What do you think?
Rate this book
Becoming Marta
Thanks to her wealthy and well-connected family, twenty-six-year-old Marta is used to getting whatever she wants. And what she wants is a good time.
That is, until her father’s wife―the woman who raised her―becomes ill. Beautiful young Marta is forced to witness her unfaithful, brutish father abandon her adoptive mother in her final moments. After her father’s swift remarriage, Marta is surprised to discover that she is now the sole heir of her late mother’s sizeable estate. For the first time, she can choose to cut ties and establish her true self, apart from her parents, her social standing, and the complications of a life of excess. From the balmy beaches of Mexico to New York City, Marta searches for clues to her unconventional heritage and seeks to shed her family’s tradition of secrecy and betrayal as she finds her own way.
That is, until her father’s wife―the woman who raised her―becomes ill. Beautiful young Marta is forced to witness her unfaithful, brutish father abandon her adoptive mother in her final moments. After her father’s swift remarriage, Marta is surprised to discover that she is now the sole heir of her late mother’s sizeable estate. For the first time, she can choose to cut ties and establish her true self, apart from her parents, her social standing, and the complications of a life of excess. From the balmy beaches of Mexico to New York City, Marta searches for clues to her unconventional heritage and seeks to shed her family’s tradition of secrecy and betrayal as she finds her own way.
236 pages, Kindle Edition
First published September 1, 2011
390 people are currently reading
1432 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 197 reviews
January 5, 2016
Spoiled rich girl did something then nothing happened. Someone else did something then nothing happened. The only compelling part of this was the back story. The Marta had basically no character development and then her friend took pictures... why did I need to know that? This book just felt very choppy; like the author wanted to write 4 different books and put half books together.
January 11, 2017
When preparing to write a book, make sure you know what you're trying to convey. This book started out interesting but left me with nothing but glad I'm done with it. It's an art to bring together multiple narrators without losing your audience. This book did demonstrate the damage you can do to a child when the child is treated more like an object instead of a human being.
The book takes place in Mexico. Marta is the daughter of Pedro & Marti and she's more than a handful. The narration was given by all three, even though Marti has died from cancer. Marta is on a vengeance streak towards her father. She also has found out that Marti was not her biological mother. Marisol, her father's lover, is her mother. Marta feels empty, unloved, lonely,betrayed and most of all angry.
It's a mismatched storyline and the ending is very befuddling.
The book takes place in Mexico. Marta is the daughter of Pedro & Marti and she's more than a handful. The narration was given by all three, even though Marti has died from cancer. Marta is on a vengeance streak towards her father. She also has found out that Marti was not her biological mother. Marisol, her father's lover, is her mother. Marta feels empty, unloved, lonely,betrayed and most of all angry.
It's a mismatched storyline and the ending is very befuddling.
February 16, 2016
1.5 stars.
I really wanted to like this book. I didn't read the blurb and went in thinking from the title it would be about a young woman finding herself...a "coming of age" novel. It wasn't.
The story centered around Marta, a young and immature girl who discovers that she was adopted by her mother, a product of her father's affair with another woman. The story is written is short, choppy chapters that vary from present to past tense, and told from multiple people's perspectives.
Maybe something was lost in translation, but the narrative seemed choppy, difficult to follow, and came to an abrupt ending without any real growth or resolution of the main character.
Can't say that I'd recommend this one, even in the original language.
I really wanted to like this book. I didn't read the blurb and went in thinking from the title it would be about a young woman finding herself...a "coming of age" novel. It wasn't.
The story centered around Marta, a young and immature girl who discovers that she was adopted by her mother, a product of her father's affair with another woman. The story is written is short, choppy chapters that vary from present to past tense, and told from multiple people's perspectives.
Maybe something was lost in translation, but the narrative seemed choppy, difficult to follow, and came to an abrupt ending without any real growth or resolution of the main character.
Can't say that I'd recommend this one, even in the original language.
January 18, 2016
This was ok. I got this through the Kindle First program on amazon and I needed a "book translated to English" for my reading challenge.
