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Ladydi
En nuestra montaña no había hombres. Era como vivir donde no había árboles... Estar en un lugar sin hombres es como dormir sin sueños.
Quien habla es Ladydi García Martínez, una chiquilla de ojos color café que vive en las montañas de Guerrero, México, una tierra sin maridos, sin padres y casi sin hermanos porque todos se han ido a buscar fortuna al otro lado de la valla y ninguno se ha molestado en volver. Ese es el lugar donde lo mejor que le puede ocurrir a una niña es nacer fea porque tan pronto los traficantes de droga tienen noticia de que anda por ahí una joven hermosa, acuden rumbosos en busca de su presa. Ese es el pueblo donde ya nadie le reza a Dios porque ni de él se fían...
Pese a todo, en ese infierno Ladydi crece rodeada de amigas y al lado de una madre capaz de robar, maldecir y reír cuando le venga en ganas. Bien mirado, la miseria no es tanta en Guerrero, ni el dolor tampoco, y la vida discurre al ritmo de unas chancletas que van pisando polvo, hasta que llegue el día en que una pasión o un delito te arranquen de la montaña y hagan de ti una mujer distinta.
Con una prosa hecha de palabras que saltan y bailan, Jennifer Clement nos lleva a un lugar donde la desesperación y el humor se encuentran: ahí, en Guerrero, está la buena literatura.
"Jennifer Clement convierte la angustia en seducción y espléndida locura." Francisco Goldman, New York Times Book Review
Quien habla es Ladydi García Martínez, una chiquilla de ojos color café que vive en las montañas de Guerrero, México, una tierra sin maridos, sin padres y casi sin hermanos porque todos se han ido a buscar fortuna al otro lado de la valla y ninguno se ha molestado en volver. Ese es el lugar donde lo mejor que le puede ocurrir a una niña es nacer fea porque tan pronto los traficantes de droga tienen noticia de que anda por ahí una joven hermosa, acuden rumbosos en busca de su presa. Ese es el pueblo donde ya nadie le reza a Dios porque ni de él se fían...
Pese a todo, en ese infierno Ladydi crece rodeada de amigas y al lado de una madre capaz de robar, maldecir y reír cuando le venga en ganas. Bien mirado, la miseria no es tanta en Guerrero, ni el dolor tampoco, y la vida discurre al ritmo de unas chancletas que van pisando polvo, hasta que llegue el día en que una pasión o un delito te arranquen de la montaña y hagan de ti una mujer distinta.
Con una prosa hecha de palabras que saltan y bailan, Jennifer Clement nos lleva a un lugar donde la desesperación y el humor se encuentran: ahí, en Guerrero, está la buena literatura.
"Jennifer Clement convierte la angustia en seducción y espléndida locura." Francisco Goldman, New York Times Book Review
240 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published February 11, 2014
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About the author
Jennifer Clement
27 books514 followersJennifer Clement is President Emerita of the human rights and freedom of expression organization PEN International and the only woman to hold the office of President (2015-2021) since the organization was founded in 1921. Under her leadership, the groundbreaking PEN International Women’s Manifesto and The Democracy of the Imagination Manifesto were created. As President of PEN Mexico (2009-2012), Clement was instrumental in changing the law to make the crime of killing a journalist a federal crime.
Clement is author of the novels A True Story Based on Lies, The Poison That Fascinates, Prayers for the Stolen, Gun Love and Stormy People as well as several poetry books including Poems and Errors, published by Kaunitz-Olsson in Sweden. Clement also wrote the acclaimed memoir Widow Basquiat on New York City in the early 1980’s and the painter Jean-Michel Basquiat, which NPR named best book of 2015 in seven different categories. Her memoir The Promised Party will be published in early 2024. Clement’s books have been translated into 38 languages and have covered topics such as the stealing of little girls in Mexico, the effects of gun violence and trafficking of guns into Mexico and Central America as well as writing about her life in the art worlds of Mexico and New York.
Clement is the recipient of Guggenheim, NEA, MacDowell and Santa Maddalena Fellowships and her books have twice been a New York Times Editor’s Choice Book. Prayers for the Stolen was the recipient of the Grand Prix des Lectrices Lyceenes de ELLE(sponsored by ELLE Magazine, the French Ministry of Education and the Maison des écrivains et de la littérature) and a New Statesman Book of the Year, picked by the Nobel Laureate Kazuo Ishiguro. Gun Love was an Oprah Book Club Selection as well as being a National Book Award and Aspen Words Literary Prize finalist. Time magazine, among other publications, named it one of the top 10 books of 2018. At NYU she was the commencement speaker for the Gallatin graduates of 2017 and she gave the Lectio Magistralis in Florence, Italy for the Premio Gregor von Rezzori. Clement is a member of Mexico’s prestigious Sistema Nacional de Creadores de Arte.
For Clement’s work in human rights, she was awarded the HIP Award for contribution to Latino Communities by the Hispanics in Philanthropy (HIP) Organization as well as being the recipient of the Sara Curry Humanitarian Award. Most recently, she was given the 2023 Freedom of Expression Honorary title on the occasion of World Press Day by Brussels University Alliance VUB and ULB in partnership with the European Commission, European Endowment for Democracy and UNESCO among others. Other laureates include Svetlana Alexievich, Zhang Zhan, Ahmet Altan, Daphne Caruana Galizia and Raif Badawi, among others.
Jennifer Clement was raised in Mexico where she lives. She and her sister Barbara Sibley founded and direct the San Miguel Poetry Week. Clement has a double major in anthropology and English Literature from New York University (Gallatin) and an MFA from University of Southern Maine (Stonecoast). She was named a Distinguished Alumna by the Kingswood Cranbrook School.
Clement is author of the novels A True Story Based on Lies, The Poison That Fascinates, Prayers for the Stolen, Gun Love and Stormy People as well as several poetry books including Poems and Errors, published by Kaunitz-Olsson in Sweden. Clement also wrote the acclaimed memoir Widow Basquiat on New York City in the early 1980’s and the painter Jean-Michel Basquiat, which NPR named best book of 2015 in seven different categories. Her memoir The Promised Party will be published in early 2024. Clement’s books have been translated into 38 languages and have covered topics such as the stealing of little girls in Mexico, the effects of gun violence and trafficking of guns into Mexico and Central America as well as writing about her life in the art worlds of Mexico and New York.
Clement is the recipient of Guggenheim, NEA, MacDowell and Santa Maddalena Fellowships and her books have twice been a New York Times Editor’s Choice Book. Prayers for the Stolen was the recipient of the Grand Prix des Lectrices Lyceenes de ELLE(sponsored by ELLE Magazine, the French Ministry of Education and the Maison des écrivains et de la littérature) and a New Statesman Book of the Year, picked by the Nobel Laureate Kazuo Ishiguro. Gun Love was an Oprah Book Club Selection as well as being a National Book Award and Aspen Words Literary Prize finalist. Time magazine, among other publications, named it one of the top 10 books of 2018. At NYU she was the commencement speaker for the Gallatin graduates of 2017 and she gave the Lectio Magistralis in Florence, Italy for the Premio Gregor von Rezzori. Clement is a member of Mexico’s prestigious Sistema Nacional de Creadores de Arte.
For Clement’s work in human rights, she was awarded the HIP Award for contribution to Latino Communities by the Hispanics in Philanthropy (HIP) Organization as well as being the recipient of the Sara Curry Humanitarian Award. Most recently, she was given the 2023 Freedom of Expression Honorary title on the occasion of World Press Day by Brussels University Alliance VUB and ULB in partnership with the European Commission, European Endowment for Democracy and UNESCO among others. Other laureates include Svetlana Alexievich, Zhang Zhan, Ahmet Altan, Daphne Caruana Galizia and Raif Badawi, among others.
Jennifer Clement was raised in Mexico where she lives. She and her sister Barbara Sibley founded and direct the San Miguel Poetry Week. Clement has a double major in anthropology and English Literature from New York University (Gallatin) and an MFA from University of Southern Maine (Stonecoast). She was named a Distinguished Alumna by the Kingswood Cranbrook School.
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June 26, 2025
The best thing you can be in Mexico is an ugly girl.
My name is Ladydi Garcia Martinez and I have brown skin, brown eyes, and brown frizzy hair, and look like everyone else I know. As a child my mother used to dress me up as a boy and call me Boy. I told everyone a boy was born, she said.
If I were a girl then I would be stolen. All the drug traffickers had to do was hear that there was a pretty girl around and they’d sweep onto our lands in black Escalades and carry the girl off.
Ladydi lives in the state of Guerrero. She describes how mothers were so fearful for their daughters that they would dig holes for them to conceal themselves in the event of any threat. At the first sound of an oncoming SUV, all the girls would hastily retreat to the holes.
The girls are prohibited from going anywhere alone, and their mothers do their best to make them look as unattractive as possible. They are not permitted to wear anything that could be considered feminine, and their teeth and faces are scrubbed with substances designed to make them look dirty. However, none of this can diminish Paula's beauty, which radiates despite the efforts to conceal it. Paula is so stunning that it is only a matter of time before rumors about her beauty reach the narcos. When she reaches the age of fourteen/fifteen, she is stolen.
No girl has ever returned after being stolen. No girl, that is, except for Paula. Paula returned one year after her abduction and did not utter a single word regarding her experiences.
There are no men on their mountain. The men have crossed the river into the United States in pursuit of opportunities, leaving the women behind, powerless against the narcos. When Ladydi's father departs, he does not return.
In addition to Paula, Ladydi's other dearest friends are Estefani and Maria. Maria was born with a harelip and is the only girl in the village who does not have to worry about being kidnapped. One day, doctors arrived at the clinic in Guerrero, accompanied by the army for security, to perform surgery on Maria and a young boy who was born with an extra finger. As Maria matured, the scar from her harelip faded.
One evening, after drinking too much, Ladydi's mother reveals to her that her father, whom she idolizes, had affairs with the mothers of her friends and that Maria is actually her half-sister. As Maria grew, she increasingly resembled Ladydi's father. Her mother insisted that she promise never to reveal to Maria that they were half-sisters.
