the ARC provided by Simon & Schuster
September 23, 2018
Oh, how I love a mother-daughter story. The Caregiver is set in beautiful Rio de Janeiro in 1980s. Ana is everything to her daughter, Mara. She lives paycheck to paycheck as a voice-over actress, and is assertive, resilient, and reckless all at the same time. Ana has a fierce love for her daughter, but her limitations hold her back from being a traditional mom. As a result, Mara ends up mothering Ana and growing up earlier than her time.
Things begin to fall apart when Ana becomes involved in a hostile group trying to rid the city of its despicably brutal police chief. Her actions abruptly change their lives and not for the better. Mara has no choice but to flee Brazil for safety, and she emigrates to the United States. There she becomes the sole caregiver for a woman, Kathryn, diagnosed with terminal stomach cancer.
Through her service towards Kathryn, Mara learns about herself and addresses her incongruous and unusual relationship with her mother.
The mother-daughter push and pull relationship can be dramatic at times, but Park does not depict Ana and Maura in a grandiose way. There is an underlying emotional tone and poignance just beneath the surface that made my throat catch at times. Subtle but masterful.
I would offer The Caregiver is not just a story unique to mothers and daughters, but it is also about humans looking for love and connection as a way of obtaining a steadfast anchor. Related to that, it’s also about belonging and how that can in turn anchor, especially as it pertains to the immigrant experience.
The Caregiver is the first novel I have read by Samuel Park, and it turns out this book was published posthumously after he passed away from stomach cancer. Mr. Park had Mara care for someone dying of the same cancer he had. I have to wonder what it was like for him to write about that with it so close to home. What a gift is this author’s work.
Thank you to Simon Schuster for the ARC. All opinions are my own.
My reviews can also be found on my blog: www.jennifertarheelreader.com
Things begin to fall apart when Ana becomes involved in a hostile group trying to rid the city of its despicably brutal police chief. Her actions abruptly change their lives and not for the better. Mara has no choice but to flee Brazil for safety, and she emigrates to the United States. There she becomes the sole caregiver for a woman, Kathryn, diagnosed with terminal stomach cancer.
Through her service towards Kathryn, Mara learns about herself and addresses her incongruous and unusual relationship with her mother.
The mother-daughter push and pull relationship can be dramatic at times, but Park does not depict Ana and Maura in a grandiose way. There is an underlying emotional tone and poignance just beneath the surface that made my throat catch at times. Subtle but masterful.
I would offer The Caregiver is not just a story unique to mothers and daughters, but it is also about humans looking for love and connection as a way of obtaining a steadfast anchor. Related to that, it’s also about belonging and how that can in turn anchor, especially as it pertains to the immigrant experience.
The Caregiver is the first novel I have read by Samuel Park, and it turns out this book was published posthumously after he passed away from stomach cancer. Mr. Park had Mara care for someone dying of the same cancer he had. I have to wonder what it was like for him to write about that with it so close to home. What a gift is this author’s work.
Thank you to Simon Schuster for the ARC. All opinions are my own.
My reviews can also be found on my blog: www.jennifertarheelreader.com
March 1, 2019
I loved the heart of this novel, which was the deeply loving relationship between Mara Alencar and her mother, Ana. Ana has raised Mara as a single mother in Brazil, living a hand-to-mouth existence as a Portuguese voice-over artist for American films. With money tight, Ana accepts a hazardous job acting as a decoy to distract a corrupt police chief for a band of revolutionaries who want to free their comrades from his jail. Things go awry, leading to a misunderstanding between Mara and Ana that casts a shadow over their relationship.
Mara ends up as an immigrant in America, where she works as a caregiver for a woman dying of stomach cancer. Mara’s story as Kathryn’s caregiver is interspersed between the threads of Mara’s story with her mother in Brazil.
Ultimately, I thought the execution of the novel was muddied by too many unnecessary characters and side stories that detracted from its emotional heart. I didn’t really “feel” the Kathryn/Mara thread nor did I fully grasp how that story thread complemented the Mara/Ana storyline.
Sadly, the author Samuel Park passed away just after finishing this novel. He died of stomach cancer, which surely informed the development of his character Kathryn. A sad loss for us readers!
Thanks to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster for an ARC of this novel. My review, however, is based on the hardcover version.
Mara ends up as an immigrant in America, where she works as a caregiver for a woman dying of stomach cancer. Mara’s story as Kathryn’s caregiver is interspersed between the threads of Mara’s story with her mother in Brazil.
Ultimately, I thought the execution of the novel was muddied by too many unnecessary characters and side stories that detracted from its emotional heart. I didn’t really “feel” the Kathryn/Mara thread nor did I fully grasp how that story thread complemented the Mara/Ana storyline.
Sadly, the author Samuel Park passed away just after finishing this novel. He died of stomach cancer, which surely informed the development of his character Kathryn. A sad loss for us readers!
Thanks to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster for an ARC of this novel. My review, however, is based on the hardcover version.
November 7, 2018
4 mother daughter stars
My reviews can be seen here: http://yayareadslotsofbooks.wordpress...
Ana Alencar is everything to her daughter, Mara. She is the provider, the one who supplies endless love, and the one who makes a mistake that will impact not only herself but also her daughter.
Brazil is in turmoil. There are rebel groups, student revolutionaries, and an aura of danger, of persecution and death that inhabits everyday. Ana is a voice over actress scrapping enough together to just get by but she makes life happy and loving for her daughter. They are each other's rock, their port in a storm, their reason for living. They are each other's caregivers.
However, Ana is forced to make a decision, a choice that will impact everything moving forward and will eventually force her daughter, Mara, to escape, to emigrate to America, where she will once again be a caregiver to a woman dying of cancer. The memories for Mara return and she finds herself in another caregiver environment once again not of her choosing.
Told with emotion, this book explores the intricate to and fro between mothers and their daughters. I do have to say that Mr Park got this relationship just right. We love our mothers, but at times that tenuous line does break and we find ourselves not understanding how this relationship hit upon rocky ground.
