What do you think?
Rate this book
Neruda on the Park
An exhilarating debut novel following members of a Dominican family in New York City who take radically different paths when faced with encroaching gentrification
The Guerreros have lived in Nothar Park, a predominantly Dominican part of New York City, for twenty years. When demolition begins on a neighboring tenement, Eusebia, an elder of the community, takes matters into her own hands by devising an increasingly dangerous series of schemes to stop construction of the luxury condos. Meanwhile, Eusebia's daughter, Luz, a rising associate at a top Manhattan law firm who strives to live the bougie lifestyle her parents worked hard to give her, becomes distracted by a sweltering romance with the handsome white developer at the company her mother so vehemently opposes.
As Luz's father, Vladimir, secretly designs their retirement home in the Dominican Republic, mother and daughter collide, ramping up tensions in Nothar Park, racing toward a near-fatal climax.
A beautifully layered portrait of family, friendship, and ambition, Neruda on the Park weaves a rich and vivid tapestry of community as well as the sacrifices we make to protect what we love most, announcing Cleyvis Natera as an electrifying new voice.
The Guerreros have lived in Nothar Park, a predominantly Dominican part of New York City, for twenty years. When demolition begins on a neighboring tenement, Eusebia, an elder of the community, takes matters into her own hands by devising an increasingly dangerous series of schemes to stop construction of the luxury condos. Meanwhile, Eusebia's daughter, Luz, a rising associate at a top Manhattan law firm who strives to live the bougie lifestyle her parents worked hard to give her, becomes distracted by a sweltering romance with the handsome white developer at the company her mother so vehemently opposes.
As Luz's father, Vladimir, secretly designs their retirement home in the Dominican Republic, mother and daughter collide, ramping up tensions in Nothar Park, racing toward a near-fatal climax.
A beautifully layered portrait of family, friendship, and ambition, Neruda on the Park weaves a rich and vivid tapestry of community as well as the sacrifices we make to protect what we love most, announcing Cleyvis Natera as an electrifying new voice.
325 pages, Hardcover
First published May 24, 2022
161 people are currently reading
32457 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 489 reviews
Read
May 15, 2023The Guerreros have lived in Nothar Park for two decades. When demolition begins on a nearby complex, Eusebia decides to take matters into her own hands. What she doesn't know is that her daughter Luz begins a romance with the white developer. Each of their actions will unwittingly put them on a collision course. Unputdownable.
June 13, 2023
**Many thanks to NetGalley, Random House-Ballantine, and Cleyvis Natera for an ARC of this book! Now available as of 5.24!!**
"The ache for home lives in all of us, the safe place where we can go as we are and not be questioned."-Maya Angelou
For over twenty years, the Guerrero family has been able to live in such comfort, in their tiny corner of NYC known as Northar Park. Far from life in the Dominican Republic, mother Eusebia chatters with the Tongues (otherwise known as the old local gossips), while her daughter Lux seems to be on the path to legal superstardom. Lux is taken by surprise one day when she learns that not only has she lost her position at the law firm, but the neighborhood is about to experience a BIG change that will topple life as her family knows it: a new condominium complex is set to tear apart the culture their community holds dear.
Eusebia is up at arms, hatching an elaborate scheme to convince the developers that they've made a terrible mistake...meanwhile, Lux becomes entangled with handsome developer Hudson...who is part of the very team set to upend Northar Park. Lux's father Vladimir is all too willing to take the generous payout offered by the developers...but where does that leave Eusebia? Will Lux's heart lead her away from her roots and into Hudson's arms for the LONG term? Will Eusebia's devious plan actually work? Or will love and life collide in a way no member of the Guerrero family could see coming...and force them to define what home means in a completely new way?
I'm very glad I didn't let the mention of Pablo Neruda and a certain not-so-favorite former poetry professor of mine deter me from reading this book! What led me to put those personal qualms aside, apart from the gorgeous cover, was the fact that the description of this book mentioned gentrification, and for a while now I've wanted to get more of an inside look on how it REALLY affects communities. I know this is fiction, but I had the sense it would be firmly rooted in reality, and I feel Naytera did an admirable job.