Maria’s hand slipped into mine. I did not need to turn and look at her to know it was her small, cool hand like an apple peel. We would recognize each other in the dark and even in a dream.
One day, the sound of approaching SUVs is heard, prompting Ladydi's mother to instruct her to conceal herself in the hole. When the men arrive at their property, they ask her mother where her daughter is. She claims she has no daughter. The men don't believe her and spray their house with bullets, but they don't find Ladydi.
Ladydi secures a position as a nanny for a wealthy family in Acapulco after school concludes. Before her departure, Paula finally reveals what happened to her. She explains that she was taken to a ranch located right on the U.S. border and was forced to become a slave-mistress for a prominent drug trafficker. She mentions that there were other girls and women present who were also victims of trafficking. They were sold to rich men.
Paula is no longer the same girl she used to be. Her mental state has changed significantly. She regresses to a childlike state, and her mother treats her accordingly. She will never become the woman she was meant to be. Soon after, Paula and her mother leave the mountain and don't come back.
What are you doing with a gun, Mama?
My mother stopped and was quiet for a moment.
What gun?
What are you doing with a gun, Mama?
Some men need killing, my mother answered.
Ladydi, who is now seventeen, spends her days in the large house alongside the maid, anticipating the family's return from their vacation. She meets Julio, the family's gardener, who is in his early twenties, and quickly falls deeply in love with him. As time passes, they come to realize that the family will not be returning. The maid watches the news and discovers what she had suspected all along: the family was killed months ago, and it has only just been confirmed who they were. This is the reality they all understand: there are empty houses scattered throughout Mexico, waiting for families that will never return home.
The three of them remained in the house for several months. Ladydi is infatuated with Julio and sees all his red flags as green (we've all been there). He treats her well, but he has a shady past, and I found their relationship repulsive.
He liked to treat me like a child. I expected him to take a tissue out of his pocket and wipe my nose. He acted like he was taking me to the candy store. I loved to be his little baby and so I skipped at his side and forgot that he was a killer.
The latter half of the book contains numerous plot twists, and I prefer not to reveal any details in case some of you choose to read it.
My favorite aspects of the book were the relationships Ladydi had with her mother and Maria. I adored her mother, who has zero chill. I loved how deeply Ladydi cares for Maria, even after discovering that she is the product of her father's affair. If I Die in Juárez by Stella Pope Duarte continues to haunt me. Prayers for the Stolen delves into similar themes but is less brutal than If I Die in Juárez. I will be thinking about the girls from both stories for a long time.
Engaging with these kinds of books has led me to reflect on my personal experiences. It's remarkable what some men will say and do without facing any repercussions.
He said, How can you all live like this, in a world without any men? How?
Do you ever watch television, Mr. Rosa? my mother asked in that too-slow tone of hers that she’d get into when she was angry.
You men don’t get it, yet, do you? she said. This is a land of women. Mexico belongs to women.
My PFTS playlist:
The Neighbourhood - RIP 2 My Youth
Madalen Duke - How Villains Are Made
Billie Eilish - Hostage
NF - Trauma
Lana Del Rey - Happiness Is a Butterfly
Florence & The Machine - What The Water Gave Me
Carmen Goett - La Llorona
My name is Ladydi Garcia Martinez and I have brown skin, brown eyes, and brown frizzy hair, and look like everyone else I know. As a child my mother used to dress me up as a boy and call me Boy. I told everyone a boy was born, she said.
If I were a girl then I would be stolen. All the drug traffickers had to do was hear that there was a pretty girl around and they’d sweep onto our lands in black Escalades and carry the girl off.
Ladydi lives in the state of Guerrero. She describes how mothers were so fearful for their daughters that they would dig holes for them to conceal themselves in the event of any threat. At the first sound of an oncoming SUV, all the girls would hastily retreat to the holes.
The girls are prohibited from going anywhere alone, and their mothers do their best to make them look as unattractive as possible. They are not permitted to wear anything that could be considered feminine, and their teeth and faces are scrubbed with substances designed to make them look dirty. However, none of this can diminish Paula's beauty, which radiates despite the efforts to conceal it. Paula is so stunning that it is only a matter of time before rumors about her beauty reach the narcos. When she reaches the age of fourteen/fifteen, she is stolen.
No girl has ever returned after being stolen. No girl, that is, except for Paula. Paula returned one year after her abduction and did not utter a single word regarding her experiences.
There are no men on their mountain. The men have crossed the river into the United States in pursuit of opportunities, leaving the women behind, powerless against the narcos. When Ladydi's father departs, he does not return.
In addition to Paula, Ladydi's other dearest friends are Estefani and Maria. Maria was born with a harelip and is the only girl in the village who does not have to worry about being kidnapped. One day, doctors arrived at the clinic in Guerrero, accompanied by the army for security, to perform surgery on Maria and a young boy who was born with an extra finger. As Maria matured, the scar from her harelip faded.
One evening, after drinking too much, Ladydi's mother reveals to her that her father, whom she idolizes, had affairs with the mothers of her friends and that Maria is actually her half-sister. As Maria grew, she increasingly resembled Ladydi's father. Her mother insisted that she promise never to reveal to Maria that they were half-sisters.
Maria’s hand slipped into mine. I did not need to turn and look at her to know it was her small, cool hand like an apple peel. We would recognize each other in the dark and even in a dream.
One day, the sound of approaching SUVs is heard, prompting Ladydi's mother to instruct her to conceal herself in the hole. When the men arrive at their property, they ask her mother where her daughter is. She claims she has no daughter. The men don't believe her and spray their house with bullets, but they don't find Ladydi.
Ladydi secures a position as a nanny for a wealthy family in Acapulco after school concludes. Before her departure, Paula finally reveals what happened to her. She explains that she was taken to a ranch located right on the U.S. border and was forced to become a slave-mistress for a prominent drug trafficker. She mentions that there were other girls and women present who were also victims of trafficking. They were sold to rich men.
Paula is no longer the same girl she used to be. Her mental state has changed significantly. She regresses to a childlike state, and her mother treats her accordingly. She will never become the woman she was meant to be. Soon after, Paula and her mother leave the mountain and don't come back.
What are you doing with a gun, Mama?
My mother stopped and was quiet for a moment.
What gun?
What are you doing with a gun, Mama?
Some men need killing, my mother answered.
Ladydi, who is now seventeen, spends her days in the large house alongside the maid, anticipating the family's return from their vacation. She meets Julio, the family's gardener, who is in his early twenties, and quickly falls deeply in love with him. As time passes, they come to realize that the family will not be returning. The maid watches the news and discovers what she had suspected all along: the family was killed months ago, and it has only just been confirmed who they were. This is the reality they all understand: there are empty houses scattered throughout Mexico, waiting for families that will never return home.
The three of them remained in the house for several months. Ladydi is infatuated with Julio and sees all his red flags as green (we've all been there). He treats her well, but he has a shady past, and I found their relationship repulsive.
He liked to treat me like a child. I expected him to take a tissue out of his pocket and wipe my nose. He acted like he was taking me to the candy store. I loved to be his little baby and so I skipped at his side and forgot that he was a killer.
The latter half of the book contains numerous plot twists, and I prefer not to reveal any details in case some of you choose to read it.
My favorite aspects of the book were the relationships Ladydi had with her mother and Maria. I adored her mother, who has zero chill. I loved how deeply Ladydi cares for Maria, even after discovering that she is the product of her father's affair. If I Die in Juárez by Stella Pope Duarte continues to haunt me. Prayers for the Stolen delves into similar themes but is less brutal than If I Die in Juárez. I will be thinking about the girls from both stories for a long time.
Engaging with these kinds of books has led me to reflect on my personal experiences. It's remarkable what some men will say and do without facing any repercussions.
He said, How can you all live like this, in a world without any men? How?
Do you ever watch television, Mr. Rosa? my mother asked in that too-slow tone of hers that she’d get into when she was angry.
You men don’t get it, yet, do you? she said. This is a land of women. Mexico belongs to women.
My PFTS playlist:
The Neighbourhood - RIP 2 My Youth
Madalen Duke - How Villains Are Made
Billie Eilish - Hostage
NF - Trauma
Lana Del Rey - Happiness Is a Butterfly
Florence & The Machine - What The Water Gave Me
Carmen Goett - La Llorona
August 15, 2025
Around 3.5 stars
Four girls, Maria, Paula, Estefani, and Ladydi, were born in the region of Guerrero, Mexico. This land leaves an indelible mark on its inhabitants. Those who grow up and live there also define the area's fate through their decisions to stay or leave and their connections to the local community.
The personal stories of these four girls become intertwined with the history and current reality of this place.
The mountainous landscape, the scorching sun, and fields of poppies affect their innocence and youth in different ways. The setting is very significant to this story. It almost feels alive with its iguanas, snakes, and enormous ants. But much more dangerous than these heat-loving creatures are human beings. They can do such things as spraying poisons not only on the crops of marijuana and poppies to fight drug trafficking, but also on 'safer' places.
The fear of powerful drug lords' revenge and their own greed prompt criminal actions by those who are supposed to maintain order.
One of the most impactful images symbolizing the unfairness of life was that of a helicopter that comes out of the blue and starts to harm innocent and defenceless people.
Another mental image that stuck with me is holes in the ground where girls hide to avoid being stolen.
The four girls were not born under a lucky star because almost everyone in Guerrero prefers having a boy. Violent misogyny is woven into the fabric of their everyday lives.
"On our mountain only boys were born, and some of them turned into girls around the age of eleven. Then these boys had to turn into ugly girls who sometimes had to hide in holes in the ground."
Paula has an additional misfortune of being a rare beauty, as "the best thing you can be in Mexico is an ugly girl."
Maria has a brother whose desire for a better life will push him onto a dangerous path. The temptation may easily lead to a crime, given a constellation of circumstances.
Estefani has to leave for Mexico City because her mother has AIDS and requires medical help.