I definitely recommend this book for the way in which it presented not only a relationship but the times that brought that relationship to its difficult conclusion.
Thank you to Samuel Park who tragically died of stomach cancer at the age of forty-one, Simon and Schuster, and NetGalley for providing this book to me for an honest review.
My reviews can be seen here: http://yayareadslotsofbooks.wordpress...
Ana Alencar is everything to her daughter, Mara. She is the provider, the one who supplies endless love, and the one who makes a mistake that will impact not only herself but also her daughter.
Brazil is in turmoil. There are rebel groups, student revolutionaries, and an aura of danger, of persecution and death that inhabits everyday. Ana is a voice over actress scrapping enough together to just get by but she makes life happy and loving for her daughter. They are each other's rock, their port in a storm, their reason for living. They are each other's caregivers.
However, Ana is forced to make a decision, a choice that will impact everything moving forward and will eventually force her daughter, Mara, to escape, to emigrate to America, where she will once again be a caregiver to a woman dying of cancer. The memories for Mara return and she finds herself in another caregiver environment once again not of her choosing.
Told with emotion, this book explores the intricate to and fro between mothers and their daughters. I do have to say that Mr Park got this relationship just right. We love our mothers, but at times that tenuous line does break and we find ourselves not understanding how this relationship hit upon rocky ground.
I definitely recommend this book for the way in which it presented not only a relationship but the times that brought that relationship to its difficult conclusion.
Thank you to Samuel Park who tragically died of stomach cancer at the age of forty-one, Simon and Schuster, and NetGalley for providing this book to me for an honest review.
January 29, 2019
When I added Samuel Park’s “The Caregiver” to my fall 2018 list, I found out that it was posthumously published; author died shortly of stomach cancer after finishing this book, making this his final novel. I couldn’t help but to feel a profound lost after finishing this incredible, moving, and tender novel of mother & daughter saga, coming-of-age tale. Such a tremendous lost of a literary talent, and the fact that he was a flourishing young writer of same nationality as I am, almost felt Iike a lost of a family member.
.
random personal story: Park was born in Rio de Janeiro and educated in America, last worked as a professor of creative writing. one of my best friends in middle school was a half Korean & half Paraguayan girl, who really broaden my world. I had no idea there was such a huge population of Asians in South America, densely in Brazil and mainly descendants of Filipinos, Japanese, Chinese, and Korean! I know Brazil has long history of migrations, some painful histories, but it never donned on me that there were Asian population, just thought it were Africans or Europeans. Brazil is an interesting country to read about, especially about their diverse population.
.
I found this condensed review by Chicago Tribune that perfectly captures what I felt about the author & novel ——> “Sometimes the intersection of the creator’s life and the material in his creation is actually one of the most illuminating ways to consider a book...Such is arguably the case with the late Samuel Park, whose second novel, The Caregiver has just been published posthumously. The book — though an absorbing and well-crafted work of fiction capable of standing on its own, without the support of biography — is almost impossible to consider independently of the knowledge of where its author’s life overlaps with his art...The story that Park tells here, fittingly, is free of pity, but full of compassion. And while it is not essential that a reader know that Park’s own background involves both distinct settings and that he himself met an early end from the same disease that he gives to one of his main characters, that knowledge undeniably adds an extra layer of interest and pathos to an already moving novel.”
.
This a multi-layered novel that follows main characters Mara and her young, brave, but reckless, struggling voice-over actress mom, Ana, alternating between 1980s impoverished Copacabana and present day affluent Bel Air, where Mara is working as a caregiver to a young woman named Kathryn, who is dying of a stomach cancer. The novel begins in the present but, but its events are rooted in the past, Mara being the sole narrator, guides us through her turbulent childhood to her escape & life in America as an undocumented immigrant after her mom died of surgery complication.
.
It is in America, while caring for Kathryn, Mara dives deeper into parts of her past that she has had difficulty accepting.and unearths vital truths what her mom did — when she got involved with civilian rebel group to help carry out their plan, which revolved around distracting Police Chief Lima and luring him out of the station, but the rebel’s plan ends violently. For years, Mara believed that her mom was tortured by the chief when she was caught lying to him, but the real truth is revealed years later when chief Lima’s son visits Mara in America, whom she briefly had a “relationship” in Brazil. Had Ana done the right thing risking her life & putting her little family in such a dangerous situation?
.
This novel is so much more than a story of mother & daughter relationship & maternal love, it’s about the fragility of life, the risks we take to protect the ones we love, and difficulty of finding one’s place in a foreign country. Beautiful prose, written with so much compassion — it’s deeply affecting, both gripping & tender that’ll get you thinking of life on a deeper level. There were so many paragraphs that touched my heart deeply. The ending was bit surprising, but the overall plot is pretty straightforward and easy to follow & read. You can definitely see traces of Park’s life overlapped throughout the book. Highly recommend! 🤓✌️📖
.
random personal story: Park was born in Rio de Janeiro and educated in America, last worked as a professor of creative writing. one of my best friends in middle school was a half Korean & half Paraguayan girl, who really broaden my world. I had no idea there was such a huge population of Asians in South America, densely in Brazil and mainly descendants of Filipinos, Japanese, Chinese, and Korean! I know Brazil has long history of migrations, some painful histories, but it never donned on me that there were Asian population, just thought it were Africans or Europeans. Brazil is an interesting country to read about, especially about their diverse population.
.
I found this condensed review by Chicago Tribune that perfectly captures what I felt about the author & novel ——> “Sometimes the intersection of the creator’s life and the material in his creation is actually one of the most illuminating ways to consider a book...Such is arguably the case with the late Samuel Park, whose second novel, The Caregiver has just been published posthumously. The book — though an absorbing and well-crafted work of fiction capable of standing on its own, without the support of biography — is almost impossible to consider independently of the knowledge of where its author’s life overlaps with his art...The story that Park tells here, fittingly, is free of pity, but full of compassion. And while it is not essential that a reader know that Park’s own background involves both distinct settings and that he himself met an early end from the same disease that he gives to one of his main characters, that knowledge undeniably adds an extra layer of interest and pathos to an already moving novel.”
