Sadly, this novel was not for me. I listened to this book, and enjoyed the narrator, but I had a hard time following the overall story. There were constant changes in time and perspective that was very difficult to follow. There was also some strong imagery and metaphors that added to my confusion. After listening to the whole thing I believe the story could be very interesting, but the format of the book made it difficult to appreciate.

I think what I have realized that audiobooks are just not for me and that’s no shade to this particular book, it is just so difficult for me to concentrate and understand the storyline. At least with a podcast, it’s incredibly shorter, but a whole book - there’s way more that goes into it. Okay, now into the actual content. I’m ultimately giving this three stars. I really enjoyed the narrator, I really enjoyed the beginning of the story and chuckled quite a few times. I loved the cultural references, especially to our beloved Walter Mercado. However, maybe because I was listening to an audiobook, it just felt like there were so many characters (and with the same name, at that) that it was hard for me to keep the storyline consistent. Perhaps, I would’ve enjoyed a physical copy a bit more.

Thanks to NetGalley for the opportunity to hear this book.

I had to take some time to think about this book after I finished it. I wasn't sure how I felt when it was over. I wanted more for each character. Like I kept waiting for their big break, or some sort of redemption, but it didn't feel like it really came. It kind of feels like trauma after trauma without resolution. There was slight improvement in conditions for each generation, but my heart ached for each person that died because of some evil, some external factor that always held them down. I do think it was an interesting story, and highlighted the terrible and racist colonization practices that apparently are everywhere. I wish there was more accountability for the harm caused (especially by men), growth for the local community, and change for these characters. It all feels like unfinished business.

Thank you to John Manuel Arias, Macmillan Audio, and NetGalley for an advanced copy of the audiobook.

2.5 stars

Based on the description, I thought this would be right in my wheelhouse, but I just could not engage with the narrative at all. In a twist I've only experienced a couple of times, I found the narration to be more of a distraction than an opportunity to highlight the content. I will be looking to reread this piece by sight at some point to see if the medium alters my perception of the story in a positive way.

I hate to leave reviews without much positive content, but I just really struggled to stay engaged with the characters and plotting and also to manage the...enthusiastic?...narration style. Unfortunately, this one just didn't work for me, at least in this format.

I really enjoyed the book as well as the narrator. However, it was a bit hard to follow each character’s story as they switched and intertwined so much. I will however give the book another chance once it comes out so I can follow along better with annotation in a physical book.

This book is full of promise. I liked the premise of the story; following a Costa Rican family through many generations all bounded by the events of one night. In fact, this is my favorite type of book, but the story doesn’t really work for most part.

First there’s a lot of cliches, like “ohh Central American women and their sexual desire and their curves, etc.” As a Latina I’m tired.

There is also a couple of points that go nowhere like the repetition of three Marias, born 3 minutes and three shades apart, without even going into detail the consequences of being born three shades apart.

However, my main problem is that there’s too many characters and the story is a bit repetitive - Teresa’s father disappeared one day, Lina’s father disappeared - and at some point I wasn’t sure if the author was revealing what happened with Theresa’s or Lina’s father. It’s hard to keep track of the family through soo many generations when their stories are pretty similar and there’s no specific order in the flashbacks.

At first glance, I was captivated by the beauty of this cover art, and after reading this tale, my heart broke and then mended itself back in this harrowing story about loss, family, and unconditional love in a tragic time. I am so thankful to Flatiron Books, Macmillan Audio, John Manuel Arias, and. NetGalley for granting me advanced audiobook access to this gem of a novel and I'm looking forward to publication day!

Thank you NetGalley and Macmillan audio for the free ALC in exchange for honest review. I found this such an eye opener that very little thought about those that grow our food. I found this story very interesting just a spidge on the long side and a little slow in the last 30% or so.

3.5/5

I try to give an author the benefit of the doubt when they build characters that are not like themselves. Own voices are always preferred, but there are some authors that create characters that are not like themselves that are respectful and believable… and then there are works like this one.

Arias chose to create a cast of characters that are almost entirely female, and it is clear that he does not fully understand what he is doing. At times the characters feel emotionally fully formed, but then he throws in details that make me want to throw up in my mouth. Example: An aging woman looks in the mirror and contemplates aging by focusing on her sagging breasts… Um not the first place most women think to contemplate. A woman having a baby is comforted by a mother-in-law telling her it’s okay she will stretch out… WHILE SHE IS HAVING THE BABY!!! There are too many moments when all of the female characters are sexualized in non-sexual scenes, and the men never are.

This is too bad, as the story has a lot of potential. A multi-generational story set around a Costa Rican banana plantation that burns to the ground killing many. The repercussions of the accident and the exploitive choices the American based company made before and after are explored. If only the writing was able to focus on this story and not get lost in the weeds. The description is heavy handed, but in an interesting way that at times is brilliant, helps, but can not save the overall project.

The narration by Sananes is so over the top, that the issues in the writing are magnified tenfold. The American accent in particular is not only unbelievable, but grating. The accent is so bad it makes really important elements of the story coming from the American physician and company board sound sarcastic, leaching all the power out of the passage.