This is not the type of book that I would normally go for. But it was an interesting read. I found myself going through feelings of "if you're that unhappy and trying to self destruct...get on with it" to "oh I hope this is her turn around point and she's going to break through and find her way".
The chapters are short (I liked that), and they jump around in points of time between all the characters. Still not sure how I feel about that.
All in all...I did like this book. It's not something I would have purchased on my own though.
This is not the type of book that I would normally go for. But it was an interesting read. I found myself going through feelings of "if you're that unhappy and trying to self destruct...get on with it" to "oh I hope this is her turn around point and she's going to break through and find her way".
The chapters are short (I liked that), and they jump around in points of time between all the characters. Still not sure how I feel about that.
All in all...I did like this book. It's not something I would have purchased on my own though.
January 31, 2016
Abrupt
Somewhat liked the book I felted like it needed more. Ending to abrupt. Marta was a stranger character and snobbish!
Somewhat liked the book I felted like it needed more. Ending to abrupt. Marta was a stranger character and snobbish!
January 30, 2016
My Thoughts...
This was some read that you really had to keep up to truly understand what all is going on giving the reader some timeline that was somewhat hard to follow. But in the end this author gives the reader quite a unique way of telling a story. The chapters which were rather short really jumped around quite a bit from character to character. I believe if each chapter had been titled in such a way to let the reader know who that particular [character] was about would have helped a bit with the reading of the story. As the read was presented I found it left the story a little choppy to me. Now, this main character Marta was one complicated person ...all I will say is wow...for she was 'rich, loved to drink the spirits and was simply a spoiled person.' Will Marta ever find a happy ending...maybe becoming a runner will help? I did like how this author presented the descriptions of Mexico's culture. This was definitely a different kind of read for me that really left me thinking...just really what is this story all about? OK, this is one of those kind of reads that may leave you hanging wondering what happened in the end with that abrupt ending...a marathon run? Believe me when I say I was glad for the ending!
I read this book free on Kindle First, which allows you to choose one of 6 books the month before they are released.
This was some read that you really had to keep up to truly understand what all is going on giving the reader some timeline that was somewhat hard to follow. But in the end this author gives the reader quite a unique way of telling a story. The chapters which were rather short really jumped around quite a bit from character to character. I believe if each chapter had been titled in such a way to let the reader know who that particular [character] was about would have helped a bit with the reading of the story. As the read was presented I found it left the story a little choppy to me. Now, this main character Marta was one complicated person ...all I will say is wow...for she was 'rich, loved to drink the spirits and was simply a spoiled person.' Will Marta ever find a happy ending...maybe becoming a runner will help? I did like how this author presented the descriptions of Mexico's culture. This was definitely a different kind of read for me that really left me thinking...just really what is this story all about? OK, this is one of those kind of reads that may leave you hanging wondering what happened in the end with that abrupt ending...a marathon run? Believe me when I say I was glad for the ending!
I read this book free on Kindle First, which allows you to choose one of 6 books the month before they are released.
January 23, 2016
Cancer Changes People, the People Who Have It, and Those Who Loved Them, and Find Themselves Alone, & With Questions...
There are some people who fight cancer until the end, some cancer survivors that are profoundly changed and "cured," but live forever under the shadow of the Grim Reaper. Then there are those people who care for, love, and depend on the people who get cancer, that struggle with the changes in everyone's lives. Whether they live or die from it, cancer changes all of the people involved, in one way or another. Once you are touched by the disease, nothing is ever the same way again. The survivors either blossom and become a guiding light of hope, love, and life, or they whither away in bits and pieces, scared, angry, perhaps resigned to their fate, and sometimes they long for the ending after their own bodies betray them time and again. Mentally and physically they're altered. The same goes for those that care, love, and support the cancer victims. I believe that Marta in this book, represents the sadness, anger, confusion, and loss of direction, or purpose in her life, after her Mother dies. She becomes all of that, and more--even more self- destructive. It's in the destruction of all that she was before, that she starts finding herself. She can't go back to being the old Marta, so she charges forward on a course of self-destruction to find out what the boundaries of becoming the orphan survivor of a splintered family leaves behind. How close to the edge can she go without dying, too? She's learning how to cope on her own and keep on moving forward. I thought that the book was very good. Speaking as someone who was left to pick up the pieces of my family's cancer victims, and the caregiver of a cancer warrior, myself, it's difficult to keep things in perspective. You learn to take one day at a time. There are days when you feel completely devoid of any normal feelings, and it's easier to build a wall around yourself, and avoid everyone and everything. Then there are the precious few days when you find some normalcy inside, and your life may even seem normal with your loved ones, for a precious brief moment in time. There are "good" days, and "bad" days. No two days are the same, but it's those "good" days that you hold close to your heart, to get you over the rough spots.