However, while I was expecting gentrification to be the focus and it certainly drove the plot in some respects, Neruda in the Park reads more as a family drama juxtaposed neatly against a romance than anything else. This is okay: in fact, since these characters are fully developed, it works. While I might have preferred a more big-picture look at some of these issues, I didn't mind the plot's twists and turns and ebbs and flows. I must admit, however, that I was FAR more engaged in Lux's storyline than Eusebia's, unfortunately. Eusebia is a bit of an oddball character to begin with, and she becomes more difficult to follow as the book goes along. I did expect to connect to her as a mother at some point in the book, but it didn't really happen.
The Tongues also narrate some chapters, and while I didn't necessarily mind that as a device, I also could have lived without it. I either wanted to know more about these ladies, or they could have simply functioned as background characters. I also felt a huge void not hearing more from Vladimir. We get glimpses into his perspective, but I honestly think some chapters narrated by him would have been interesting and helpful, and perhaps a little more substantive and emotional than the 'commentary' provided by the Tongues.
While this book didn't take the deep dive into gentrification I was expecting, Naytera's writing was smooth and interesting, her narrative unique and heartfelt, After working on this book for fifteen years (!) I hope she won't take QUITE as long with the next one! 😉
3.5 stars, rounded up to 4
Now available in paperback!
"The ache for home lives in all of us, the safe place where we can go as we are and not be questioned."-Maya Angelou
For over twenty years, the Guerrero family has been able to live in such comfort, in their tiny corner of NYC known as Northar Park. Far from life in the Dominican Republic, mother Eusebia chatters with the Tongues (otherwise known as the old local gossips), while her daughter Lux seems to be on the path to legal superstardom. Lux is taken by surprise one day when she learns that not only has she lost her position at the law firm, but the neighborhood is about to experience a BIG change that will topple life as her family knows it: a new condominium complex is set to tear apart the culture their community holds dear.
Eusebia is up at arms, hatching an elaborate scheme to convince the developers that they've made a terrible mistake...meanwhile, Lux becomes entangled with handsome developer Hudson...who is part of the very team set to upend Northar Park. Lux's father Vladimir is all too willing to take the generous payout offered by the developers...but where does that leave Eusebia? Will Lux's heart lead her away from her roots and into Hudson's arms for the LONG term? Will Eusebia's devious plan actually work? Or will love and life collide in a way no member of the Guerrero family could see coming...and force them to define what home means in a completely new way?
I'm very glad I didn't let the mention of Pablo Neruda and a certain not-so-favorite former poetry professor of mine deter me from reading this book! What led me to put those personal qualms aside, apart from the gorgeous cover, was the fact that the description of this book mentioned gentrification, and for a while now I've wanted to get more of an inside look on how it REALLY affects communities. I know this is fiction, but I had the sense it would be firmly rooted in reality, and I feel Naytera did an admirable job.
However, while I was expecting gentrification to be the focus and it certainly drove the plot in some respects, Neruda in the Park reads more as a family drama juxtaposed neatly against a romance than anything else. This is okay: in fact, since these characters are fully developed, it works. While I might have preferred a more big-picture look at some of these issues, I didn't mind the plot's twists and turns and ebbs and flows. I must admit, however, that I was FAR more engaged in Lux's storyline than Eusebia's, unfortunately. Eusebia is a bit of an oddball character to begin with, and she becomes more difficult to follow as the book goes along. I did expect to connect to her as a mother at some point in the book, but it didn't really happen.
The Tongues also narrate some chapters, and while I didn't necessarily mind that as a device, I also could have lived without it. I either wanted to know more about these ladies, or they could have simply functioned as background characters. I also felt a huge void not hearing more from Vladimir. We get glimpses into his perspective, but I honestly think some chapters narrated by him would have been interesting and helpful, and perhaps a little more substantive and emotional than the 'commentary' provided by the Tongues.
While this book didn't take the deep dive into gentrification I was expecting, Naytera's writing was smooth and interesting, her narrative unique and heartfelt, After working on this book for fifteen years (!) I hope she won't take QUITE as long with the next one! 😉
3.5 stars, rounded up to 4
Now available in paperback!
January 28, 2023
Updated January 28, 2023
Re-read for book club and YASSSSS!!!!