Ladydi's mom is quite a character. She drinks a lot and can spend all day watching history documentaries on TV, learning about ancient Greek history, Amazon warrior women, or something equally distant from her own life. This space, reserved for relaxation and entertainment, is likely her way of escaping from the bitter reality and overcoming her husband's betrayal. It helps her forget, if only for a moment, the drug cartels, human trafficking, the pervasive corruption of the police and government officials, and the risk of being taken away and raped.
Reality continues to intrude into the private spaces of ordinary people who have no control over larger events and outside forces. This is a story about girls and women whose lives are largely moulded by the wills and whims of others.
Life remains insecure and uncertain for all of the female characters. Friendship, affection, compassion, solidarity, and forgiveness are the ways to counteract the violence of the outside world. One can also flee, as Paula and her mother did.
The narrative started strong, but then seemed to lose its energy and descriptive power. My interest in what was happening decreased through the second half of the book, especially toward the end. I felt like the ending was rather bland, compared to the rich beginning. I wish the author had fleshed out the story and characters more and written a more elaborate ending. That said, I am glad to have discovered this novel, which has great potential and addresses important themes.
Four girls, Maria, Paula, Estefani, and Ladydi, were born in the region of Guerrero, Mexico. This land leaves an indelible mark on its inhabitants. Those who grow up and live there also define the area's fate through their decisions to stay or leave and their connections to the local community.
The personal stories of these four girls become intertwined with the history and current reality of this place.
The mountainous landscape, the scorching sun, and fields of poppies affect their innocence and youth in different ways. The setting is very significant to this story. It almost feels alive with its iguanas, snakes, and enormous ants. But much more dangerous than these heat-loving creatures are human beings. They can do such things as spraying poisons not only on the crops of marijuana and poppies to fight drug trafficking, but also on 'safer' places.
The fear of powerful drug lords' revenge and their own greed prompt criminal actions by those who are supposed to maintain order.
One of the most impactful images symbolizing the unfairness of life was that of a helicopter that comes out of the blue and starts to harm innocent and defenceless people.
Another mental image that stuck with me is holes in the ground where girls hide to avoid being stolen.
The four girls were not born under a lucky star because almost everyone in Guerrero prefers having a boy. Violent misogyny is woven into the fabric of their everyday lives.
"On our mountain only boys were born, and some of them turned into girls around the age of eleven. Then these boys had to turn into ugly girls who sometimes had to hide in holes in the ground."
Paula has an additional misfortune of being a rare beauty, as "the best thing you can be in Mexico is an ugly girl."
Maria has a brother whose desire for a better life will push him onto a dangerous path. The temptation may easily lead to a crime, given a constellation of circumstances.
Estefani has to leave for Mexico City because her mother has AIDS and requires medical help.
Ladydi's mom is quite a character. She drinks a lot and can spend all day watching history documentaries on TV, learning about ancient Greek history, Amazon warrior women, or something equally distant from her own life. This space, reserved for relaxation and entertainment, is likely her way of escaping from the bitter reality and overcoming her husband's betrayal. It helps her forget, if only for a moment, the drug cartels, human trafficking, the pervasive corruption of the police and government officials, and the risk of being taken away and raped.
Reality continues to intrude into the private spaces of ordinary people who have no control over larger events and outside forces. This is a story about girls and women whose lives are largely moulded by the wills and whims of others.
Life remains insecure and uncertain for all of the female characters. Friendship, affection, compassion, solidarity, and forgiveness are the ways to counteract the violence of the outside world. One can also flee, as Paula and her mother did.
The narrative started strong, but then seemed to lose its energy and descriptive power. My interest in what was happening decreased through the second half of the book, especially toward the end. I felt like the ending was rather bland, compared to the rich beginning. I wish the author had fleshed out the story and characters more and written a more elaborate ending. That said, I am glad to have discovered this novel, which has great potential and addresses important themes.
September 20, 2021
This book, literally, found me.
It was laying on its side, left carelessly by someone on a library shelf....the cover with its poppy flower, cactus, and scorpion. And I can still feel the sting of that crouched, awaiting scorpion.
Jennifer Clement places the story of Ladydi Garcia Martinez into your outstretched hands. And the petals of that poppy flower drift slowly to your feet. Life for females in the mountains of Guerrero, Mexico is unimaginable. We, in our own worlds, look for safety zones....there are none in the villages here. Never have been. Never will be. Young girls are disguised as young boys and must seek refuge in hiding holes dug in the distance to evade the SUV's of the Zeta. The numbers of the stolen is staggering and the exact statistics may never be known. Although this is a work of fiction, the assault on humanity is very, very real.
Ladydi lives with her alcoholic mother in a dirt floor house taken over by the insects of the jungle. The human insects of the drug cartels plant their fields of poppies harvested by kidnapped farmers. There are no males left in this village. Education is hit and miss. Education is gleaned from the television's slant on life. But Ladydi and her mother, Rita, scratch into the surface of an existence. The resilience of Ladydi is what drives this story. And Jennifer Clement allows you to feel her pulse.
Ladydi breaks free and attempts a life in the once glamorous city of Acapulco. The writer describes Ladydi's encounter with the gardener with the kiss of language: "The very next morning, Julio, the gardener, walked through the front door and I fell in love. He walked right into my body. He climbed up my ribs and into me. I thought to myself, say a prayer for ladders."
I'm simply taken with Prayers for the Stolen. And I'm simply taken with the raw, rugged, writing of Jennifer Clement. You just need to know....you just need to know.
It was laying on its side, left carelessly by someone on a library shelf....the cover with its poppy flower, cactus, and scorpion. And I can still feel the sting of that crouched, awaiting scorpion.
Jennifer Clement places the story of Ladydi Garcia Martinez into your outstretched hands. And the petals of that poppy flower drift slowly to your feet. Life for females in the mountains of Guerrero, Mexico is unimaginable. We, in our own worlds, look for safety zones....there are none in the villages here. Never have been. Never will be. Young girls are disguised as young boys and must seek refuge in hiding holes dug in the distance to evade the SUV's of the Zeta. The numbers of the stolen is staggering and the exact statistics may never be known. Although this is a work of fiction, the assault on humanity is very, very real.
Ladydi lives with her alcoholic mother in a dirt floor house taken over by the insects of the jungle. The human insects of the drug cartels plant their fields of poppies harvested by kidnapped farmers. There are no males left in this village. Education is hit and miss. Education is gleaned from the television's slant on life. But Ladydi and her mother, Rita, scratch into the surface of an existence. The resilience of Ladydi is what drives this story. And Jennifer Clement allows you to feel her pulse.
Ladydi breaks free and attempts a life in the once glamorous city of Acapulco. The writer describes Ladydi's encounter with the gardener with the kiss of language: "The very next morning, Julio, the gardener, walked through the front door and I fell in love. He walked right into my body. He climbed up my ribs and into me. I thought to myself, say a prayer for ladders."
I'm simply taken with Prayers for the Stolen. And I'm simply taken with the raw, rugged, writing of Jennifer Clement. You just need to know....you just need to know.
July 20, 2022
کتاب غمانگیزی از زنان مکزیکی و مشکلات آنها. درگیری آنها با فقر، زنستیزی، مواد مخدر، قاچاق و تجاوز.
نثر کتاب ساده، روان و بسیار عالی بود.
کتاب به نوعی صدای ظلم به زنانی هست که هیچوقت صدایشان شنیده نشد. یک مستند که با شخصیتهای خیالیاش تلاش کرد نشان دهد فقر، ترس و ظلم چه فشارهایی به زنان آورده است، تا جاییکه در آخر رمان به دختری که حامله است گفته فقط دعا کن پسر باشه!
نثر کتاب ساده، روان و بسیار عالی بود.
کتاب به نوعی صدای ظلم به زنانی هست که هیچوقت صدایشان شنیده نشد. یک مستند که با شخصیتهای خیالیاش تلاش کرد نشان دهد فقر، ترس و ظلم چه فشارهایی به زنان آورده است، تا جاییکه در آخر رمان به دختری که حامله است گفته فقط دعا کن پسر باشه!
July 8, 2019
این کتاب یه دختر شونزده ساله داره که «رویا» رو برات توصیف میکنه. عجیبترین و شاید کثیفترین نقطهی این دنیا تو نگاهش نه رنجآوره نه زشت، و وقتی یکی اینقدر قشنگ برات از همه چی میگه دلت میخواد چندین و چند بار حرفاشو بخونی و با تکتک اش لذتو تجربه کنی.
خیلی خیلی دوسش داشتم، ازش انتظار نداشتم این همه خوب باشه ولی بود :)) داستان درباره زندگی زنان تو روستاهای مکزیکه، زندگیای که فکر کردن بهش هم حتی عجیب و غیرممکنه اما خب دقیقا داره تو همین روزها اونور دنیا اتفاق میفته.
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«باورت میشه فقط بیست و شیش حرف برای بیان همه چیز وجود داره؟ فقط بیست و شیش حرف برای گفتن دربارهی عشق، حسادت و خدا»
خیلی خیلی دوسش داشتم، ازش انتظار نداشتم این همه خوب باشه ولی بود :)) داستان درباره زندگی زنان تو روستاهای مکزیکه، زندگیای که فکر کردن بهش هم حتی عجیب و غیرممکنه اما خب دقیقا داره تو همین روزها اونور دنیا اتفاق میفته.