For my Dad, who lost his everything, when my Mom succumbed to cancer, he quit celebrating holidays and birthdays. It's ok to hurt. Sometimes it's the only way that you can tell that you're still alive. She waits for him in Heaven, and he waits patiently for that time, when nothing will ever part them again. Different people handle what life deals them in different ways. This book touched my heart in that same way, that Marta was testing her new boundaries, in order to find her new "normalcy." If you've never experienced cancer first hand, this book paints a brilliant example of the wide and varied degrees of emotions that go hand in hand with any life-changing illness, and it's rarely easy or pretty.
Kudos to Lorea Canales, on an excellent portrayal of cancer victims and their survivors, and the wide range of emotions that it entails. Excellent book, I highly recommend it.
There are some people who fight cancer until the end, some cancer survivors that are profoundly changed and "cured," but live forever under the shadow of the Grim Reaper. Then there are those people who care for, love, and depend on the people who get cancer, that struggle with the changes in everyone's lives. Whether they live or die from it, cancer changes all of the people involved, in one way or another. Once you are touched by the disease, nothing is ever the same way again. The survivors either blossom and become a guiding light of hope, love, and life, or they whither away in bits and pieces, scared, angry, perhaps resigned to their fate, and sometimes they long for the ending after their own bodies betray them time and again. Mentally and physically they're altered. The same goes for those that care, love, and support the cancer victims. I believe that Marta in this book, represents the sadness, anger, confusion, and loss of direction, or purpose in her life, after her Mother dies. She becomes all of that, and more--even more self- destructive. It's in the destruction of all that she was before, that she starts finding herself. She can't go back to being the old Marta, so she charges forward on a course of self-destruction to find out what the boundaries of becoming the orphan survivor of a splintered family leaves behind. How close to the edge can she go without dying, too? She's learning how to cope on her own and keep on moving forward. I thought that the book was very good. Speaking as someone who was left to pick up the pieces of my family's cancer victims, and the caregiver of a cancer warrior, myself, it's difficult to keep things in perspective. You learn to take one day at a time. There are days when you feel completely devoid of any normal feelings, and it's easier to build a wall around yourself, and avoid everyone and everything. Then there are the precious few days when you find some normalcy inside, and your life may even seem normal with your loved ones, for a precious brief moment in time. There are "good" days, and "bad" days. No two days are the same, but it's those "good" days that you hold close to your heart, to get you over the rough spots.
For my Dad, who lost his everything, when my Mom succumbed to cancer, he quit celebrating holidays and birthdays. It's ok to hurt. Sometimes it's the only way that you can tell that you're still alive. She waits for him in Heaven, and he waits patiently for that time, when nothing will ever part them again. Different people handle what life deals them in different ways. This book touched my heart in that same way, that Marta was testing her new boundaries, in order to find her new "normalcy." If you've never experienced cancer first hand, this book paints a brilliant example of the wide and varied degrees of emotions that go hand in hand with any life-changing illness, and it's rarely easy or pretty.
Kudos to Lorea Canales, on an excellent portrayal of cancer victims and their survivors, and the wide range of emotions that it entails. Excellent book, I highly recommend it.
January 20, 2016
Amazon offered me this book for free as part of their "Kindle First" program. I picked it from the selection of 6 or so books because the cover was lovely, I needed a "translated" book for my Book Bingo, and the plot description was intriguing.
Two out of three ain't bad. The story was neither deep nor fun, with lots of self-pity from all the characters, who each delivered their sad (but they brought it on themselves) tale in different chapters. I felt bounced around and disappointed.