.
This a multi-layered novel that follows main characters Mara and her young, brave, but reckless, struggling voice-over actress mom, Ana, alternating between 1980s impoverished Copacabana and present day affluent Bel Air, where Mara is working as a caregiver to a young woman named Kathryn, who is dying of a stomach cancer. The novel begins in the present but, but its events are rooted in the past, Mara being the sole narrator, guides us through her turbulent childhood to her escape & life in America as an undocumented immigrant after her mom died of surgery complication.
.
It is in America, while caring for Kathryn, Mara dives deeper into parts of her past that she has had difficulty accepting.and unearths vital truths what her mom did — when she got involved with civilian rebel group to help carry out their plan, which revolved around distracting Police Chief Lima and luring him out of the station, but the rebel’s plan ends violently. For years, Mara believed that her mom was tortured by the chief when she was caught lying to him, but the real truth is revealed years later when chief Lima’s son visits Mara in America, whom she briefly had a “relationship” in Brazil. Had Ana done the right thing risking her life & putting her little family in such a dangerous situation?
.
This novel is so much more than a story of mother & daughter relationship & maternal love, it’s about the fragility of life, the risks we take to protect the ones we love, and difficulty of finding one’s place in a foreign country. Beautiful prose, written with so much compassion — it’s deeply affecting, both gripping & tender that’ll get you thinking of life on a deeper level. There were so many paragraphs that touched my heart deeply. The ending was bit surprising, but the overall plot is pretty straightforward and easy to follow & read. You can definitely see traces of Park’s life overlapped throughout the book. Highly recommend! 🤓✌️📖
June 8, 2018
3.5 stars. The first thing I have to say is that I am deeply saddened by the death of this author. I had no idea he passed away last year from stomach cancer. This was a good one. Can't believe it was the last one I read by Samuel Park. A true loss to us readers.
December 24, 2018
Another 4-star read...I'm on a roll with some pretty great books lately. Hope to write more later.
January 13, 2019
Mara Alencar left Brazil as a teenager to emigrate to Los Angeles. There are few opportunities for an undocumented immigrant, so she takes a job as a caregiver for a middle aged woman with stomach cancer. Mara is well suited for the job, having cared for her ailing mother. But there are unresolved issues between Mara and her mother that she is grappling with.
Mara and her mother, Ana, lived in Cocoabana, Brazil. They struggled to make ends meet, and Ana was not good at managing her money. As a young single mother, she and Mara were everything to each other. 1980s Brazil was a turbulent time with revolutionaries looking to topple the government leaders. When Ana is lured into aiding a group of radicals for money, their lives are inextricably changed.
Told through the voice of Mara as an adult and in her recollections of her childhood, the story reflects the beauty, joys and sorrows of the relationship between a mother and her daughter.
A lovely book by a talented author that sadly died of stomach cancer at the age of 41.
Mara and her mother, Ana, lived in Cocoabana, Brazil. They struggled to make ends meet, and Ana was not good at managing her money. As a young single mother, she and Mara were everything to each other. 1980s Brazil was a turbulent time with revolutionaries looking to topple the government leaders. When Ana is lured into aiding a group of radicals for money, their lives are inextricably changed.
Told through the voice of Mara as an adult and in her recollections of her childhood, the story reflects the beauty, joys and sorrows of the relationship between a mother and her daughter.
A lovely book by a talented author that sadly died of stomach cancer at the age of 41.
December 2, 2018
A beautiful book - I truly enjoyed it but it was also sad in parts especially after finding out the author died at the age of 41 years old shortly after finishing it - his writing will be missed by this reader
May 16, 2020
3.5 stars
March 27, 2019
What does very high expectations do to a book? For one it makes you pick it up, excited and tantalized. But it sets a high bar for the ride. I enjoyed this and it grew on me more, particularly at the end it became really interesting. But I didn't love it, like top ten worthy. I found it compelling - certainly Samuel Park is a gifted writer. But what made the book stellar and enriched further for me, was the authors note at the end. I am not one for spoilers of any kind, but I did find that the authors life experience and how that wove into the story and its lens, raised it, and has kept it in my thoughts this morning. 4 stars.
March 11, 2019
The Caregiver by Samuel Park, 5 stars. This is a lovely, complex, and heartfelt book about Mara (from Brazil) who is now a caregiver for Kathryn who is terminally ill with Stomach Cancer. More than half the book takes place in Brazil and the rest in California. I really enjoyed the sections about Brazil, Mara’s childhood, her mother, and flamboyant neighbors. The 1980’s in Brazil was a turbulent time due to terrorism and police violence, and Mara’s mother gets caught up in it. Mara's relationship with her mother is a core part of the book, even long after her mother is gone.
The caregiving sections of the book seemed genuine and realistic, though the author left out many of the nitty gritty details of the job. Some of the exchanges between the characters could come across as funny, loving, cynical or even angry, depending on the inflections of the voices that you “hear” or how you interpret them (especially when Kathryn talks about leaving her house to Mara).
The book is emotionally moving, in an honest and thoughtful way. The author avoids some of the predictable and emotionally manipulative moves that you might expect in a book with this set-up. I almost felt a little disappointed when things didn't happen quite the way I thought they might, but this was better. Kathryn’s statements were particularly poignant when she talks about what she wishes people would say, and what she says about loneliness. It’s more meaningful to me knowing that the author had Stomach Cancer himself. Sadly, he died shortly after finishing the book.
I was very lucky to win this book in a goodreads giveaway, and I’m sorry it took me so long to read it. I’m looking forward to reading his first novel soon, This Burns My Heart, which is set in South Korea.
Audio notes – The narrator reads the book in a quiet, lovely way, with a soft Brazilian accent. For me, she really brought out the beauty in the book, but it might not be for everyone. The 5 minute sample on audible or amazon might give you an idea what the book is like.