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«باورت میشه فقط بیست و شیش حرف برای بیان همه چیز وجود داره؟ فقط بیست و شیش حرف برای گفتن دربارهی عشق، حسادت و خدا»
May 17, 2021
امرأة مفقودة هي فقط ورقة شجر أخرى تسقط"...هذه الرواية تحيي ذكرى كل النساء المفقودات في المكسيك
تكشف الكاتبة جنيفر كليمنت عن الجانب السيء للحياة في المكسيك وخاصةً في الريف على الحدود الجبلية, حين تصبح كل الشرور ممكنة بالقوة والمال والسلاح
حياة قاسية تعيش فيها النساء محاصرات بين تجار المخدرات وتجار البشر والدعارة الذين يخطفون البنات في أعمار مختلفة للاتجار بهن
تحكي ليديدي عن حياتها مع أمها وصديقاتها في ريف مقاطعة جيريرو حيث يهرب الرجال إلى أمريكا تاركين عائلاتهم وسط البؤس والخوف
تفاصيل المكان بكل قسوته, شدة الحرارة وكثرة الحشرات والزواحف وندرة الخدمات الطبية والتعليمية
كل أم تحاول تقبيح ملامح بنتها حماية لها من الخطف, وحفر جحور كبيرة تختفي فيها البنات عند سماعهم لمجئ عربات رجال العصابات لجمع البنات
تعرض الكاتبة ممارسات الخطف والقتل والفساد والتواطؤ الحكومي مع أصحاب المال والنفوذ, وعمليات التهريب المنظمة للمخدرات والسلاح
بأسلوب جميل وهادئ وفي فصول قصيرة ننتقل بين محطات في حياة ليديدي من الريف وحتى سجن النساء
جينفر كليمنت نشأت في مدينة مكسيكو وكانت رئيسة لفرع منظمة بن في المكسيك التي تهدف إلى تعزيز الكتابة وحرية التعبير حول العالم
تكشف الكاتبة جنيفر كليمنت عن الجانب السيء للحياة في المكسيك وخاصةً في الريف على الحدود الجبلية, حين تصبح كل الشرور ممكنة بالقوة والمال والسلاح
حياة قاسية تعيش فيها النساء محاصرات بين تجار المخدرات وتجار البشر والدعارة الذين يخطفون البنات في أعمار مختلفة للاتجار بهن
تحكي ليديدي عن حياتها مع أمها وصديقاتها في ريف مقاطعة جيريرو حيث يهرب الرجال إلى أمريكا تاركين عائلاتهم وسط البؤس والخوف
تفاصيل المكان بكل قسوته, شدة الحرارة وكثرة الحشرات والزواحف وندرة الخدمات الطبية والتعليمية
كل أم تحاول تقبيح ملامح بنتها حماية لها من الخطف, وحفر جحور كبيرة تختفي فيها البنات عند سماعهم لمجئ عربات رجال العصابات لجمع البنات
تعرض الكاتبة ممارسات الخطف والقتل والفساد والتواطؤ الحكومي مع أصحاب المال والنفوذ, وعمليات التهريب المنظمة للمخدرات والسلاح
بأسلوب جميل وهادئ وفي فصول قصيرة ننتقل بين محطات في حياة ليديدي من الريف وحتى سجن النساء
جينفر كليمنت نشأت في مدينة مكسيكو وكانت رئيسة لفرع منظمة بن في المكسيك التي تهدف إلى تعزيز الكتابة وحرية التعبير حول العالم
November 4, 2022
کتاب را خواندم و بلافاصله فیلم اقتباسی ۲۰۲۱ آن را دیدم که البته اقتباس وفادارانه ای نبود و با تفاوتهایی حدوداً نیمی از کتاب فیلم شده بود.
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کلمنت میگوید: «همیشه باور داشتهام ادبیات میتواند دنیا را تغییر دهد.» مقدمه مترجم- صفحه ۷ کتاب
اگر ساکت باشی هیچ اتفاقی نمیافتد، مطمئناً یک روز یک نفر شعری در آن مورد خواهد سرود. هر چیزی که نباید بدانی یا در موردش حرف بزنی بالاخره به یک ترانه تبدیل میشد. صفحه ۱۷ کتاب
مادر میگفت: «هیچ وقت برای عشق و سلامتی یا پول دعا نکن، اگه خدا بفهمه تو چه چیزی رو میخوای، اون رو بهت نمیده. تضمین میکنم.» صفحه ۲۱ کتاب
در تمام مکزیک تنها راننده تاکسیها میدانستند در کشور چه خبر است. معروف بود که «اگر میخوای بدونی دنیا دست کیه، تاکسی بگیر.» به نظرم یک نفر باید همه راننده تاکسیها را دور هم جمع میکرد… و از آنها میپرسید در این مملکت لعنتی چه خبر است. صفحه ۹۵ کتاب
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کلمنت میگوید: «همیشه باور داشتهام ادبیات میتواند دنیا را تغییر دهد.» مقدمه مترجم- صفحه ۷ کتاب
اگر ساکت باشی هیچ اتفاقی نمیافتد، مطمئناً یک روز یک نفر شعری در آن مورد خواهد سرود. هر چیزی که نباید بدانی یا در موردش حرف بزنی بالاخره به یک ترانه تبدیل میشد. صفحه ۱۷ کتاب
مادر میگفت: «هیچ وقت برای عشق و سلامتی یا پول دعا نکن، اگه خدا بفهمه تو چه چیزی رو میخوای، اون رو بهت نمیده. تضمین میکنم.» صفحه ۲۱ کتاب
در تمام مکزیک تنها راننده تاکسیها میدانستند در کشور چه خبر است. معروف بود که «اگر میخوای بدونی دنیا دست کیه، تاکسی بگیر.» به نظرم یک نفر باید همه راننده تاکسیها را دور هم جمع میکرد… و از آنها میپرسید در این مملکت لعنتی چه خبر است. صفحه ۹۵ کتاب
August 25, 2023
When books like these are written, which I regard as documentary fiction, it is always difficult to absorb the shock and pain of the people's lives in it.
Ladydi, the young protagonist, relates the story of the women and young girls living alone in the small mountain village of Guerrero Mexiko, near Acapulco, where there are no men, and drug lords have long ago taken over the ruling of the country. The men are either dead, have migrated illegally to the USA, or have been swallowed up by the drug trade.
Unprotected women and girls have no defense against rape, abuse, being stolen by the heavily armed men in the dark-tinted, four-wheel drive vehicles, or a government that do not care how these vulnerable people are abused by their own officials. Unless they make themselves ugly and hide in holes in the ground, they're lost and gone. If they managed to survive, like Ladydi's friend Paula, she would forever look like she walked through the Milky Way, where all the stars have burnt her body.
The book could have been an excellent documentary, since the background of the story is after all more important than anything else: the graphic and really stark conditions under which these women try to survive, the poverty, jail conditions, cruelty of a mute society, the hopelessness of their existence. It is really so graphic that it becomes a stomach-churning experience to follow the lives of the three surviving people. Ladydi, her mother and Maria.
The story line was weak, since it was only necessary for building a tale of Mexico's forgotten or stolen people. The characters were not the most important, although they were compelling enough. It was also swallowed up by the background 'noise'(a little bit of word dumping going on) of the 'documentary'. However, the prose was beautiful and gripping and the suspense was fast moving. Only 240 pages makes this is compact, gripping tale.
It is certainly a tale that must be told. The information provided in this book is just overwhelmingly shocking. There was a lot to learn from this book, for sure. For instance, the presence of lions and tigers where drugs are produced and packaged; the role of prisons as safe havens for women; the girls who are taken and sold like rag dolls, or given away as presents.
We have to know what is happening and why so many people would rather drown in rivers to reach the USA, than remain in a country where lives are worth less than the kettle of vultures swirling above unidentified, unclaimed bodies in the wild. Between the insects and the narcos, all rights to life have been divided equally. Not even crumbs are left to the female population of this sad country.
I'll go for four stars to be fair. In my humble opinion this was more a documentary than a novel. Only the characters were fictional. A journalistic effort in fiction. Perhaps too much reality and too little fiction. Alas, a merciful ending became possible, when the love of a mother for her daughter finally broke through and hope rained down upon them like the shattered glass particles of the erupting volcano.
There are other excellent reviews of this book, that might better convince you to read it. Please read them. And please listen to the voice of these young girls and women. It might change you forever. I wanted to cry. My heart was completely ripped out.
Ladydi, the young protagonist, relates the story of the women and young girls living alone in the small mountain village of Guerrero Mexiko, near Acapulco, where there are no men, and drug lords have long ago taken over the ruling of the country. The men are either dead, have migrated illegally to the USA, or have been swallowed up by the drug trade.
... an angry piece of land that once held a real community, but was ruined by the criminal world of drug traffickers and the immigration to the United States. Our angry piece of land was a broken constellation and each little home was ash.
Unprotected women and girls have no defense against rape, abuse, being stolen by the heavily armed men in the dark-tinted, four-wheel drive vehicles, or a government that do not care how these vulnerable people are abused by their own officials. Unless they make themselves ugly and hide in holes in the ground, they're lost and gone. If they managed to survive, like Ladydi's friend Paula, she would forever look like she walked through the Milky Way, where all the stars have burnt her body.
The book could have been an excellent documentary, since the background of the story is after all more important than anything else: the graphic and really stark conditions under which these women try to survive, the poverty, jail conditions, cruelty of a mute society, the hopelessness of their existence. It is really so graphic that it becomes a stomach-churning experience to follow the lives of the three surviving people. Ladydi, her mother and Maria.
The story line was weak, since it was only necessary for building a tale of Mexico's forgotten or stolen people. The characters were not the most important, although they were compelling enough. It was also swallowed up by the background 'noise'(a little bit of word dumping going on) of the 'documentary'. However, the prose was beautiful and gripping and the suspense was fast moving. Only 240 pages makes this is compact, gripping tale.
It is certainly a tale that must be told. The information provided in this book is just overwhelmingly shocking. There was a lot to learn from this book, for sure. For instance, the presence of lions and tigers where drugs are produced and packaged; the role of prisons as safe havens for women; the girls who are taken and sold like rag dolls, or given away as presents.
We have to know what is happening and why so many people would rather drown in rivers to reach the USA, than remain in a country where lives are worth less than the kettle of vultures swirling above unidentified, unclaimed bodies in the wild. Between the insects and the narcos, all rights to life have been divided equally. Not even crumbs are left to the female population of this sad country.
I'll go for four stars to be fair. In my humble opinion this was more a documentary than a novel. Only the characters were fictional. A journalistic effort in fiction. Perhaps too much reality and too little fiction. Alas, a merciful ending became possible, when the love of a mother for her daughter finally broke through and hope rained down upon them like the shattered glass particles of the erupting volcano.