I kept thinking that in just another page or two there would be an epiphany. Something dramatic would happen, some deep thought or reflection would finally occur, or just that one of the characters would realize how shallow they are and grow up.
Nope.
Overall, 1 out of 5 stars. The only deep thought it drove was this description...of why I didn't like it.
Reading this was a chore and I'm glad I'm done.
The cover is lovely, though.
Two out of three ain't bad. The story was neither deep nor fun, with lots of self-pity from all the characters, who each delivered their sad (but they brought it on themselves) tale in different chapters. I felt bounced around and disappointed.
I kept thinking that in just another page or two there would be an epiphany. Something dramatic would happen, some deep thought or reflection would finally occur, or just that one of the characters would realize how shallow they are and grow up.
Nope.
Overall, 1 out of 5 stars. The only deep thought it drove was this description...of why I didn't like it.
Reading this was a chore and I'm glad I'm done.
The cover is lovely, though.
January 12, 2016
I wanted to like this book, despite what started reading like a steamy romance book. Early on, the sexual acts depicted seemed to add to the story, but as the story continued it became sex for the sake of including sex. I don't know enough about Old Mexico culture to know if the depictions are correct, but it sounded like a stereotype. Old Mexican culture is something that intrigues me and so I enjoyed parts of the story more than others. The ending was horrible and I really thought I had several chapters to go (reading on the Kindle, I didn't have the visual perspective that comes with a paper book) before the story could possibly come to an end. The story doesn't live up to its name, IMO. She never does "become". I haven't read fiction for a long time and this was my first venture back in, and was sad to spend the time and then not like the book all that much.
January 29, 2016
I selected this book through Amazon’s "Kindle First" program as the synopsis sounded intriguing. The story was well written, and interesting – to a point. The first half of the book kept my attention as it was full of descriptions of an unfamiliar culture. However the second half proved difficult to follow. It wasn’t the jumping around in time and focusing on different characters – that doesn’t bother me. It just felt disjointed and didn’t seem to flow well. Perhaps something was lost in translation. The part that irked me the most was the abrupt ending – there wasn’t any closure, no obstacles overcome and I never did fully figure out who Marta was becoming – besides a rich, spoiled, self-indulgent and self-destructive brat. I’m glad this book was free because I can’t recommend that anyone spend money on this story.
January 4, 2016
The ending of this book leaves me in want. I was hoping to read of Marta's character development and a change within her to find meaning in life, but instead she seems to be lost until the very end. At that point, it isn't even really her who initiated a life change but rather the miraculous luck that brought a marathon trainer to her neighborhood. The book's back and forth timeline also was a bit difficult to follow, but a unique storytelling method nonetheless. In addition, I immensely loved some of the sections from the book that talk about death, identity, objects, etc.
January 8, 2016
Great read being the my first book of the year.
Marta is so young, fortunate and rebellious, I fear for her. Like Marta, the characters are alive and entertaining. They build your hopes and break your heart while giving you a real glimpse of Mexico and its elite crowd.
A beautiful translation.
Marta is so young, fortunate and rebellious, I fear for her. Like Marta, the characters are alive and entertaining. They build your hopes and break your heart while giving you a real glimpse of Mexico and its elite crowd.
A beautiful translation.
December 29, 2016
The Good: It was very colorful, beautiful descriptions, great points of view insight.
The Bad: It was a little schizophrenic, and I didn't enjoy being left hanging at the end.
Overall: I didn't really care for this book.
The Bad: It was a little schizophrenic, and I didn't enjoy being left hanging at the end.
Overall: I didn't really care for this book.
January 29, 2016
Good read
I enjoyed the story. Marta is a very complicated character, but the ending left me hanging. It seems like everyone got their happily ever after except for her. I assume the author was trying to give the story a dose of reality but her ending was cut short.
I enjoyed the story. Marta is a very complicated character, but the ending left me hanging. It seems like everyone got their happily ever after except for her. I assume the author was trying to give the story a dose of reality but her ending was cut short.
September 3, 2016
I found it hard to get through this book. It was less about The supposed main character Marta and more about Marta's parents and Friends.
