Olga Dies Dreaming

Really great book that showcases the complexities and bonds of family.  I loved that Olga and Prieto are late 30's/early 40's, it's rare to see older characters take center stage. They have their professional lives together but still struggle with their own issues and their distant mother's presence.

3.5 stars.

I just feel like everything was tied up too nicely at the end for my liking, but I absolutely would watch this if made into a tv show...

Solid book. I've put 4 stars here but I think it's more 3.5 for me.
Quite immersive but the plot took a long time to get going and then felt resolved too hastily.
Characters were really well drawn and the best part. Definitely worth reading!
Looking forward to reading more from Xochitl Gonzalez.
Gave me Zadie Smith vibes I think but Gonzalez could learn from Smith's pacing & nuance.

Writing style was really good, great character work and overall a great book but very abrupt ending! I think that was on purpose— we kinda dropped in and out of these characters lives but I didn't love it enough to give it 5 stars. Still a very good book

When books are written around a mass tragedy that happened in real life, I always feel conflicted. I remember some of the news coverage after hurricane Maria in Puerto Rico and hearing about the giant power outage that to this day has differing reports of how long it actually lasted. I purposely searched out reviews of this book from actual Puerto Ricans that went through hurricane Maria and both of the ones I read showed that they were upset about this book.
Olga and Prieto are such strange main characters. They are written with the purpose of showing the struggle of being part of the diaspora and stay true to the values of your community and the urge to assimilate into the corruptive rich white societal practices. All of their most negative traits come from this urge, but the author paints their mom, who was an activist for the liberation of Puerto Rico turned radical, as the most evil character. She is a very one note villain. It's confusing, to say the least. All except one of the characters in this book was written in a way where you hate them more than you like them. Matteo was really the only one that wasn't compromised. It's not even worth mentioning Dick because of course he is trash. He is a member of the only true monolith in this world: the old, white, and corrupt. I really hated every one of his POV scenes. I felt like this book was a lot, but also wasn't enough. I don't know how else to explain it.

Reads like capitalist critique/wish fulfilment/power fantasy. All the bad people are one dimensional baddies that are completely uninteresting. For a book which aims so much bile at individuals accruing so much wealth it is hilarious that the main love interest turns out to be secretely wealthy all along. See? Rich people can be nice too!

I wanted to love this book, but I merely really enjoyed it. I was super captivated for the first half, but the second half lost me; the author tried to do way too much in too little time, and the plot devolved into something less believable. The dialogue that had been refreshingly real early on became blatantly expositional. And though I was rooting for the characters, I never felt truly emotionally invested, so when climatic moments happened, I didn't quite feel the punch I wanted to feel. Everything wrapped up a little too nicely, and the political messaging was a bit too blatant for my tastes.

All that being said, this is worth the read. Like I said, I really enjoyed it. I loved that it takes place in contemporary New York, and that issues of gentrification, abundant corruption, and the challenges of historically ethnic neighborhoods are front and center. The “American Dream” is harshly called into question – as evidenced by the title, an allusion to a Puerto Rican poem – as we see the sacrifices Olga and her brother have to make to get what they thought they wanted, only to feel unmoored and unhappy when they got it.

For a left-leaning feminist, this book may be preaching to the choir, but heck, I like some preaching. For those who aren't of the same political bend, I don't think the book would resonate (though I could be wrong). I learned a ton about Puerto Rican history, too. And look at that cover! Stunning. Overall, a really solid debut from an author that I hope to read more of in the future.

Olga Dies Dreaming is primarily a novel about the Puerto Rican identity. It is a critique of the handling of Maria, a storm that devastated the island, by Trump government, told through the eyes of Olga, a wedding planner and her brother Pierto. The tone of the novel is very uneven and the emotional parts of it never touches the reader as it is intended. But it is worth reading for the interesting characters inhabiting it and it's politics.

Ambitious. Gonzalez packs a lot into her first novel: parental abandonment, U.S. colonialism, revolutionary politics, minority & women's & LGBTQ rights, corruption, shallowness, economic inequality, love, forgiveness. It didn't always work for me but it was a hell of a ride, and kudos to her for aiming high.

The story was compelling, even though there is little I find as shallow as elaborate weddings or people whose day can be ruined by the wrong napkins or colors. Somehow, here, I cared. (About the people. Not about the napkins.) The timeline progression was effective: JULY 2017 on the opening page, and every Puertorican reader starts getting chills: we know what's coming. Then August, then September, everyone acting all normal, because what could they know then of Hurricane María, and that somehow makes the tension more painful.

The maternal epistles, though, interspersed throughout, they felt clumsy, like a quick tool to get some exposition out of the way. Nobody writes like that. Nobody talks like that, either, in the infrequent preachy revolutionary-radical-speech parts. The characters are... how about one-and-three-quarter dimensional? Simple and predictable for the most part, smart and sassy and well-intentioned with periodic attempts—some more successful than others—at nuance and complexity. The relationships between them didn't always make sense, especially some of the attractions, but I guess attractions don't always make sense IRL either.

Sometimes five-star material, sometimes three. Mostly sweet, loving, with important (albeit unsubtle) messages. As you know, I'm OK with all of those. I enjoyed it, and am curious what non-Puertoricans will think of it. (Katie, we're due for lunch!)

A sprawling family novel that's full of layers and complicated emotions with an engaging story. The audiobook is terrific. I actually slowed down at the end because I didn't want it to be over.

Olga Dies Dreaming had all the necessary ingredients for a great book in my eyes: a unique backdrop, complex characters and strong political/cultural themes. It's generally an entertaining read, although some of the things that took place in the book did feel a little forced and far-fetched.

I was going to give this a 4/5 but dropped it down to a 3/5 because the ending for me was just disappointing. There was a lot of build up that wasn't fully resolved.

Olga Dies Dreaming had all the necessary ingredients for a great book in my eyes: a unique backdrop, complex characters and strong political/cultural themes. It's generally an entertaining read, although some of the things that took place in the book did feel a little forced and far-fetched.

I was going to give this a 4/5 but dropped it down to a 3/5 because the ending for me was just disappointing. There was a lot of build up that wasn't fully resolved.

Many thanks to Libro.fm and the publisher for a digital arc of this book!

I chose this one because a friend really enjoyed it, and I was not very surprised to find that I agreed! I was almost instantly invested in Olga and her family. Olga is a strong character with a strong voice, and I thought the author did a wonderful job of exploring her backstory and environment. It was also one of those novels that taught me something by slowly unraveling a complicated political and social situation (Puerto Rico's statehoood, or lack thereof) through the lens of multiple characters. I thought this was a compassionate, intelligent read with a satisfying ending, and I really loved the multiple narrators. Would definitely recommend!