There are other excellent reviews of this book, that might better convince you to read it. Please read them. And please listen to the voice of these young girls and women. It might change you forever. I wanted to cry. My heart was completely ripped out.
March 21, 2014
When I read the sentence, "The best thing you can be in Mexico is an ugly girl", I knew this book was going to be something special, a heartbreaker and I was right on both counts.
Ladydi and her mother Rita live in a mountain community in Guerrero. Once a family community now there is not much left, the men are gone. Most to the United States where they find jobs, sending money home for a while and then finding new lives, abandoning their old. When the hear the SUV's coming, the girls hide in holes in the backyard so they are not stolen, but sometimes they are too late.
This is the Mexico controlled by the drug cartels, where women and children, pretty girls are stolen for human trafficking or personal use by the leaders. They remain because they have little choice, little voice. Ladydi is accepting of her life, but questioning of the things she hears and sees. Her mother, a heavy drinker is alternately critical and loving, brisk, rude and at times even endearing.
It would be easy because of the style of the writing, which is so matter of fact and humorous even, to dismiss this as a coming of age story. But this is the life these people have to love, to survive the best they can, to make sense of a life with few options. There is a horrible reality as the basis of this novel, of forgotten women and children at the mercy of the cartels.
Ladydi and her mother Rita live in a mountain community in Guerrero. Once a family community now there is not much left, the men are gone. Most to the United States where they find jobs, sending money home for a while and then finding new lives, abandoning their old. When the hear the SUV's coming, the girls hide in holes in the backyard so they are not stolen, but sometimes they are too late.
This is the Mexico controlled by the drug cartels, where women and children, pretty girls are stolen for human trafficking or personal use by the leaders. They remain because they have little choice, little voice. Ladydi is accepting of her life, but questioning of the things she hears and sees. Her mother, a heavy drinker is alternately critical and loving, brisk, rude and at times even endearing.
It would be easy because of the style of the writing, which is so matter of fact and humorous even, to dismiss this as a coming of age story. But this is the life these people have to love, to survive the best they can, to make sense of a life with few options. There is a horrible reality as the basis of this novel, of forgotten women and children at the mercy of the cartels.
April 21, 2021
3.5
ژورنالیسم به سبک رمان
کتاب راجع به مشکلات و مصائب زنان منطقه گوررو مکزیک هستش که مردهاشون برای کار به آمریکا میرن و فقط از اونجا براشون پول میفرستن- تا اینکه اون پول هم یک روزی قطع بشه- در برابر هجوم قاچاقچیان مواد مخدر، فقر و عقربها. داستان دخترانی که برای شهوترانی قاچاقچیان ربوده میشن و هیچ وقت هم دیگه خبری ازشون نمیشه. و داستان مادرانی که به دخترانشون لباس پسرونه میپوشونن و دعا میکنن که بچشون زشت باشه. چون سرنوشت همه دخترهای خوشگل گوررو از پیش معلومه.
کتاب در قالب یک داستان ساختگی داره اطلاعات دردناکی راجع به وضعیت رقّتبار زندگی در منطقه گوررو به ما میده و هرچند داستان آنچنان جذابیتی نداره اما کتاب رسالت خودش رو میشناسه و به اون پایبنده و به موقع تموم میشه. از این جهت خیلی خوب بود.
یک نکته دیگه راجع به این کتاب، اینکه خیلیها اومدن گفتن کتاب خیلی فمینیستیه. هستش هم! محض رضای خدا یک مرد خوب توی این کتاب وجود نداره. همه مردا از دم الدنگ هستن و کش تنبونشون هم شله! اما با همه این اوصاف، بنا ندارم به این کتاب خیلی گیر بدم. چون دلم برای زنا و دخترای گوررو خیلی سوخت.
میخوام بگم: بیاید اصلا یکی دیگه هم بزنید اینور!{گوش دیگر خود را پیش میآورد}
ژورنالیسم به سبک رمان
کتاب راجع به مشکلات و مصائب زنان منطقه گوررو مکزیک هستش که مردهاشون برای کار به آمریکا میرن و فقط از اونجا براشون پول میفرستن- تا اینکه اون پول هم یک روزی قطع بشه- در برابر هجوم قاچاقچیان مواد مخدر، فقر و عقربها. داستان دخترانی که برای شهوترانی قاچاقچیان ربوده میشن و هیچ وقت هم دیگه خبری ازشون نمیشه. و داستان مادرانی که به دخترانشون لباس پسرونه میپوشونن و دعا میکنن که بچشون زشت باشه. چون سرنوشت همه دخترهای خوشگل گوررو از پیش معلومه.
کتاب در قالب یک داستان ساختگی داره اطلاعات دردناکی راجع به وضعیت رقّتبار زندگی در منطقه گوررو به ما میده و هرچند داستان آنچنان جذابیتی نداره اما کتاب رسالت خودش رو میشناسه و به اون پایبنده و به موقع تموم میشه. از این جهت خیلی خوب بود.
یک نکته دیگه راجع به این کتاب، اینکه خیلیها اومدن گفتن کتاب خیلی فمینیستیه. هستش هم! محض رضای خدا یک مرد خوب توی این کتاب وجود نداره. همه مردا از دم الدنگ هستن و کش تنبونشون هم شله! اما با همه این اوصاف، بنا ندارم به این کتاب خیلی گیر بدم. چون دلم برای زنا و دخترای گوررو خیلی سوخت.
میخوام بگم: بیاید اصلا یکی دیگه هم بزنید اینور!{گوش دیگر خود را پیش میآورد}
August 7, 2018
Find all of my reviews at: http://52bookminimum.blogspot.com/
“Love is not a feeling. It’s a sacrifice.”
Dear Jennifer Clement:
Which means she has officially found a fan in me. After reading Gun Love earlier this year I knew it wouldn’t be long before I sought her out again. When Prayers for the Stolen popped up as a recommendation on the library website I didn’t hesitate a second before clicking the “YES PLEASE” button.
This is the story of Ladydi Garcia Martinez and the village she comes from . . . .
“On our mountain only boys were born, and some of them turned into girls around the age of eleven.”
What does that mean, you may ask?
“If I were a girl then I would be stolen. All the drug traffickers had to do was hear that there was a pretty girl around and they’d sweep onto our lands in black Escalades and carry the girl off.”
In Prayers for the Stolen you hear about what happened to one of those girls, as well as what happened to the women whose husbands left the village for work (some who returned for visits, some who sent money, some who brought back “gifts” like AIDS and some who never returned at all) – but most importantly you hear Ladydi’s story and what happened to her after a dead man was discovered in her village . . . .
Authors tend to earn Stars from me by delivering fresh material or at least presenting a new spin on things. Clement is now two for two. I love how she writes a tale that focuses on a child – but is absolutely NOT something that would be considered a young adult book. I have found both Clement novels that I have read to be 100% un-put-down-able and at this point she has secured a place of honor for me amongst other grit-litty types of writers.
“Love is not a feeling. It’s a sacrifice.”
Dear Jennifer Clement:
Which means she has officially found a fan in me. After reading Gun Love earlier this year I knew it wouldn’t be long before I sought her out again. When Prayers for the Stolen popped up as a recommendation on the library website I didn’t hesitate a second before clicking the “YES PLEASE” button.
This is the story of Ladydi Garcia Martinez and the village she comes from . . . .
“On our mountain only boys were born, and some of them turned into girls around the age of eleven.”
What does that mean, you may ask?
“If I were a girl then I would be stolen. All the drug traffickers had to do was hear that there was a pretty girl around and they’d sweep onto our lands in black Escalades and carry the girl off.”
In Prayers for the Stolen you hear about what happened to one of those girls, as well as what happened to the women whose husbands left the village for work (some who returned for visits, some who sent money, some who brought back “gifts” like AIDS and some who never returned at all) – but most importantly you hear Ladydi’s story and what happened to her after a dead man was discovered in her village . . . .
Authors tend to earn Stars from me by delivering fresh material or at least presenting a new spin on things. Clement is now two for two. I love how she writes a tale that focuses on a child – but is absolutely NOT something that would be considered a young adult book. I have found both Clement novels that I have read to be 100% un-put-down-able and at this point she has secured a place of honor for me amongst other grit-litty types of writers.
July 25, 2015
The narrative voice is unforgettable. We get such a vivid portrait of rural Mexico through the eyes of a young girl, Ladydi, whose mother tries, as all the mothers do, to make her daughter ugly so the narcos don't take her. The chronology in the novel was hard to follow and I kept wanting more robustness from the plot. This feels more like connected vignettes. That said, this is one hell of a novel.
December 7, 2023
En rå beskrivelse av å leve med trusler i et samfunn prega av kriminalitet, narkotika og utrygghet. Denne gikk under huden på meg, fordi den så realistisk beskreiv kvardagen i en usikker verden. språket var også vakkert, som gjorde at eg blei oppslukt og involvert i handlinga.
March 11, 2019
"Prayers for the Stolen" is based on real events that happen every day in contemporary Mexico: In the ongoing narco war, girls and young women are stolen and sold off, or kept by drug lords and their enforcers as slaves - it is particularly dangerous for young women to try to cross the border to the United States, where human traffickers lie in wait, or to live in those Mexican states that are largely controlled by the cartels, with the government being complicit. One of these states is Guerrero, where this novel's protagonist, a girl named Ladydi, grows up in a rural area near Acapulco. In her village, girls are made to appear ugly so the narcos won't take them - nevertheless, her friend Paula gets stolen, but manages to come back to tell the tale, and also Ladydi herself will become a little chess figure in the drug war.
Jennifer Clement, the first woman to ever become President of PEN International, grew up in Mexico and currently resides in Mexico City - she knows what she's talking about, as she herself witnessed the escalating narco war. I have to admit that I liked her latest effort Gun Love better, but that doesn't make "Prayers for the Stolen" a bad book: Clement just always shows an incredible talent for creating scenes that border on the, but aren't quite surreal. She extracts the most absurd and bitter aspects of a problem, be it gun culture or human trafficking, and presents them in all their obscenity, thus unsettling and disturbing her readers while at the same time writing in the most beautiful, lyrical language - and that's quite a feat in times in which society as a whole runs the risk to become dulled, not only by the media, but also by the sheer amount of time over which things continue to happen without anyone taking serious action.