Ultimately I guess she did find herself but the ending was not satisfying at all.
It sounded interesting but was really very boring.
Ultimately I guess she did find herself but the ending was not satisfying at all.
It sounded interesting but was really very boring.
October 21, 2016
Review
I did not finish this book. I read about 7 chapters. The story line did not interest me, the language was bad. I have too many books to read to waste my time on a book I'm not into. However, that does not mean other people might not enjoy it.
I did not finish this book. I read about 7 chapters. The story line did not interest me, the language was bad. I have too many books to read to waste my time on a book I'm not into. However, that does not mean other people might not enjoy it.
Read
December 19, 2011Último libro del 2011.
January 7, 2016
Not a coherent storyline. It was so choppy and disconnected. Hard to follow. Way too much imagery and no real substance of a story. Did not like.
January 3, 2016
What a waste of time.
January 6, 2016
very disappointing. too many characters and bouncing back and forth. The end makes you feel like she learned nothing
tried-but-abandoned
May 1, 2016I couldn't get into it and decided not to finish it. Not capitvating.
January 5, 2016
Good Book!
I enjoyed this book very much. The characters were well-developed and the storylines were woven together in a seamless manner.
I enjoyed this book very much. The characters were well-developed and the storylines were woven together in a seamless manner.
January 9, 2016
Got it free with Kindle First, enjoyed it. Nice character development. One story line didn't resolve the way I would have liked (I wanted that character to SUFFER). Otherwise liked it.
January 21, 2016
This book was written in Spanish and translated to English. Although a few things got lost in translation, the essence of this beautiful story was left in tact. I loved it!
February 5, 2016
Don't bother.
March 18, 2018
This book started out okay, but starts to tell the story from many different perspectives and then ends rather abruptly.
September 16, 2023
Feels Like Something is Missing
I feel really bad for Marta. I hated seeing her self distrust, but I am hoping that the end of the book is a turning point for her.
I liked getting background information on the characters, although I felt like Adrianna and Mau weren't that important to the story.
I feel really bad for Marta. I hated seeing her self distrust, but I am hoping that the end of the book is a turning point for her.
I liked getting background information on the characters, although I felt like Adrianna and Mau weren't that important to the story.
August 3, 2024
Po kilku poważniejszych lekturach: reportażach, biografiach, książkach popularnonaukowych chciałam przeczytać coś lżejszego, obyczajowego, odprężającego. Niestety po raz kolejny okazało się, że w literaturze popularnej panuje mit, że książka lekka musi być głupia, słaba, źle napisana i nie do końca logiczna. Przykładem, że ów mit ma się świetnie jest twór "Po prostu Marta".
Bohaterka okropnie denerwująca pusta, głupia, rozpieszczona, leniwa lala, która ma wszystko podane pod nos i nic nie musi. W związku z tym zajmuje się rozdzielaniem włosa na czworo, rozkminianiem bezsensownych teorii, knuciem głupich dziecinnych spisków i przemyśleniami, które kompletnie nic nie wnoszą do fabuły. Rozumiem jako czytelnik jakie było zamierzenie fabularne tej historii i jaka puenta miała z niej wybrzmieć. Niestety dla tego "dzieła," czytałam dużo lepsze historie o radzeniu sobie z traumą w postaci choroby, śmierci, czy nieprzewidzianego zdarzenia jakie spotyka bohatera. Do tego bohaterowie tych historii byli lepiej skonstruowani, prezentowali jakieś życie wewnętrzne, a ich zachowanie było odpowiednio umotywowane, co pozwalało mnie jako czytelniczce ich zrozumieć, zżyć się z nimi i dopingować w pokonywaniu trudności. W wypadku Marty niestety nie mam takich doświadczeń. Mam wrażenie, że w ciele dorosłej kobiety zamieszkała mała, dziecinna, nieogarnięta życiowo dziewczynka, która kierowała poczynaniami bohaterki. Nie interesowało mnie zupełnie jak ta historia się zakończy, nie przeżywałam "dramatów" Marty i nie kibicowałam jej.
