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3.53 AVERAGE
3.53 AVERAGE
A beautiful book - heartbreaking, too - about the power of love and loss. Francisco Goldman makes you fall in love with his late wife, Aura, who died in 2005 in a swimming accident. And, with this book, he keeps her alive, too.
Francisco Goldman's story of his wife Aura and her tragic death. Very sad, sometimes difficult to read.
I got an ARC of this from the publisher and slowly made my way through it. There are parts of this book that warrant four stars, but I've settled on a three-star rating for my overall reaction. Goldman's book is a fictionalization of the tragic death of his young wife, Aura and how he coped. It succeeds as a touching homage to Aura, devastating in its subject and beauty, yet it is filled with his "ninote" behavior, which can be off-putting. As someone who appreciates and craves emotionally engaging books, I didn't cry at any point during this book. That's not a dismissal of its moments of power, but I think it says something about the overall tone and narrative style. I don't know who I'd suggest this to.
I wanted to LOVE this. The review I read of it a couple of months ago gave me chills. The first few pages gave me chills. But then it didn't continue that way.
Maybe it's because I don't know what parts he fictionalized and what parts are exactly the truth of what happened. Maybe it's because his actions about 200 pages in pissed me off so much I wanted to slam it shut but couldn't that far in. Maybe it's because he takes the blame in ways that are ridiculous. Maybe it's a combination of all of those things. It just didn't turn out to be as amazing as I was expecting. It wasn't bad, I clearly stayed interested (albeit a little mad), but I feel somewhat let down.
Maybe it's because I don't know what parts he fictionalized and what parts are exactly the truth of what happened. Maybe it's because his actions about 200 pages in pissed me off so much I wanted to slam it shut but couldn't that far in. Maybe it's because he takes the blame in ways that are ridiculous. Maybe it's a combination of all of those things. It just didn't turn out to be as amazing as I was expecting. It wasn't bad, I clearly stayed interested (albeit a little mad), but I feel somewhat let down.
Heartbreaking, brutally honest, particularly with himself. I love the writing but found the book, like almost all depictions of grief, long and wearing, and I was close to tapping out in the late 200s. But, on cue, he cuts to the day of hell where he lost his wife and I was holding my breath. It's just awful and too easy and really affecting.
I'm not sure how to rate this book due to its topic, so I'm refraining from giving it any rating
Heartbreaking in all of the right ways. That's all I can say.
Audio book narrated by Robert Fass
2.5**
Goldman found the love of his life in a decades younger grad student (not his student) from Mexico. He gave his heart to the brilliant, witty, exuberant Aura, and they were looking forward to starting a family when she was tragically killed during a beach holiday. This unexpected tragedy affected Francisco and Aura’s mother in ways no one expected. Francisco was completely bereft and lost in his grief. Eventually he wrote this “novel” – a barely fictionalized story of Aura and of their love.
I had such high hopes for this book. Everything I had read about it and what I was told by others who had read it (and whose opinion I trust) led me to believe this would be a wonderful testament to an enduring love that ended tragically. I was able to go hear the author speak when he was on the book tour, and was touched by his sincerity and emotion.
So what went wrong for me with this book? At first I thought it was the fault of the narrator. Fass does not have the right voice for this book. His tone is not “round” enough to tell the story of the Mexican Aura Estrada. Yes, I know the narrator of the book is Francisco, who was born and raised in the United States, but I’d heard the author read excerpts from the book, and Fass doesn’t sound like what I remembered Goldman sounding like. Still, I really do not think I can blame Fass and the audio version for my lackluster reaction. I have the text as well, and looking through it, reading sections on my own … I just don’t find the “heart” I was expecting.
I will say that the section where Goldman relates that final day at the beach is absolutely riveting. My heart breaks for Aura and Francisco, and all their friends and family, even for the “bystanders” who witnessed the events and tried to help, or shied away in horror. I wish the immediacy and emotion of these chapters had been present earlier and throughout the book.
2.5**
Goldman found the love of his life in a decades younger grad student (not his student) from Mexico. He gave his heart to the brilliant, witty, exuberant Aura, and they were looking forward to starting a family when she was tragically killed during a beach holiday. This unexpected tragedy affected Francisco and Aura’s mother in ways no one expected. Francisco was completely bereft and lost in his grief. Eventually he wrote this “novel” – a barely fictionalized story of Aura and of their love.
I had such high hopes for this book. Everything I had read about it and what I was told by others who had read it (and whose opinion I trust) led me to believe this would be a wonderful testament to an enduring love that ended tragically. I was able to go hear the author speak when he was on the book tour, and was touched by his sincerity and emotion.
So what went wrong for me with this book? At first I thought it was the fault of the narrator. Fass does not have the right voice for this book. His tone is not “round” enough to tell the story of the Mexican Aura Estrada. Yes, I know the narrator of the book is Francisco, who was born and raised in the United States, but I’d heard the author read excerpts from the book, and Fass doesn’t sound like what I remembered Goldman sounding like. Still, I really do not think I can blame Fass and the audio version for my lackluster reaction. I have the text as well, and looking through it, reading sections on my own … I just don’t find the “heart” I was expecting.
I will say that the section where Goldman relates that final day at the beach is absolutely riveting. My heart breaks for Aura and Francisco, and all their friends and family, even for the “bystanders” who witnessed the events and tried to help, or shied away in horror. I wish the immediacy and emotion of these chapters had been present earlier and throughout the book.
This book is hard to read (very sad), and I must say, I don't think I gave it a fair read since I read only one third of the book. I may go back to it at some point.