This novel shines with its poetic treatment of a serious political issues and with its strong, complex female characters. If you'd excuse me now, I'm off to purchase Widow Basquiat: A Love Story, because I definitely need to read more Jennifer Clement.
Jennifer Clement, the first woman to ever become President of PEN International, grew up in Mexico and currently resides in Mexico City - she knows what she's talking about, as she herself witnessed the escalating narco war. I have to admit that I liked her latest effort Gun Love better, but that doesn't make "Prayers for the Stolen" a bad book: Clement just always shows an incredible talent for creating scenes that border on the, but aren't quite surreal. She extracts the most absurd and bitter aspects of a problem, be it gun culture or human trafficking, and presents them in all their obscenity, thus unsettling and disturbing her readers while at the same time writing in the most beautiful, lyrical language - and that's quite a feat in times in which society as a whole runs the risk to become dulled, not only by the media, but also by the sheer amount of time over which things continue to happen without anyone taking serious action.
This novel shines with its poetic treatment of a serious political issues and with its strong, complex female characters. If you'd excuse me now, I'm off to purchase Widow Basquiat: A Love Story, because I definitely need to read more Jennifer Clement.
June 29, 2022
آدم ربایی و به خصوص ربودن زنان و دختران پدیده بسیار زشت و ترسناکی هست که متاسفانه همچنان ادامه داره، بیشتر کتاب هایی که در این مورد نوشته شده از زبان فرد ربوده شده هست، اما این کتاب داستان افرادی رو میگه که هرروز با ترس و خطر ربوده شدن مواجه هستن!
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لیدی دی، شخصیت اصلی داستان به همراه مادرش در منطقه ای کوهستانی از مکزیک زندگی میکنه، کوهستانی که بجز مسائلی مثل بی امکاناتی، نبود پزشک و امکان تحصیل، در چنگ باند های مواد مخدر، آدم ربا ها و قاتل ها گرفتار شده. در این داستان با با برش کوتاهی از زندگی لیدی دی همراه میشیم.
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اتفاقات داخل داستان خیلی تلخ و ناراحت کننده هست، به خصوص اینکه تمام این اتفاقات در دنیای خارج داستان هم در حال اتفاق افتادنه. اما نویسنده مقداری طنز چاشنی متن کرده، اما نه از نوعی که باعث خنده بشه، طنز تلخی که بیشتر آدمو به فکر میبره
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کتاب متن و ترجمه روانی داره و داستان انقدر روان جلو میره که به سختی میشه کتاب رو زمین گذاشت
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لیدی دی، شخصیت اصلی داستان به همراه مادرش در منطقه ای کوهستانی از مکزیک زندگی میکنه، کوهستانی که بجز مسائلی مثل بی امکاناتی، نبود پزشک و امکان تحصیل، در چنگ باند های مواد مخدر، آدم ربا ها و قاتل ها گرفتار شده. در این داستان با با برش کوتاهی از زندگی لیدی دی همراه میشیم.
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اتفاقات داخل داستان خیلی تلخ و ناراحت کننده هست، به خصوص اینکه تمام این اتفاقات در دنیای خارج داستان هم در حال اتفاق افتادنه. اما نویسنده مقداری طنز چاشنی متن کرده، اما نه از نوعی که باعث خنده بشه، طنز تلخی که بیشتر آدمو به فکر میبره
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کتاب متن و ترجمه روانی داره و داستان انقدر روان جلو میره که به سختی میشه کتاب رو زمین گذاشت
June 24, 2020
“Mama nuo mažens mokė mane sukalbėti maldelę už ką nors. Visada ko nors prašydavome. Esu meldusi debesų ir pižamos. Esu meldusi meldusi lempučių ir bičių.
Niekada neprašyk meilės ir sveikatos, sakė ji. Nei pinigų. Jei Dievas išgirs, ko iš tikrųjų nori, nesuteiks tau to. Garantuoju.
Kai tėvas paliko mus, mama liepė: klaupkis ir melsk šaukštų.”
Oho.
Ši knyga yra dulkės, džiunglių klampuma, skausmo vandenynas. Ji kupina skorpionų albinosų, gyvačių lizdų, herbicidų tvaiko.
Taip netikėtai susmigo į širdį šis mergaitės iš lūšnos ant kalno nenutrūkstantis minties srautas.
Gimti mergaite ant to Meksikos kalno - prakeikimas. Mamos mergaites kasdien bjauroja, kad tik kuo mažiau gražios jos atrodytų narkotikų karteliams. Mamos kasa duobes lūšnų kiemuose, kad akimirkai atėjus mergaitės bėgtų ir slėptųsi jose.
Tėčių ten nėra, mokykla veikia tik tuomet, kai kažkas per prievartą atsiunčiamas mokyti. O ir į tas pamokas gali nespėti nubėgti, jei atskris sraigtasparnis ir apipils tave nuodais.
Oho.
“Chulijus manė, kad visus žmones galima suskirstyti į dienos ir nakties žmones. Jis sakė, kad žodžius irgi galima suskirstyti tokiu pačiu būdu. Jo manymu, bjaurūs nakties žodžiai buvo pasiutligė ir šleikštulys. Gražūs nakties žodžiai buvo mėnulis, pienas ir peteliškė.
Kai mes su Chulijumi judėjome po antklodėmis, elektros kibirkštys spragsėjo ir apšvietė mūsų lovą.
Niekada anksčiau nebuvo matę nieko panašaus, tik danguje.
Mylėjomės blyksint vilnonės antklodės žaibams.”
Niekada neprašyk meilės ir sveikatos, sakė ji. Nei pinigų. Jei Dievas išgirs, ko iš tikrųjų nori, nesuteiks tau to. Garantuoju.
Kai tėvas paliko mus, mama liepė: klaupkis ir melsk šaukštų.”
Oho.
Ši knyga yra dulkės, džiunglių klampuma, skausmo vandenynas. Ji kupina skorpionų albinosų, gyvačių lizdų, herbicidų tvaiko.
Taip netikėtai susmigo į širdį šis mergaitės iš lūšnos ant kalno nenutrūkstantis minties srautas.
Gimti mergaite ant to Meksikos kalno - prakeikimas. Mamos mergaites kasdien bjauroja, kad tik kuo mažiau gražios jos atrodytų narkotikų karteliams. Mamos kasa duobes lūšnų kiemuose, kad akimirkai atėjus mergaitės bėgtų ir slėptųsi jose.
Tėčių ten nėra, mokykla veikia tik tuomet, kai kažkas per prievartą atsiunčiamas mokyti. O ir į tas pamokas gali nespėti nubėgti, jei atskris sraigtasparnis ir apipils tave nuodais.
Oho.
“Chulijus manė, kad visus žmones galima suskirstyti į dienos ir nakties žmones. Jis sakė, kad žodžius irgi galima suskirstyti tokiu pačiu būdu. Jo manymu, bjaurūs nakties žodžiai buvo pasiutligė ir šleikštulys. Gražūs nakties žodžiai buvo mėnulis, pienas ir peteliškė.
Kai mes su Chulijumi judėjome po antklodėmis, elektros kibirkštys spragsėjo ir apšvietė mūsų lovą.
Niekada anksčiau nebuvo matę nieko panašaus, tik danguje.
Mylėjomės blyksint vilnonės antklodės žaibams.”
August 23, 2022
*داستانهای دردناکی که باید خواند*
"هیچوقت برای عشق و سلامتی یا پول دعا نکن، اگه خدا بفهمه چی میخوای اونو بهت نمیده، تضمین میکنم."
اما بنظرم تو دعا کن. برای دخترایی که ربوده شدن دعا کن. وقتی که توی سوراخ قایم میشی، برای پیدا نشدن دعا کن. برای اینکه معلم و پزشک به روستا بیاد دعا کن. برای اینکه تلفن آنتن بده دعا کن. وقتی هلیکوپترها از بالای سرت رد میشن، دعا کن سَم روی سرت نریزن. دعا کن پدرت پول بفرسته. دعا کن دختر زیبایی نشی. دعا کن دختر نشی.
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فیلمش* رو هم بعد خوندن کتاب دیدم. هم فیلم و هم کتاب خیلی خوب بودن، شخصیتهای واقعی و باورپذیر و روایت عجیب، خیرهکننده و دردناک.
* Prayers for the Stolen
2021 ‧ Drama/Narrative ‧
"هیچوقت برای عشق و سلامتی یا پول دعا نکن، اگه خدا بفهمه چی میخوای اونو بهت نمیده، تضمین میکنم."
اما بنظرم تو دعا کن. برای دخترایی که ربوده شدن دعا کن. وقتی که توی سوراخ قایم میشی، برای پیدا نشدن دعا کن. برای اینکه معلم و پزشک به روستا بیاد دعا کن. برای اینکه تلفن آنتن بده دعا کن. وقتی هلیکوپترها از بالای سرت رد میشن، دعا کن سَم روی سرت نریزن. دعا کن پدرت پول بفرسته. دعا کن دختر زیبایی نشی. دعا کن دختر نشی.
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فیلمش* رو هم بعد خوندن کتاب دیدم. هم فیلم و هم کتاب خیلی خوب بودن، شخصیتهای واقعی و باورپذیر و روایت عجیب، خیرهکننده و دردناک.
* Prayers for the Stolen
2021 ‧ Drama/Narrative ‧
July 15, 2023
مادرم گفت:
«یه نفر روی این مملکت به تور انداخته و ما هم توش گیر افتادیم!»
این کتاب سرگذشت تلخ زنان مکزیکیه ،که با فقر و قاچاق مواد و تجاوز و ربوده شدن همراهه.
زنانی که تنها جرمشون دختر به دنیا اومدنه . دختران جوانی که تا ۱۳،۱۴ سالگی مجبورن خودشون رو پسر جا بزنن و فقط کافیه زیبا باشن تا دزدیده بشن.