Dodatkowo tekst robi wrażenie, jakby Autorka dopiero uczyła się pisać. Pomijając liczne błędy językowe w odmianie wyrazów, w tym także imion, literówki i dziwne konstrukcje wyrazowe, mamy tu także wielkie błędy czy raczej byki logiczne: "Marta zrobiła 40 błędów w teście językowym, więc jej matka uznała, że córka jest słaba z matematyki"; "Mau i Adriana wyszli z galerii zostawiając Martę w towarzystwie znawców sztuki i udali się do pobliskiego baru na drinka. Wchodząc do baru Mau zauważył, że Marta siedzi przy stoliku w kącie sali wraz z rozbawionym towarzystwem". Nawet nie wiem jak to skomentować.
Podsumowując książka nielogiczna, słaba, niewarta uwagi.Takie teksty powstają na kursach pisania dla przyszłych pisarzy, którzy w ramach kursu nabywają umiejętności i doskonalą swój warsztat, a po ukończonym kursie tego typu gnioty wyrzucają do kosza z rumieńcem żenady i zażenowania, że kiedyś mogli coś podobnego napisać i uważali, że uprawnia ich to do zajęcia się zawodowo pisaniem książek.
Bohaterka okropnie denerwująca pusta, głupia, rozpieszczona, leniwa lala, która ma wszystko podane pod nos i nic nie musi. W związku z tym zajmuje się rozdzielaniem włosa na czworo, rozkminianiem bezsensownych teorii, knuciem głupich dziecinnych spisków i przemyśleniami, które kompletnie nic nie wnoszą do fabuły. Rozumiem jako czytelnik jakie było zamierzenie fabularne tej historii i jaka puenta miała z niej wybrzmieć. Niestety dla tego "dzieła," czytałam dużo lepsze historie o radzeniu sobie z traumą w postaci choroby, śmierci, czy nieprzewidzianego zdarzenia jakie spotyka bohatera. Do tego bohaterowie tych historii byli lepiej skonstruowani, prezentowali jakieś życie wewnętrzne, a ich zachowanie było odpowiednio umotywowane, co pozwalało mnie jako czytelniczce ich zrozumieć, zżyć się z nimi i dopingować w pokonywaniu trudności. W wypadku Marty niestety nie mam takich doświadczeń. Mam wrażenie, że w ciele dorosłej kobiety zamieszkała mała, dziecinna, nieogarnięta życiowo dziewczynka, która kierowała poczynaniami bohaterki. Nie interesowało mnie zupełnie jak ta historia się zakończy, nie przeżywałam "dramatów" Marty i nie kibicowałam jej.
Dodatkowo tekst robi wrażenie, jakby Autorka dopiero uczyła się pisać. Pomijając liczne błędy językowe w odmianie wyrazów, w tym także imion, literówki i dziwne konstrukcje wyrazowe, mamy tu także wielkie błędy czy raczej byki logiczne: "Marta zrobiła 40 błędów w teście językowym, więc jej matka uznała, że córka jest słaba z matematyki"; "Mau i Adriana wyszli z galerii zostawiając Martę w towarzystwie znawców sztuki i udali się do pobliskiego baru na drinka. Wchodząc do baru Mau zauważył, że Marta siedzi przy stoliku w kącie sali wraz z rozbawionym towarzystwem". Nawet nie wiem jak to skomentować.
Podsumowując książka nielogiczna, słaba, niewarta uwagi.Takie teksty powstają na kursach pisania dla przyszłych pisarzy, którzy w ramach kursu nabywają umiejętności i doskonalą swój warsztat, a po ukończonym kursie tego typu gnioty wyrzucają do kosza z rumieńcem żenady i zażenowania, że kiedyś mogli coś podobnego napisać i uważali, że uprawnia ich to do zajęcia się zawodowo pisaniem książek.
February 5, 2017
A lot of sex. In some books it's irrelevant to the plot so you can ignore it. In other books it's crucial to the plot so you just get through it for the point of the story. This book leaned in the latter direction but was more explicit than necessary. So there's points lost right off the bat.
