The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao (edit title)

• Rated 5 stars

“When I first picked up The Brief and Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao, I thought, "I am never going to get through this." Heavily laden with pop-culture references and Dominican slang, it seemed impossible and arduous. I had heard great things about it though, so I gave it a little more time and quickly fell under its spell. You start to get the feel for the foreign words and the story is so worth it. Funny and tragic, it's a great book.”

• Rated 2 stars

“I just didn't get this one. And, I found that it annoyed me that the author chose to insert so much Spanish into the book. It was a distraction and made you struggle to read it. I would not recommend this book. ”

• Rated 4 stars

“For me once I got over the initial difficult of figuring out the setting, I was able to full enjoy this book. It speaks of the seriousness of the Domincan history that has the quality of being in another world. I thoroughy enjoyed all the science fiction references, espcecially the Lord of the Rings. I think the title is very fititng for the book after having reading it. ”

• Rated 4 stars

“Wow...I didn't know anything about Dominican history. Trujillo was not a nice man.”

• Rated 1 stars

“I really couldn't get into this book...so much family drama and not really a good story.

My book club read it....some liked it, but most didn't. It was pointless if you ask me.

I did like translating the Spanish since I do speak Spanish, but other than that I did not like it at all.”

• Rated 5 stars

“For the most part engaging and wonderful. Great imagery and thoughtful. Sometimes it was hard to follow and required rereading, especially with the switching between languages, the constant pop culture references and the historical references. Still, well worth the read and a wonderful addition to the mystical realism category.”

• Rated 0 stars

“It was amazing. I loved the detail and depth of the characters.”

• Rated 5 stars

“I am reading it again as I chose it for one of my book clubs. I've already heard some whining about the mix of Spanish, fantasy, bad language. I think it's an awesome book if, for nothing else, for the incredible footnotes that take on a life of their own. Oscar is weird and interesting but I think the book is about life in the Dominican Republic, the women of the book and their incredible strength and at the same time about being powerless, about immigrants and the inability to escape your own history... and more. It packs a lot in. And you're warned about the dreaded curse (fuku) and that you're about to leave Kansas in the intro! If you understand the Spanish or the (presumably) dead-on fantasy references, you will have additional levels of understanding. If not, I think it's still got plenty to offer.”

• Rated 3 stars

“Enjoyed it, but it lacked any real thematic aim. More of a comical, light version of One Hundred Years of Solitude. Loved Diaz' style though.”

• Rated 2 stars

“I read this book because a friend of mine RAVED about it. I didn't like it at all. It's just an ugly, negative portrayal of humanity. ”