زنانی که مردانشون برای کار به آمریکا میرن و برای مدتی پول می فرستن اما اونا هم کم کم زنان و دخترانشون رو فراموش می کنن.
سرگذشت تلخ شون از زبان دختر نوجوانی به نام لیدی دی روایت میشه .
دختری که یاد گرفته به جز پول و عشق وسلامتی برای همه چیز دعا کنه. برای یخچال برای پرنده ها برای هر چی فکرش رو بکنی چون یه روز مادرش بهش کفته :
«هیچوقت برای عشق و سلامتی و پول دعا نکن ،اگه خدا بفهمه چی
می خوایی هیچ وقت اونا رو بهت نمیده!تضمین می کنم »
ترجمه خوب بود
امتیازم ۴
پ ن: من صوتی گوش دادم اما نمی دونم کی به خانم رخشان بنی اعتماد گفته صدات برای خوندن کتاب صوتی خوبه که ایشون این کتاب رو خونده! خیلی اذیت شدم تصور کنید صدای یه دختر ۱۰ ساله صدای پیر و خسته ی یه زن جا افتاده س!
«یه نفر روی این مملکت به تور انداخته و ما هم توش گیر افتادیم!»
این کتاب سرگذشت تلخ زنان مکزیکیه ،که با فقر و قاچاق مواد و تجاوز و ربوده شدن همراهه.
زنانی که تنها جرمشون دختر به دنیا اومدنه . دختران جوانی که تا ۱۳،۱۴ سالگی مجبورن خودشون رو پسر جا بزنن و فقط کافیه زیبا باشن تا دزدیده بشن.
زنانی که مردانشون برای کار به آمریکا میرن و برای مدتی پول می فرستن اما اونا هم کم کم زنان و دخترانشون رو فراموش می کنن.
سرگذشت تلخ شون از زبان دختر نوجوانی به نام لیدی دی روایت میشه .
دختری که یاد گرفته به جز پول و عشق وسلامتی برای همه چیز دعا کنه. برای یخچال برای پرنده ها برای هر چی فکرش رو بکنی چون یه روز مادرش بهش کفته :
«هیچوقت برای عشق و سلامتی و پول دعا نکن ،اگه خدا بفهمه چی
می خوایی هیچ وقت اونا رو بهت نمیده!تضمین می کنم »
ترجمه خوب بود
امتیازم ۴
پ ن: من صوتی گوش دادم اما نمی دونم کی به خانم رخشان بنی اعتماد گفته صدات برای خوندن کتاب صوتی خوبه که ایشون این کتاب رو خونده! خیلی اذیت شدم تصور کنید صدای یه دختر ۱۰ ساله صدای پیر و خسته ی یه زن جا افتاده س!
July 31, 2022
زندگی در منطقه ای از جهان(در عصر حاضر) به تصویر کشیده شده که باورنکردنیه!
اینکه هر روز از زندگیت نگران باشی توسط گروه های مختلف و سودجو به عنوان برده ی جنسی دزدیده شی و یا به قتل برسی و اینکه محکوم باشی به زشت کردن خودت و پنهان شدن تو گورهایی کوچک برای فرار از این سرنوشت.
این منطقه، روستاییه در مکزیک که تنها متشکل از خانوماست. مادران و دخترانی بردبار که جبر جغرافیایی و حصارها روپذیرفتن. مثل یکی از بدیهیات زندگی. اما رویابافی و امیدواری رو فراموش نکردن.
زندگی لیدی دی یکی از نوجوونای این ناحیه و سه دوست صمیمیش با نثری چنان گیرا نوشته شده که دل کندن ازش سخته. بی وقفه این کتاب ۲۱۰ صفحه ای رو خوندم و ازش لذت بردم.
اینکه هر روز از زندگیت نگران باشی توسط گروه های مختلف و سودجو به عنوان برده ی جنسی دزدیده شی و یا به قتل برسی و اینکه محکوم باشی به زشت کردن خودت و پنهان شدن تو گورهایی کوچک برای فرار از این سرنوشت.
این منطقه، روستاییه در مکزیک که تنها متشکل از خانوماست. مادران و دخترانی بردبار که جبر جغرافیایی و حصارها روپذیرفتن. مثل یکی از بدیهیات زندگی. اما رویابافی و امیدواری رو فراموش نکردن.
زندگی لیدی دی یکی از نوجوونای این ناحیه و سه دوست صمیمیش با نثری چنان گیرا نوشته شده که دل کندن ازش سخته. بی وقفه این کتاب ۲۱۰ صفحه ای رو خوندم و ازش لذت بردم.
October 16, 2017
Ladydi's story of her life growing up in the mountains of Guerrero, Mexico. The writing tells a chilling story in a quiet way that spares nothing. The story is rich in fear and poverty, told with innocence and awareness. Ladydi is the perfect character to tell such a story.
Throughout, I was reminded of 2666. Missing girls, murder, fear, helplessness...... it's a story that people live each and every day in small villages throughout Mexico. The Cartels have the power, the people don't.
So many unknowns; so many mysteries.
Jennifer Clement wrote a warm, chilling, touching, human story.
Throughout, I was reminded of 2666. Missing girls, murder, fear, helplessness...... it's a story that people live each and every day in small villages throughout Mexico. The Cartels have the power, the people don't.
So many unknowns; so many mysteries.
Jennifer Clement wrote a warm, chilling, touching, human story.
July 12, 2018
«مادرم مدام این حرف را تکرار میکرد که زندگی به هیچ نمیارزد و یک ترانهی معروف قدیمی را مثل قسمتی از یک دعا میخواند که میگفت: اگر میخواهی فردا مرا بکشی چرا امروز نه؟
او آن را به شکلهای مختلف تغییر میداد. یکبار شنیدم به پدرم گفت: اگر میخواهی فردا ترکم کنی چرا امروز نه؟»
او آن را به شکلهای مختلف تغییر میداد. یکبار شنیدم به پدرم گفت: اگر میخواهی فردا ترکم کنی چرا امروز نه؟»
May 27, 2023
" یکی روی این مملکت تور پهن کرده و ما توش گیر افتادیم. "
کتابی که جنایت هاش من رو یاد فیلم pulp fiction مینداخت، روابطش من رو یاد کتاب جزء از کل مینداخت، جامعه ای که داشت من رو یاد حرف های جادی میرمیرانی مینداخت و موسیقیش من رو یاد the last of us مینداخت و وایب هیچکدوم از این ها رو نمیداد.
کتابی که جنایت هاش من رو یاد فیلم pulp fiction مینداخت، روابطش من رو یاد کتاب جزء از کل مینداخت، جامعه ای که داشت من رو یاد حرف های جادی میرمیرانی مینداخت و موسیقیش من رو یاد the last of us مینداخت و وایب هیچکدوم از این ها رو نمیداد.
May 22, 2022
شخصیت ها و فضا خیلی خوب دراومدن، روایت بشدت جذاب و گیرا، خیلی لذت بردم، بخونید و لذت ببرید
February 23, 2014
This is a very short novel, almost a novella, written in a simple, rather dreamy stream-of-consciousness style: first person, no quotation marks, jumping around and speeding through events. The subject is the plight of rural Mexicans, particularly women, and I phrase it that way because I get the sense the author was driven to write more by the subject matter than the plot or characters. Despite the brief page count, the book includes the stories of many minor characters, facing everything from kidnapping by drug traffickers to AIDS to nearly dying in an attempt to cross the border.
As for the plot, the book follows its narrator, Ladydi, through her childhood in a mountain village nearly empty of men, then as a teenager leaving the village and getting into trouble. It’s an interesting story that I flew through, full of adversity and of women helping one another. None of the characters are three-dimensional, however; for instance, apparently the most important trait of Ladydi’s best friend is that she had a cleft palate as a child. Even though she has corrective surgery, Clement can’t seem to stop talking about the fact that Maria once had a cleft palate whenever she appears. The others have a bit more personality, but they still feel more like representatives of tragedy and resilience (or lack thereof) than strong characters in their own right.
Not a book I’d discourage people from reading, but not one I expect to linger long in my mind. I would be interested in finding a book by a Mexican author that tackles similar subjects, and with more space to develop the characters and their stories.
As for the plot, the book follows its narrator, Ladydi, through her childhood in a mountain village nearly empty of men, then as a teenager leaving the village and getting into trouble. It’s an interesting story that I flew through, full of adversity and of women helping one another. None of the characters are three-dimensional, however; for instance, apparently the most important trait of Ladydi’s best friend is that she had a cleft palate as a child. Even though she has corrective surgery, Clement can’t seem to stop talking about the fact that Maria once had a cleft palate whenever she appears. The others have a bit more personality, but they still feel more like representatives of tragedy and resilience (or lack thereof) than strong characters in their own right.
Not a book I’d discourage people from reading, but not one I expect to linger long in my mind. I would be interested in finding a book by a Mexican author that tackles similar subjects, and with more space to develop the characters and their stories.
May 24, 2023
کتاب روایتگر زندگی در مکزیک که زن بودن در آن خطرناک است و برای فرار از کارتل های مواد مخدر و باندهای خلاف که زنان و دختران را میربایند تا مورد سوء استفاده قرار دهند. برای اینکه از دست خلافکاران در امان باشی باید تا سن بلوغ آرایش پسرانه بکنی، همیشه کثیف و لباس ژنده بپوشی تا از دیدرسشان خارج شوی ولی در نهایت راه فراری برای خلاصی زنانی که هیچ مردی در شهرشان وجود ندارد نیست، زنانی که لذت هماغوشی و دوست داشته شدن به بزرگترین حسرت زندگیشان بدل میشود
از وقتی بچه بودم مادرم گفته بود برای چیزی دعا کنم. ما همیشه دعا می کردیم
مادر می گفت : هیچ وقت برای عشق و سلامتی یا پول دعا نکن، اگه خدا بفهمه تو چه چیزی رو می خوای، اون رو بِهت نمی ده. تضمین می کنم.