Another Kindle First book, which I must say has been a very pleasant reading experience. Younger Jenny would scold older Jenny for "contributing to the decline of the print book," but what younger Jenny did not understand is that e-books don't replace print books, rather they contribute to the overall experience of literature. I'm getting more reading done with the access I have to the Kindle app on my phone, the definitions of words are at my finger tips, and I can read books I wouldn't necessarily want to own...making those I do even more prized possessions.
I was told that Amazon Crossing has a negative image in the translation world, that it's all about the numbers (as most things are with big businesses like Amazon) and not about the art, with many translations coming across as sloppy. This book, however ran contrary to that expectation; I remember reading only one questionable use of a preposition. The rest was artistic, contemplative, exactly what you'd expect from literary fiction, with beautiful passages like:
"Inside, luxury; outside, poverty. Inside, white; outside, a thousand shades of sand and earth. Inside, exclusivity; outside, the masses. Always surrounded by contrasts. Mexico was nothing if not loud, dissonant, and high contrast. So much color wasn’t necessarily happy or bright, but it caught your eye. You never got used to such red reds, such bright yellows, such spicy salsa, and the emptiness, thought Adriana. Perhaps I move between shades of gray, but for these people, from the impeccable white deck of the ship, a drop of color must be an incredible contrast" (p. 53).
But other than the language, the book held very little inspiration for me-I couldn't relate to the characters who move among the rich world of business and art and have to try to find themselves in it, their real selves. While this is a universal challenge, it feels trivial in the world of the rich. Which I guess is the point. But there's no resolution, just this endless floating in excess, with people always held at a distance.
Another Kindle First book, which I must say has been a very pleasant reading experience. Younger Jenny would scold older Jenny for "contributing to the decline of the print book," but what younger Jenny did not understand is that e-books don't replace print books, rather they contribute to the overall experience of literature. I'm getting more reading done with the access I have to the Kindle app on my phone, the definitions of words are at my finger tips, and I can read books I wouldn't necessarily want to own...making those I do even more prized possessions.
I was told that Amazon Crossing has a negative image in the translation world, that it's all about the numbers (as most things are with big businesses like Amazon) and not about the art, with many translations coming across as sloppy. This book, however ran contrary to that expectation; I remember reading only one questionable use of a preposition. The rest was artistic, contemplative, exactly what you'd expect from literary fiction, with beautiful passages like:
"Inside, luxury; outside, poverty. Inside, white; outside, a thousand shades of sand and earth. Inside, exclusivity; outside, the masses. Always surrounded by contrasts. Mexico was nothing if not loud, dissonant, and high contrast. So much color wasn’t necessarily happy or bright, but it caught your eye. You never got used to such red reds, such bright yellows, such spicy salsa, and the emptiness, thought Adriana. Perhaps I move between shades of gray, but for these people, from the impeccable white deck of the ship, a drop of color must be an incredible contrast" (p. 53).
But other than the language, the book held very little inspiration for me-I couldn't relate to the characters who move among the rich world of business and art and have to try to find themselves in it, their real selves. While this is a universal challenge, it feels trivial in the world of the rich. Which I guess is the point. But there's no resolution, just this endless floating in excess, with people always held at a distance.
November 15, 2018
„Chciała wiedzieć, co zrobić, żeby uniknąć takiego losu, takiego ciężaru i żeby być jakby jednym z nasionek padających na urodzajną ziemię. W duszy widziała siebie jako puch, jako nasienie topoli sfruwające z liściastego drzewa i niesione wiatrem jak melodia, zanim łagodnie wyląduje na zielonej łące…”
Lubicie odkrywać tajemnice? Zazwyczaj z zagadkami mamy do czynienia w kryminałach. A gdyby na tajemnicę spojrzeć przez pryzmat literatury obyczajowej? Możemy się tego dowiedzieć, zagłębiając się w lekturę książki „Po prostu Marta”.