This is going to be a 2022 favorite for sure!
Neruda on the Park explores the age old question of “where is home”, is it a place? What is it? Home, she told herself, could be a place, a person, a feeling, at times, a profession, the end result of a long pursuit. A fluid thing, for sure, but precious.
I absolutely loved reading this book and I think a lot of people will enjoy it as well. In Neruda on the pack we meet the Guerreros, they have spent majority of their lives in Nothar Park, home to mostly Dominicans in New York. One day they wake up to see demolition taking place and a new condo being built. You know that this means… the neighbourhood is about to change.
Eusebia who came from the Dominican Republic with her husband Vladimir wants to fight the development, protect the people she’s come to know and love. Their daughter Luz, a budding attorney finds there are some benefits to the neighbourhood changing, it means she doesn’t have to go all the way into the City to do hot yoga (yay). Vladimir on the other hand, wants to take the payout and leave for his home in the Dominican Republic and retire there. A lot of people will be affected, some will have to leave home, to find their true home.
A well crafted tale about gentrification, agency, mother-daughter relationship and what it means to call a place home. The author does a great job of telling a well thought out story, and I loved that she told the story from the POV of the Luz and Eusebia. We get a deeper look into their motivation and how they justify their action. This is a such a great story about community, how coming together with one goal can lead to a victory.
A well done story that I want everyone to read!
Re-read for book club and YASSSSS!!!!
This is going to be a 2022 favorite for sure!
Neruda on the Park explores the age old question of “where is home”, is it a place? What is it? Home, she told herself, could be a place, a person, a feeling, at times, a profession, the end result of a long pursuit. A fluid thing, for sure, but precious.
I absolutely loved reading this book and I think a lot of people will enjoy it as well. In Neruda on the pack we meet the Guerreros, they have spent majority of their lives in Nothar Park, home to mostly Dominicans in New York. One day they wake up to see demolition taking place and a new condo being built. You know that this means… the neighbourhood is about to change.
Eusebia who came from the Dominican Republic with her husband Vladimir wants to fight the development, protect the people she’s come to know and love. Their daughter Luz, a budding attorney finds there are some benefits to the neighbourhood changing, it means she doesn’t have to go all the way into the City to do hot yoga (yay). Vladimir on the other hand, wants to take the payout and leave for his home in the Dominican Republic and retire there. A lot of people will be affected, some will have to leave home, to find their true home.
A well crafted tale about gentrification, agency, mother-daughter relationship and what it means to call a place home. The author does a great job of telling a well thought out story, and I loved that she told the story from the POV of the Luz and Eusebia. We get a deeper look into their motivation and how they justify their action. This is a such a great story about community, how coming together with one goal can lead to a victory.
A well done story that I want everyone to read!
September 16, 2025
While I meant to finish this book for Latine Heritage Month, that obviously isn't the case. I'm usually a very fast reader. I keep my epubs on my phone, so I can read at lunch or in line. I listen to audio when work is monotonous or I do chores. The physical book that sits by my bed often gets neglected. I'm meant to read it before I go to bed, instead of doom scrolling, but you know the drill.
I'm not sure any of you wanted to know any of that. This is a story told in two POVs. One is Luz, an Afro-Dominican lawyer who still lives with her parents. The other is Luz's mother, Eusebia. The topic of race is always nuanced, and no less so in Latinx communities. What is a Latinx person? They can be black, brown, yellow, or white. People immigrated to Latin America. A lot of people immigrated to Latin America. They don't all fit one mold.
I need to get off my high horse. This is a beautiful story about family. I would say the neighborhood featured is almost a part of the family. The building across the street from the one Luz and Eusebia live in is being torn down and turned into condos. Already changes to the neighborhood are taking place. There are a flurry of new white people around. A hot yoga studio has opened. This sends the neighborhood into a frenzy.
As someone that is very tired by the white man and non-white woman relationship narrative, I admit I was very disappointed when Luz began dating Hudson, the developer going in and gentrifying the neighborhood, but I wasn't surprised. I found it interesting that Eusebia didn't have the same rich white man fever that her contemporaries seemed to have, and didn't approve of Luz's new relationship. She wants Luz to better herself, but not at the expense of her core values or community.