کتاب بسیار خوش خوان و روونه و خستت نمیکنه.
از وقتی بچه بودم مادرم گفته بود برای چیزی دعا کنم. ما همیشه دعا می کردیم
مادر می گفت : هیچ وقت برای عشق و سلامتی یا پول دعا نکن، اگه خدا بفهمه تو چه چیزی رو می خوای، اون رو بِهت نمی ده. تضمین می کنم.
کتاب بسیار خوش خوان و روونه و خستت نمیکنه.
November 23, 2025
Sizi gerçekten derinden etkileyecek bir kitap ile karşınızdayım.
Jennifer Clement Meksika asıllı bir Amerikalı yazar. Pen International’ın da başkanlığını yapmış Burhan Sönmez’den evvel. Kitap, Meksika’nın Guerrero bölgesinde bulunan bir dağ köyündeki kadınlar ve kızlarının hikayesini anlatıyor. Yazar bu bölge üzerinde bir kurmaca yazabilmek için on sene araştırma yapıp mağdur kadınlar ile görüşerek ortaya bu kitabı koymuş.
Kadınlar Ormanı’nı okurken kurgunun nerede başlayıp nerede bittiğini, hangi gerçeklerin bu korkunç olaylar arasına gizlendiğini düşünmeden edemedim. Uyuşturucu baronları tarafından kaçırılmasın diye annelerinin çirkinleştirdiği kızlar, büyük şehirlere/Amerika’ya çalışmaya gidip geri gelmeyen babalar, kenevir tarlaları ile baş etmek için kullanılan zehri insanların üzerine boşaltan askerler... daha akılalmaz nice olaylar.
Kitabı okurken dilinin çok sinematik olduğunu düşündüm. Daha sonra filme uyarlandığını da öğrendim. Uzun zamandır bu derece beni içine alan ve elimden bırakamadığım bir kitap okumamıştım. Kesinlikle tavsiye ederim.
https://www.instagram.com/cityreaders
Jennifer Clement Meksika asıllı bir Amerikalı yazar. Pen International’ın da başkanlığını yapmış Burhan Sönmez’den evvel. Kitap, Meksika’nın Guerrero bölgesinde bulunan bir dağ köyündeki kadınlar ve kızlarının hikayesini anlatıyor. Yazar bu bölge üzerinde bir kurmaca yazabilmek için on sene araştırma yapıp mağdur kadınlar ile görüşerek ortaya bu kitabı koymuş.
Kadınlar Ormanı’nı okurken kurgunun nerede başlayıp nerede bittiğini, hangi gerçeklerin bu korkunç olaylar arasına gizlendiğini düşünmeden edemedim. Uyuşturucu baronları tarafından kaçırılmasın diye annelerinin çirkinleştirdiği kızlar, büyük şehirlere/Amerika’ya çalışmaya gidip geri gelmeyen babalar, kenevir tarlaları ile baş etmek için kullanılan zehri insanların üzerine boşaltan askerler... daha akılalmaz nice olaylar.
Kitabı okurken dilinin çok sinematik olduğunu düşündüm. Daha sonra filme uyarlandığını da öğrendim. Uzun zamandır bu derece beni içine alan ve elimden bırakamadığım bir kitap okumamıştım. Kesinlikle tavsiye ederim.
https://www.instagram.com/cityreaders
December 31, 2016
Esta es una historia de mujeres. Mujeres que han sido olvidadas y abandonadas a la suerte, mujeres en medio de una guerra donde son moneda de cambio. Jennifer Clement escribe la historia de Ladydi, una niña que no debe ser niña porque de serlo se convertirá en una desaparecida por el narco; en su pueblo, abandonado por los hombres que buscan otra vida en Estados Unidos, las mujeres deben esconderse cada que los traficantes regresan para venderlas. La historia de Ladydi y de cada una de las mujeres que aparecen en esta novela son dolorosamente reales. Mujeres que desaparecen, violan, prostituyen, encarcelan y que son meros objetos de cambio en medio de una guerra de drogas. Es difícil leerlo por muchas razones y más por los golpes que como lector puedes sufrir al enfrentarte a una realidad del país donde vives. Sí, a los hombres del narco los matan con disparos, pero a las mujeres las matan en vida, desde mucho antes, cuando las roban y las marcan. Cuando las violan y las esclavizan. Cuando no les permiten decidir sobre su cuerpo.
En fin, aún no me decido a recomendar este libro porque siento que sería como un trigger para muchas lectoras pero a la vez veo a esta novela como una lectura necesaria. ¿cuándo, realmente cuándo nos acordamos de aquellas niñas que deben crecer antes de lo deseado?
En fin, aún no me decido a recomendar este libro porque siento que sería como un trigger para muchas lectoras pero a la vez veo a esta novela como una lectura necesaria. ¿cuándo, realmente cuándo nos acordamos de aquellas niñas que deben crecer antes de lo deseado?
December 6, 2019
داستان از زبان شخصیت اول داستان، لیدی دی، دختری که تو یکی از مناطق محروم مکزیک با مادرش زندگی میکنه و از مصائبی میگه که هر لحظه، هر روز و هر روز، خودش و بقیهی زنان اون منطقه باهاش دست و پنجه نرم میکنن.
تا نیمهی کتاب، داستان واقعا برای من جذاب بود. میتونستم کاملا از نگاه لیدی دی لحظهها رو لمس کنم، دردم بیاد، بغض کنم و حتی لبخند تلخ بزنم. با این حال به نیمه که رسید، انگار نویسنده بخواد داستان رو بزنه رو دور تند، یه عالمه اتفاق و شخصیت ریخت وسط داستان که هیچ پختگی و انسجامی نداشت.
خیلی مشخص بود که نویسنده یک زنه که دیدگاههای فمنیستی داره که گاهی افراطی میشد. مردهای این داستان بد و غیر قابل اعتمادن و در نهایت زنها هستن که برای هم میمونن. در تأیید این نکته یه دیالوگ از کتاب رو نقل میکنم: «من برای خودم یه قانون طلایی دارم، همیشه بین یه زن و یه مرد، حرف زن رو باور میکنم.» این دیدگاه تو کل کتاب به چشم میخوره.
اگر قرار بود به نیمهی کتاب امتیاز بدم ۴ میدادم ولی الان امتیازم ۲.۵ بود که با ارفاق به بالا گردش کردم.
تا نیمهی کتاب، داستان واقعا برای من جذاب بود. میتونستم کاملا از نگاه لیدی دی لحظهها رو لمس کنم، دردم بیاد، بغض کنم و حتی لبخند تلخ بزنم. با این حال به نیمه که رسید، انگار نویسنده بخواد داستان رو بزنه رو دور تند، یه عالمه اتفاق و شخصیت ریخت وسط داستان که هیچ پختگی و انسجامی نداشت.
خیلی مشخص بود که نویسنده یک زنه که دیدگاههای فمنیستی داره که گاهی افراطی میشد. مردهای این داستان بد و غیر قابل اعتمادن و در نهایت زنها هستن که برای هم میمونن. در تأیید این نکته یه دیالوگ از کتاب رو نقل میکنم: «من برای خودم یه قانون طلایی دارم، همیشه بین یه زن و یه مرد، حرف زن رو باور میکنم.» این دیدگاه تو کل کتاب به چشم میخوره.
اگر قرار بود به نیمهی کتاب امتیاز بدم ۴ میدادم ولی الان امتیازم ۲.۵ بود که با ارفاق به بالا گردش کردم.
December 7, 2022
از اون کتابهای پر از غم و حرف بود.
از اون کتابهایی که داستان رنج مردم رو میگفت.
مردمی که فراموش شدن و دارن برای بقا میجنگن. مردمانی که مثل طبیعتِ محیط خشن شدن.
و این داستان و روایت که از احساسات عمیق آدمها سرچشمه میگرفت به خوبی ما رو با زندگی مردم مکزیک آشنا میکرد.
این دفعه مثل فیلمها و سایر کتابهای مکزیکی قرار نیست که از قراردادها و باندهای قاچاق و... بخونیم.
این کتاب از مردم عادی گفت.
از کسایی که پشتپردهی این ترس و قاچاق و مواد دارن زندگی میکنن.
و البته هرچند که داستان کتاب قابلتوجه بود و نثر بهدلنشینی داشت اما شاید پایان کتاب همهچیزو خراب کرد.
(یکی بود یکی نبود.... آخرش همهچیز به خوبی و خوشی تموم شد.)
شاید اگه نویسنده آخر کتاب رو انقدر عجلهای نمینوشت و وقت میذاشت و بیشتر و بیشتر بهش عمق میداد، این کتاب رو بهتر یاد میکردم.
از اون کتابهایی که داستان رنج مردم رو میگفت.
مردمی که فراموش شدن و دارن برای بقا میجنگن. مردمانی که مثل طبیعتِ محیط خشن شدن.
و این داستان و روایت که از احساسات عمیق آدمها سرچشمه میگرفت به خوبی ما رو با زندگی مردم مکزیک آشنا میکرد.
این دفعه مثل فیلمها و سایر کتابهای مکزیکی قرار نیست که از قراردادها و باندهای قاچاق و... بخونیم.
این کتاب از مردم عادی گفت.
از کسایی که پشتپردهی این ترس و قاچاق و مواد دارن زندگی میکنن.
و البته هرچند که داستان کتاب قابلتوجه بود و نثر بهدلنشینی داشت اما شاید پایان کتاب همهچیزو خراب کرد.
(یکی بود یکی نبود.... آخرش همهچیز به خوبی و خوشی تموم شد.)
شاید اگه نویسنده آخر کتاب رو انقدر عجلهای نمینوشت و وقت میذاشت و بیشتر و بیشتر بهش عمق میداد، این کتاب رو بهتر یاد میکردم.
May 8, 2021
دلم میخواد فکر کنم همهی همهی همهش تخیلات نویسنده بوده. چون حتی ۱٪ واقعی بودن این همه ظلم علیه زنان در هر نقطهای از جهان دردناکه برام.
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