The caregiving sections of the book seemed genuine and realistic, though the author left out many of the nitty gritty details of the job. Some of the exchanges between the characters could come across as funny, loving, cynical or even angry, depending on the inflections of the voices that you “hear” or how you interpret them (especially when Kathryn talks about leaving her house to Mara).
The book is emotionally moving, in an honest and thoughtful way. The author avoids some of the predictable and emotionally manipulative moves that you might expect in a book with this set-up. I almost felt a little disappointed when things didn't happen quite the way I thought they might, but this was better. Kathryn’s statements were particularly poignant when she talks about what she wishes people would say, and what she says about loneliness. It’s more meaningful to me knowing that the author had Stomach Cancer himself. Sadly, he died shortly after finishing the book.
I was very lucky to win this book in a goodreads giveaway, and I’m sorry it took me so long to read it. I’m looking forward to reading his first novel soon, This Burns My Heart, which is set in South Korea.
Audio notes – The narrator reads the book in a quiet, lovely way, with a soft Brazilian accent. For me, she really brought out the beauty in the book, but it might not be for everyone. The 5 minute sample on audible or amazon might give you an idea what the book is like.
September 21, 2018
Ana and her little girl, Mara, take care of each other in their home in Copacabana, Brazil. Ana works as a voice-over actress but her job brings in little money. In desperation, she agrees to take a job posing as a citizen with information about student guerillas in an attempt to lure the violent Police Chief Lima from his post. Ana then makes a decision that tears their lives apart.
Years later when Mara comes to America undocumented, she takes a job as a caregiver to a woman, Kathryn, who is suffering from stomach cancer. Caring for Kathryn brings up memories of Mara’s mother and Mara struggles to come to terms with her past.
This is a beautifully written book about the relationship between a mother and daughter and what lengths a mother would be willing to go for her daughter. The characters are very well developed and the book is full of heart and compassion.
The author, Samuel Parks, passed away from stomach cancer shortly after writing this book. At the end of the book, his essay that was published in the New York Times is shared. It’s called “I Had a 9 Percent Chance, Plus Hope” and it’s a must read for all. After reading this book, I’m even more anxious to read “This Burns My Heart”.
Recommended.
This book was given to me by the publisher in return for an honest review.
Years later when Mara comes to America undocumented, she takes a job as a caregiver to a woman, Kathryn, who is suffering from stomach cancer. Caring for Kathryn brings up memories of Mara’s mother and Mara struggles to come to terms with her past.
This is a beautifully written book about the relationship between a mother and daughter and what lengths a mother would be willing to go for her daughter. The characters are very well developed and the book is full of heart and compassion.
The author, Samuel Parks, passed away from stomach cancer shortly after writing this book. At the end of the book, his essay that was published in the New York Times is shared. It’s called “I Had a 9 Percent Chance, Plus Hope” and it’s a must read for all. After reading this book, I’m even more anxious to read “This Burns My Heart”.
Recommended.
This book was given to me by the publisher in return for an honest review.
April 23, 2018
Beautifully written The Caregiver explores the caregiving relationship between a mother and daughter during the tumultuous times in 1980's Rio de Janeiro. Two decades later the daughter is living in California working as a caregiver for a woman suffering from cancer.
Unfortunately this is the last novel we will have the pleasure of reading from Samuel Park as he passed away after shortly after finishing this book. Park was a talented writer-although the book is a short 288 pages there are mutilple well developed characters and a range of events and emotions.
Coming in September 2018 from Simon & Schuster.
Unfortunately this is the last novel we will have the pleasure of reading from Samuel Park as he passed away after shortly after finishing this book. Park was a talented writer-although the book is a short 288 pages there are mutilple well developed characters and a range of events and emotions.
Coming in September 2018 from Simon & Schuster.
October 19, 2018
3 1/2. I was interested in both of Mara’s storylines, ie her childhood and her adulthood, but neither one ever felt fully fleshed out to me. The epilogue was a bust as I did not care at all about Bruno who was barely in the book before that point. The author’s note at the end was a true heartbreaker.
January 10, 2019
Poignant. That's the best word for this novel about living, loving and forgiveness. Mara is an undocumented Brazilian immigrant working as a caregiver in Bel Air in the early 1990s. The story is told in alternating sections between Bel Air and Mara's chaotic and traumatic childhood in a very dangerous Copacabana. To say much more would be to ruin the delicate and slow way this novel unfolds. Despite its inherent violence this is a gentle story and I felt well cared for while reading.
Sadly, its author died shortly after writing this book so I will never know how much more living Samuel Park had to convey in his stories. So glad I read this one.
Sadly, its author died shortly after writing this book so I will never know how much more living Samuel Park had to convey in his stories. So glad I read this one.
August 19, 2019
"The Caregiver" by Samuel Park is a story told from the point of view of an undocumented woman from Brazil who is trying to forget the past, namely, what she sees as her mother's moral failure.
I found much to empathize with in this story. I too have been a caregiver. I've survived cancer. I've struggled with trying to reconcile my relationship with my mother after she was incapable of discussing it.
The novel gives the reader insight into what it is like for someone to come from a country torn apart by U.S. interventionism and how differently an immigrant sees us and our country. That alone is reason enough to read this book, at least for those who wish for a better understanding of current political and social strife regarding immigration. The relationship between Mara and her mother is complex and layered. The ending is not pat. Not everything is neatly tied up and resolved, yet it is satisfying and believable.
It's a well-written story, dealing with difficult subject matter in an interesting and captivating way. I listened to the audio version, read by Cassandra Campbell, who did an excellent job. Her voice is melodic, easy on the ears. Five stars.
I found much to empathize with in this story. I too have been a caregiver. I've survived cancer. I've struggled with trying to reconcile my relationship with my mother after she was incapable of discussing it.
The novel gives the reader insight into what it is like for someone to come from a country torn apart by U.S. interventionism and how differently an immigrant sees us and our country. That alone is reason enough to read this book, at least for those who wish for a better understanding of current political and social strife regarding immigration. The relationship between Mara and her mother is complex and layered. The ending is not pat. Not everything is neatly tied up and resolved, yet it is satisfying and believable.