Młoda Meksykanka Marta to rozpuszczona bogactwem młoda kobieta, która przywykła do tego, że zawsze dostaje wszystko to, czego chce. Dziewczynę właśnie spotkała największą tragedia, umarła jej matka. Ojciec przysporzył jej także wielu zmartwień – porzucił umierającą żonę dla innej kobiety. Pogrążona w żalu dziewczyna dziedziczy cały majątek. Ma szansę, by sprzedać dom i odciąć się od ojca. Dodatkowo dowiaduje się o rodzinnej tajemnicy, która była ukrywana przez bliskich przez całe jej życie. Czy wystawne życie i odziedziczona fortuna zapewni jej szczęście? Czy poznanie prawdy o swoim pochodzeniu zmieni życie Marty?
„Po prostu Marta” to książka, dzięki której możemy zobaczyć obraz tego, jak tajemnice wpływają na to, kim się stajemy. Martę na początku możemy odbierać jako rozpuszczoną, lekkomyślną dziewczynę, która dzięki bogactwu rodziców może na wszystko sobie pozwolić. Jest przyzwyczajona do tego, ze zawsze dostaje to, czego chce. Czy jednak ma łatwe życie? Na pewno nie. Matka traktuje ją bardzo przedmiotowo, doprowadza dziewczynę do anoreksji. I jeszcze ta wielka tajemnica o pochodzeniu. Czy zdoła ją odkryć?
Bardzo podobał mi się pomysł autorki na poprowadzenie fabuły. Historia Marty została przedstawiona także przez pryzmat otaczających ją ludzi – ojca, przyjaciela Mau, nowej żony Gaby oraz jej córki Adriany. Każdy kolejny rozdział to także historia przeszłości rodziców oraz losy jej przyjaciół.
Książka składa się z krótkich rozdziałów, dzięki czemu historie Marty czyta się bardzo szybko. Wydaje mi się, że nie jest to zwykła książka obyczajowa. Na pewno zmusza do myślenia, czy taka osoba jak Marta może się zmienić. Czy można zmienić swój sposób życia?
Lubicie odkrywać tajemnice? Zazwyczaj z zagadkami mamy do czynienia w kryminałach. A gdyby na tajemnicę spojrzeć przez pryzmat literatury obyczajowej? Możemy się tego dowiedzieć, zagłębiając się w lekturę książki „Po prostu Marta”.
Młoda Meksykanka Marta to rozpuszczona bogactwem młoda kobieta, która przywykła do tego, że zawsze dostaje wszystko to, czego chce. Dziewczynę właśnie spotkała największą tragedia, umarła jej matka. Ojciec przysporzył jej także wielu zmartwień – porzucił umierającą żonę dla innej kobiety. Pogrążona w żalu dziewczyna dziedziczy cały majątek. Ma szansę, by sprzedać dom i odciąć się od ojca. Dodatkowo dowiaduje się o rodzinnej tajemnicy, która była ukrywana przez bliskich przez całe jej życie. Czy wystawne życie i odziedziczona fortuna zapewni jej szczęście? Czy poznanie prawdy o swoim pochodzeniu zmieni życie Marty?
„Po prostu Marta” to książka, dzięki której możemy zobaczyć obraz tego, jak tajemnice wpływają na to, kim się stajemy. Martę na początku możemy odbierać jako rozpuszczoną, lekkomyślną dziewczynę, która dzięki bogactwu rodziców może na wszystko sobie pozwolić. Jest przyzwyczajona do tego, ze zawsze dostaje to, czego chce. Czy jednak ma łatwe życie? Na pewno nie. Matka traktuje ją bardzo przedmiotowo, doprowadza dziewczynę do anoreksji. I jeszcze ta wielka tajemnica o pochodzeniu. Czy zdoła ją odkryć?
Bardzo podobał mi się pomysł autorki na poprowadzenie fabuły. Historia Marty została przedstawiona także przez pryzmat otaczających ją ludzi – ojca, przyjaciela Mau, nowej żony Gaby oraz jej córki Adriany. Każdy kolejny rozdział to także historia przeszłości rodziców oraz losy jej przyjaciół.
Książka składa się z krótkich rozdziałów, dzięki czemu historie Marty czyta się bardzo szybko. Wydaje mi się, że nie jest to zwykła książka obyczajowa. Na pewno zmusza do myślenia, czy taka osoba jak Marta może się zmienić. Czy można zmienić swój sposób życia?
Displaying 1 - 30 of 197 reviews