The Brief Wonderous Life of Oscar Wao: A Review

Junot Diaz's The Brief Wonderous Life of Oscar Wao

Logistics
Title:  The Brief Wonderous Life of Oscar Wao
Author:  Junot Diaz
Published:  September 6, 2007
Publishing Company:  Riverhead Books
Page Count:  335

Summary via Goodreads
Things have never been easy for Oscar, a sweet but disastrously overweight ghetto nerd, a New Jersey romantic who dreams of becoming the Dominican J.R.R. Tolkien and, most of all, of finding love. But he may never get what he wants, thanks to the fukú — the ancient curse that has haunted Oscar's family for generations, dooming them to prison, torture, tragic accidents, and, above all, ill-starred love. Oscar, still dreaming of his first kiss, is only its most recent victim - until the fateful summer that he decides to be its last.

My Thoughts
I absolutely loved this book to the moon and back!  I read this while vacationing in San Francisco two years ago and couldn't put it down.  Even thought it is interspersed with Spanish (of which I have a very limited vocabulary), I was able to follow along and fully appreciate Oscar's story.  Oscar becomes one of those characters who you fall in love with immediately.  He has this innate ability to endear himself with readers; such a wonderful character.  You really feel for his plight (both in terms of his obesity and his quest for love).  He is a character you root for despite knowing how his story will end.  So wonderfully written!

Rating
Five stars on Goodreads.  This is a fantastic book!

Who are some of your favorite Latino/a writers?

Happy reading!

Comments

  1. Lori BreeJune 23, 2014 at 10:30 AM

    LOVED this book and Oscar as well!! Such a great character!!

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Get Wordy!

Popular posts from this blog

2016 A-Z Blogging Challenge Theme Reveal

Image
Oooo...the day is getting closer; creeping stealthily, it will smack you in the face in no time! While we impatiently await the start of the challenge, it's time to reveal our themes.  Yay!  I'm going for something drastically different this year.  Something much more challenging than I've ever done in my previous four years participating in this particular challenge.  Normally my posts are pretty straight-forward, contained, not overly ambitious.  This year is going to be another beast all together. My mission, should I choose to accept it, will be to write one continuous story for the entire challenge.  I know my characters, setting, and where I want it to go...kind of.  All I need to figure out is how to get from point A to point Z.  The first word of each post will start with the letter for the day; some of these will definitely be more difficult than others, but I'm determined. I look forward to writing this, receiving feedback, and having a rip-roaring goo
Read more

Top Ten Tuesday: FREEBIE

Image
Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish and it's a way to share what you're loving in list form. The topic changes every week, so there is always something new to discover! This week's topic is:  FREEBIE .  Yay!  So, because I missed last week's Top Ten, I am going to go with that topic... Top Ten Complete Series I Have Yet to Finish . Here they are: Inkworld   by Cornelia Funke Finishing School  by Gail Carriger The Chemical Garden by Lauren DeStefano Contours of the Heart by Tammara Webber The Inheritance Cycle by Christopher Paolini His Dark Materials by Philip Pullman Edilean by Jude Deveraux The Tudor Court by Philippa Gregory Wildwood Chronicles  by Colin Meloy The Kommandant's Girl by Pam Jenoff Some of these I've only read one book in, while others are nearly complete!  What are some series you need to finish? Also, look for next week's top ten:  Top Ten
Read more

B is for...Bend

Image
It's day two of the A-Z Blogging Challenge and B is our designated letter today.  Unlike last year, I've decided on a dedicated theme to guide my posts for this month's challenge and have chosen:  sites and points of interest in Oregon .  I sat down last night and filled in my list (for the most part...some of those pesky letters are tricky) with places and things that I think are awesome and must-see stops for anyone traveling through the Pacific Northwest.  So, without further ado, let's get this virtual tour started! Bend, Oregon Technically considered the central point of the state, Bend is a city that is a must for nature enthusiasts and beer connoisseurs.  Nestled in the Cascade Range, it's a vibrant city with the highest population in Central Oregon (roughly 76,000).  Surrounded by high desert and US Service Forest land, the climate is temperate and offers activities year round.  Whether you're into biking and hiking in the summer or skiing an
Read more