It's a well-written story, dealing with difficult subject matter in an interesting and captivating way. I listened to the audio version, read by Cassandra Campbell, who did an excellent job. Her voice is melodic, easy on the ears. Five stars.
September 27, 2018
The Caregiver is one of the year’s best surprises. I read this book free and early, thanks to Net Galley and Simon and Schuster. Our protagonist is Mara Alencar, and our setting is split between present day Los Angeles, and Rio de Janeiro, Brazil in the 1980s. I am drawn to the story initially because of the setting, which I don’t see often; but it is Mara that keeps me turning the pages. Those that treasure excellent, character-based literary fiction should get this book and read it.
Mara is just a kid, and all she really wants is food, shelter, and the comfort and companionship of her mother, Ana. Ana is a young single mother that works as a voice-over actress, repeating the lines of English-language programs in Portuguese. The pay is low, and Ana’s self-discipline is negligible. Life is a constant struggle.
One evening Ana is visited by a group of students that claim they plan to rob a bank in order to fund a revolution. Ana’s job is to distract Chief Lima so that a comrade can be liberated from prison. The comrade will play an important part in the revolution; as for Ana, she will be paid handsomely, and then she will be free to go if she likes. Mara doesn’t like these rough people and their threatening demeanor, but Ana hears the amount they will pay, and once she receives an advance, she’s in.
Everything is seen through Mara’s eyes, both in childhood as these events unfold, and later, looking back during her years working as a caregiver to a manipulative older woman that shares some of Ana’s characteristics. As a child, Mara is often afraid or confused, or both. Her mother reminds her often that she is all that matters, and that the two of them will always be together; in the next moment, she will do something so blindingly selfish, so completely inappropriate that I want to yank the woman into the kitchen and remind her that she has a child and responsibilities. She will tell Mara, not for the first time, that she could never stand to lie to her because they are so close, and she loves her so much; but we turn the page and sure enough, she lies to her child, or she is gone for days on end with no warning or explanation. There are occasions when she seems to lie unnecessarily, and I want to throw my tablet at the wall, I am so frustrated.
The ending is a complete surprise, and it makes perfect sense within the chaotic context of the time and place.
The most admirable aspect of this story is the consistency of the narrator. A writer that can tell a story from a child’s point of view without mixing up the developmental level that affects a child’s perceptions, vocabulary level, and capacity to analyze what she sees is hard to find. A male writer that can do this, and that can also consistently write a woman’s story in the first person without giving himself away is a unicorn. Samuel Park convinces me that I am listening to a woman tell her story, and repeatedly I am pulled under, only to be reminded when I go to make notes at the end of my writing session that this is a male novelist. This doesn’t happen. I am gob-smacked at his level of perception and originality.
I never met Park, but I grieve for him anyway as a reader. Please come back, Mr. Park. One book is not enough; forty-one is too young.
Highly recommended.
Mara is just a kid, and all she really wants is food, shelter, and the comfort and companionship of her mother, Ana. Ana is a young single mother that works as a voice-over actress, repeating the lines of English-language programs in Portuguese. The pay is low, and Ana’s self-discipline is negligible. Life is a constant struggle.
One evening Ana is visited by a group of students that claim they plan to rob a bank in order to fund a revolution. Ana’s job is to distract Chief Lima so that a comrade can be liberated from prison. The comrade will play an important part in the revolution; as for Ana, she will be paid handsomely, and then she will be free to go if she likes. Mara doesn’t like these rough people and their threatening demeanor, but Ana hears the amount they will pay, and once she receives an advance, she’s in.
Everything is seen through Mara’s eyes, both in childhood as these events unfold, and later, looking back during her years working as a caregiver to a manipulative older woman that shares some of Ana’s characteristics. As a child, Mara is often afraid or confused, or both. Her mother reminds her often that she is all that matters, and that the two of them will always be together; in the next moment, she will do something so blindingly selfish, so completely inappropriate that I want to yank the woman into the kitchen and remind her that she has a child and responsibilities. She will tell Mara, not for the first time, that she could never stand to lie to her because they are so close, and she loves her so much; but we turn the page and sure enough, she lies to her child, or she is gone for days on end with no warning or explanation. There are occasions when she seems to lie unnecessarily, and I want to throw my tablet at the wall, I am so frustrated.
The ending is a complete surprise, and it makes perfect sense within the chaotic context of the time and place.
The most admirable aspect of this story is the consistency of the narrator. A writer that can tell a story from a child’s point of view without mixing up the developmental level that affects a child’s perceptions, vocabulary level, and capacity to analyze what she sees is hard to find. A male writer that can do this, and that can also consistently write a woman’s story in the first person without giving himself away is a unicorn. Samuel Park convinces me that I am listening to a woman tell her story, and repeatedly I am pulled under, only to be reminded when I go to make notes at the end of my writing session that this is a male novelist. This doesn’t happen. I am gob-smacked at his level of perception and originality.
I never met Park, but I grieve for him anyway as a reader. Please come back, Mr. Park. One book is not enough; forty-one is too young.
Highly recommended.
September 19, 2018
Thanks to the publisher for sending me a review copy!
This little novel is made up of so many sparkling parts. My favorite was Mara as an 8 year old, living with her beloved mother in a neighborhood of Rio de Janiero. Short on money and desperate to provide for Mara, her mother gets swept up in a student rebel group's scheme to take down a corrupt police chief. Park writes with such amazing warmth and spirit - the sections of her childhood in Brazil just dazzled.
Intermittently, the narrative jumps to present day California, where Mara is a caregiver to a wealthy woman dying of stomach cancer. While these passages weren't as compelling, they were still so readable and built on the early years of Mara's life. Secrets emerging from the past start to change the telling of her own history.
I loved so much about this story - the emotion, the blending of past and present, the dangerous childhood perceptions that play out over a lifetime. But I just wish all of these loose ends could have been brought together! The two story lines ended up too disjointed for me, like there was potential for more sparks that never made it onto the page.
This little novel is made up of so many sparkling parts. My favorite was Mara as an 8 year old, living with her beloved mother in a neighborhood of Rio de Janiero. Short on money and desperate to provide for Mara, her mother gets swept up in a student rebel group's scheme to take down a corrupt police chief. Park writes with such amazing warmth and spirit - the sections of her childhood in Brazil just dazzled.
Intermittently, the narrative jumps to present day California, where Mara is a caregiver to a wealthy woman dying of stomach cancer. While these passages weren't as compelling, they were still so readable and built on the early years of Mara's life. Secrets emerging from the past start to change the telling of her own history.
I loved so much about this story - the emotion, the blending of past and present, the dangerous childhood perceptions that play out over a lifetime. But I just wish all of these loose ends could have been brought together! The two story lines ended up too disjointed for me, like there was potential for more sparks that never made it onto the page.
November 19, 2018
Beautifully written story of caring, choices and responsibility that spans US-supported corruption and terrorism in Brazil in the 1970s and immigration issues and cancer in LA two decades later. RIP, Samuel Park.
June 21, 2018
via my bloghttps://bookstalkerblog.wordpress.com/
'In America, there were no metaphors. If a woman trusted her partner she didn’t say that she would set her hand on fire. When a woman had all the power, she didn’t say she had a knife and a piece of cheese in her hands. When she didn’t like an offer, she didn’t tell it to go back to the sea.'
It isn’t lost on me that I read this novel while going through my own health scare, mine is intestinal. Books find us when we need them, without a doubt. It deeply saddens me to learn the author passed away from stomach cancer at the age of 41, more so after reading at the end of the book what he wrote in 2017 for the New York Times Sunday Review. “I had a 9 Percent Chance, Plus Hope.” It’s beautiful and heartbreaking.
Samuel Park surprises me with how perfectly he could write from the perspective of female characters. Getting into the female mind is no easy feat my friends. Mara Alencar adores her mother beyond life itself, Ana is her gravity and is willing to do anything to put food in her daughter’s belly and a roof over their heads. Life is hard, but she never shows the exhaustion and sadness her single mother status puts on her shoulders. Working as a voice-over actress, a beauty herself, it’s not nearly enough to keep them afloat and this is just one of the many reasons Ana finds herself entangled in a dangerous scheme. With bravery, or stupidity, she becomes involved with young rebels out to take down the corrupt Police Chief, holding captive their friends in Rio De Janeiro. No one is a better actress than Ana, a talent that they sorely need to distract the Chief. Chaos ensues when their plan takes a dangerous turn, and nothing will be the same for Ana and Mara. The child sees more than her young mind can process.
Mara doesn’t know who her father is, but has always lived a happy life in the light of her mother’s love. Lately, her mother has changed and paranoia overtakes her, the threat of the Police Chief a shadow over their future. As Mara comes of age, she becomes as impulsive as her mother, and it is in her forceful nature that she falls in love for the first time. The boy of her chosing a dangerous pick. Mara acts out in desperation to save her mother, and through terrible loss learns that what she thought she knew about her mother may all have been lies.
Mara escapes to America and works as a caregiver in Bel Air for Kathyrn, a woman dying of stomach cancer. Living as an immigrant who works for a wealthy woman is an eye-opening experience, considering her apartment is a shared one in the ‘not-so-nice part of Hollywood.” Ten years after first moving to America, Mara still finds herself surprised by her new country. The vast wealth, in comparison to Brazil, never fails to amaze her where even those who are poor, ‘look expensive’. There is a certain charm in all the little things Mara notices that we Americans take for granted.
It’s at heart both an immigrant experience and a tender, moving story about a mother who just wants to give her child a good life and prospects for a better future. It is how the country we inhabit shapes our destiny, for better or worse. Yes read it, and don’t pass over “I Had a 9 Percent Chance , Plus Hope” at the end. The world is heavier with the loss of Samuel Park.
Publication Date: September 25, 2018
Simon & Schuster
'In America, there were no metaphors. If a woman trusted her partner she didn’t say that she would set her hand on fire. When a woman had all the power, she didn’t say she had a knife and a piece of cheese in her hands. When she didn’t like an offer, she didn’t tell it to go back to the sea.'
It isn’t lost on me that I read this novel while going through my own health scare, mine is intestinal. Books find us when we need them, without a doubt. It deeply saddens me to learn the author passed away from stomach cancer at the age of 41, more so after reading at the end of the book what he wrote in 2017 for the New York Times Sunday Review. “I had a 9 Percent Chance, Plus Hope.” It’s beautiful and heartbreaking.
Samuel Park surprises me with how perfectly he could write from the perspective of female characters. Getting into the female mind is no easy feat my friends. Mara Alencar adores her mother beyond life itself, Ana is her gravity and is willing to do anything to put food in her daughter’s belly and a roof over their heads. Life is hard, but she never shows the exhaustion and sadness her single mother status puts on her shoulders. Working as a voice-over actress, a beauty herself, it’s not nearly enough to keep them afloat and this is just one of the many reasons Ana finds herself entangled in a dangerous scheme. With bravery, or stupidity, she becomes involved with young rebels out to take down the corrupt Police Chief, holding captive their friends in Rio De Janeiro. No one is a better actress than Ana, a talent that they sorely need to distract the Chief. Chaos ensues when their plan takes a dangerous turn, and nothing will be the same for Ana and Mara. The child sees more than her young mind can process.
Mara doesn’t know who her father is, but has always lived a happy life in the light of her mother’s love. Lately, her mother has changed and paranoia overtakes her, the threat of the Police Chief a shadow over their future. As Mara comes of age, she becomes as impulsive as her mother, and it is in her forceful nature that she falls in love for the first time. The boy of her chosing a dangerous pick. Mara acts out in desperation to save her mother, and through terrible loss learns that what she thought she knew about her mother may all have been lies.
Mara escapes to America and works as a caregiver in Bel Air for Kathyrn, a woman dying of stomach cancer. Living as an immigrant who works for a wealthy woman is an eye-opening experience, considering her apartment is a shared one in the ‘not-so-nice part of Hollywood.” Ten years after first moving to America, Mara still finds herself surprised by her new country. The vast wealth, in comparison to Brazil, never fails to amaze her where even those who are poor, ‘look expensive’. There is a certain charm in all the little things Mara notices that we Americans take for granted.
It’s at heart both an immigrant experience and a tender, moving story about a mother who just wants to give her child a good life and prospects for a better future. It is how the country we inhabit shapes our destiny, for better or worse. Yes read it, and don’t pass over “I Had a 9 Percent Chance , Plus Hope” at the end. The world is heavier with the loss of Samuel Park.
Publication Date: September 25, 2018
Simon & Schuster
March 6, 2019
Having been a caregiver for 2018, this book resonated with me on so many levels, I don't know where to start. It's an easy read and one that you will learn from.
The main character, Mara, is a caregiver to her mother in Brazil and, when an unexpected turn of events takes place, she takes off for America to start a new life in Los Angeles. As luck would have it, upon landing in LA, she has a few kind souls who lovingly guide her to an apartment and a job as a caregiver (for a divorced woman dying of stomach cancer), which she excels at.
As the story unfolds, it goes back and forth between her childhood and experiences growing up in Brazil and current day experiences in LA. This provides the reader with heartfelt insight as to why Mara is the way she is and the struggles she has in relationships and the uncertainty she feels in life.
One of the most important aspects of this book is the author himself, who died from stomach cancer before this book was published. Knowing this and having had a mother who died of cancer and many others who have died before me, made this book profound, riveting and a must read for anyone who has loved, been a caregiver or lost someone they loved.
The main character, Mara, is a caregiver to her mother in Brazil and, when an unexpected turn of events takes place, she takes off for America to start a new life in Los Angeles. As luck would have it, upon landing in LA, she has a few kind souls who lovingly guide her to an apartment and a job as a caregiver (for a divorced woman dying of stomach cancer), which she excels at.
As the story unfolds, it goes back and forth between her childhood and experiences growing up in Brazil and current day experiences in LA. This provides the reader with heartfelt insight as to why Mara is the way she is and the struggles she has in relationships and the uncertainty she feels in life.
One of the most important aspects of this book is the author himself, who died from stomach cancer before this book was published. Knowing this and having had a mother who died of cancer and many others who have died before me, made this book profound, riveting and a must read for anyone who has loved, been a caregiver or lost someone they loved.
September 27, 2018
My Thoughts: In The Caregiver we meet Mara at three critical points in her life. At 8 she’s living under the spell of her impetuous mother as they try to survive the violence and corruption that marked Brazil in the late 1970’s. At 16, Mara tries to both protect and care for her mother who suffers from heart disease and a past that haunts her. When the reader first meets Mara, she’s 26, living in Los Angeles, and caregiver to a woman dying of stomach cancer. As Mara cares for this woman her thoughts are drawn to Brazil, the life she led with her mother, and most of all the heartbreak that brought Mara to the United States. I found each part of Mara’s story mildly interesting, but not compelling. I appreciated learning more about life in Brazil in the 70’s and 80’s, and enjoyed Mara’s beliefs in the goodness of Americans, but even skimming I was able to predict where most of this story was going.
Note: I received a copy of this book from the publisher, Simon & Schuster, in exchange for my honest review. Thank you!
Original Source: https://novelvisits.com/transcription...
Note: I received a copy of this book from the publisher, Simon & Schuster, in exchange for my honest review. Thank you!
Original Source: https://novelvisits.com/transcription...
January 2, 2019
“This was the irony, I decided, that though humans were wired toward selfishness in their everyday lives, given the opportunity, a person could give another everything, and that all of us were just waiting for the chance to do that. To love, to give, and to surrender the best parts of ourselves to someone else.”
Possible review to come. Wanted to cry but didn’t because it’s 2am and my eyes are dry.
Possible review to come. Wanted to cry but didn’t because it’s 2am and my eyes are dry.
June 22, 2018
Wow! What a well written book. It was so vividly written and with such detail. It had so much emotion in it and dealt with complex situations between people. It made me sad, happy and angry at times. So sad that the author has passed away and there won’t be another book by him.
September 24, 2023
It felt nice to finally read this after years of the book sitting on my TBR list. I liked learning about Mara's relationship with her mother in Brazil and with the woman she's caring for later in the US. I do think the plot points with other characters weren't as strong, but I still enjoyed my time with the story.
August 3, 2018
Thank you to @simonandschuster for providing me with an ARC in exchange for my honest review.
I read this book so fast I’m not sure what to even write for a review. I guess I’ll start with some background. The author, Samuel Park, passed away from stomach cancer not long after finishing. Which made the book that much more touching.
The story is narrated by a young lady named Mara from the time she was 8 years old until she’s 26. We are also introduced to her mother, Ana, who is a voice-over actress that’s forced to work odd jobs to make ends meet. She ends up becoming entangled with a Brazilian anti-government group to make more money and is immediately thrown into a plot that changes their lives forever. .
One thing that I loved about this story was how similar the events in Brazil were to the United States’ revolutionary period of the 60s and 70s. They had their own Assata Shakur, Huey Newton and even Angela Davis. The plot in this book reminded me of the prison hostage incident involving George Jackson, one of the Soledad Brothers. From that alone, I could not put this book down. I love books that grab my attention early on and this one did just that
It saddens me to think that Mr. Park is no longer with us. His writing is amazing and I’m thrilled to find out that there are earlier works by him that I can pick up. His life served a purpose and his writing will live on forever.
Reliving a past life and learning from the present, this book will tug at your spirit in more ways than one. It’s the perfect weekend read. .5/5 ⭐️s
I read this book so fast I’m not sure what to even write for a review. I guess I’ll start with some background. The author, Samuel Park, passed away from stomach cancer not long after finishing. Which made the book that much more touching.
The story is narrated by a young lady named Mara from the time she was 8 years old until she’s 26. We are also introduced to her mother, Ana, who is a voice-over actress that’s forced to work odd jobs to make ends meet. She ends up becoming entangled with a Brazilian anti-government group to make more money and is immediately thrown into a plot that changes their lives forever. .
One thing that I loved about this story was how similar the events in Brazil were to the United States’ revolutionary period of the 60s and 70s. They had their own Assata Shakur, Huey Newton and even Angela Davis. The plot in this book reminded me of the prison hostage incident involving George Jackson, one of the Soledad Brothers. From that alone, I could not put this book down. I love books that grab my attention early on and this one did just that
It saddens me to think that Mr. Park is no longer with us. His writing is amazing and I’m thrilled to find out that there are earlier works by him that I can pick up. His life served a purpose and his writing will live on forever.
Reliving a past life and learning from the present, this book will tug at your spirit in more ways than one. It’s the perfect weekend read. .5/5 ⭐️s
October 4, 2022
This one is bordering on a 5 from me, but I tend to leave that score for books that I just have to go out and buy after initially reading a library copy so 4 and a 1/2.
The characters are so dynamic, especially the mother, who is by turns delightful and infuriating, caught in a poverty trap but still inclined to eat out rather than cook, to smoke, to do whatever she needs to do to find some happiness with her adored daughter.
I loved the Brazilian metaphors which Mara quotes, finding such things missing in America. Such as when a woman has all the power, she would say she had a knife and a piece of cheese in her hands, this was one amongst many others. Ana I was a complex character who is both delightful and infuriating, she’s caught in a private poverty trap yet when she gets money she eats out rather than cooking, she smokes, but she does whatever she can to find some happiness with her daughter.
All of the characters are multidimensional, not just heroes or villains, even the ghastly Chief Lima wants to make some amends to Ana for his past treatment of her. Undocumented migrant Bruno is making his living illegally by pirating films, yet he is complaining about “illegal migrants“ and is considering voting for Proposition 187, which prohibited migrants from using non-urgent healthcare and education facilities.
For me the most impressive part of this book is that the author gives survival to his character Kathryn, which he can’t give to himself. I loved the line that “Cancer is death by promissory note“ in his New York Times piece quoted at the end of the book. Perhaps the most moving part for me considering the author's impending death from the same disease and at the same age as his character Kathryn, occurs on page 224:
"Life is a party. I’d seen the cliche before, in a card sold in the knickknacks and novelty section of a clothing store, the words imprinted in a silly font, or maybe in the 11 o’clock number of some spirited Broadway musical. A party.
Some people had to leave in the beginning. Some people left in the middle. Some people got to stay until the end. But everyone got to be in it, at least for a part of it, and wasn’t that what mattered? And maybe getting to stay to the very end, blissfully hung over, was a luxury rather than a right, a quirk of stamina and genetics and luck. Yes, it would be lovely to stay until the end, but even if you didn’t, you got a chance to taste its flavour, to mingle with it strange creatures, to try out new tricks
It wasn’t that big of a deal. No need to cry, no reason to be mad. It was just a party that someone asked to leave early. My mother, Kathryn, they had been tapped on the shoulder, singled out for some unknown reason. We would linger, watching them go".
It could be argued that this is a vicarious autobiography of Park from his origins in Brazil to his life in California, set against the politics of both countries, right up to his diagnosis with stomach cancer in 2014 and death from the disease in 2017. Read from that point of view it is a philosophical novel rather than a page-turner and I’m very glad this meeting caused me to reread it.
The characters are so dynamic, especially the mother, who is by turns delightful and infuriating, caught in a poverty trap but still inclined to eat out rather than cook, to smoke, to do whatever she needs to do to find some happiness with her adored daughter.
I loved the Brazilian metaphors which Mara quotes, finding such things missing in America. Such as when a woman has all the power, she would say she had a knife and a piece of cheese in her hands, this was one amongst many others. Ana I was a complex character who is both delightful and infuriating, she’s caught in a private poverty trap yet when she gets money she eats out rather than cooking, she smokes, but she does whatever she can to find some happiness with her daughter.
All of the characters are multidimensional, not just heroes or villains, even the ghastly Chief Lima wants to make some amends to Ana for his past treatment of her. Undocumented migrant Bruno is making his living illegally by pirating films, yet he is complaining about “illegal migrants“ and is considering voting for Proposition 187, which prohibited migrants from using non-urgent healthcare and education facilities.
For me the most impressive part of this book is that the author gives survival to his character Kathryn, which he can’t give to himself. I loved the line that “Cancer is death by promissory note“ in his New York Times piece quoted at the end of the book. Perhaps the most moving part for me considering the author's impending death from the same disease and at the same age as his character Kathryn, occurs on page 224:
"Life is a party. I’d seen the cliche before, in a card sold in the knickknacks and novelty section of a clothing store, the words imprinted in a silly font, or maybe in the 11 o’clock number of some spirited Broadway musical. A party.
Some people had to leave in the beginning. Some people left in the middle. Some people got to stay until the end. But everyone got to be in it, at least for a part of it, and wasn’t that what mattered? And maybe getting to stay to the very end, blissfully hung over, was a luxury rather than a right, a quirk of stamina and genetics and luck. Yes, it would be lovely to stay until the end, but even if you didn’t, you got a chance to taste its flavour, to mingle with it strange creatures, to try out new tricks
It wasn’t that big of a deal. No need to cry, no reason to be mad. It was just a party that someone asked to leave early. My mother, Kathryn, they had been tapped on the shoulder, singled out for some unknown reason. We would linger, watching them go".
It could be argued that this is a vicarious autobiography of Park from his origins in Brazil to his life in California, set against the politics of both countries, right up to his diagnosis with stomach cancer in 2014 and death from the disease in 2017. Read from that point of view it is a philosophical novel rather than a page-turner and I’m very glad this meeting caused me to reread it.
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