Eventually things get resolved. That is not to say that everyone gets a resolution. This is life, and that's not how life works. However, I very much enjoyed this from the POV of a very underserved community.
I'm not sure any of you wanted to know any of that. This is a story told in two POVs. One is Luz, an Afro-Dominican lawyer who still lives with her parents. The other is Luz's mother, Eusebia. The topic of race is always nuanced, and no less so in Latinx communities. What is a Latinx person? They can be black, brown, yellow, or white. People immigrated to Latin America. A lot of people immigrated to Latin America. They don't all fit one mold.
I need to get off my high horse. This is a beautiful story about family. I would say the neighborhood featured is almost a part of the family. The building across the street from the one Luz and Eusebia live in is being torn down and turned into condos. Already changes to the neighborhood are taking place. There are a flurry of new white people around. A hot yoga studio has opened. This sends the neighborhood into a frenzy.
As someone that is very tired by the white man and non-white woman relationship narrative, I admit I was very disappointed when Luz began dating Hudson, the developer going in and gentrifying the neighborhood, but I wasn't surprised. I found it interesting that Eusebia didn't have the same rich white man fever that her contemporaries seemed to have, and didn't approve of Luz's new relationship. She wants Luz to better herself, but not at the expense of her core values or community.
Eventually things get resolved. That is not to say that everyone gets a resolution. This is life, and that's not how life works. However, I very much enjoyed this from the POV of a very underserved community.
January 18, 2026
I liked how this book boldly tackled the issue of gentrification. Cleyvis Natera also poses interesting questions about what happens when someone close to you (in this novel, a family member) opposes your political view of the world. There’s also a somewhat subtle interesting theme of underdiagnosis of health concerns among marginalized communities.
That said I found the execution of this book quite messy. Natera follows multiple characters though in this debut her writing didn’t pop enough for me to feel truly invested in any one character deeply. The romance plotline with Luz didn’t feel resolved, satisfying, or necessary. Genre and plot wise it was a bit all over the place for me. That said, I loved Natera’s sophomore novel The Grand Paloma Resort so it’s nice to see her other work flourish even if I wasn’t a fan of this one.
That said I found the execution of this book quite messy. Natera follows multiple characters though in this debut her writing didn’t pop enough for me to feel truly invested in any one character deeply. The romance plotline with Luz didn’t feel resolved, satisfying, or necessary. Genre and plot wise it was a bit all over the place for me. That said, I loved Natera’s sophomore novel The Grand Paloma Resort so it’s nice to see her other work flourish even if I wasn’t a fan of this one.
August 5, 2022
The story here is about the fictional Northar Park that can be found . . . .
Gentrification has officially come to the neighborhood with the demolition of an old tenement building and notices on the remaining apartment’s doors from the landlord notifying the occupants they will either have to purchase their residences or move. Dual narrators tell the goings on – half by daughter Luz, half by her mother Eusebia. Eusebia’s portion involves her attempts to save the neighborhood. Luz’s is about finding her own place after being unexpectedly fired from her high profile job as a lawyer.
Let me confess right away that this was a real crap week at work and it took me three times as long to read this as it normally would. That definitely could have impacted my rating. I still thought it was a solid debut, but I struggled with the disconnect between the two narrators (Eusebia’s portion was almost like a social thriller that really had me invested, while Luz’s was a family drama/romance mashup). And after “The Tongues” presented their first interlude I really wished the entire book had been written using their voices. I loooooove stories about neighborhoods (especially when the neighborhood itself is almost a main character). If the delivery had been via their narration and provided a more rounded picture of not only Eusebia and Luz’s household, but also included that of Angèlica and Christian and Francesca and Cuca and Juan Juan and Renè, this easily could have been a five star read for me. I’ll blame my own 20+ years in the legal field for some minor bits that I took issue with and that had me raising an eyebrow.
3.5 Stars
Gentrification has officially come to the neighborhood with the demolition of an old tenement building and notices on the remaining apartment’s doors from the landlord notifying the occupants they will either have to purchase their residences or move. Dual narrators tell the goings on – half by daughter Luz, half by her mother Eusebia. Eusebia’s portion involves her attempts to save the neighborhood. Luz’s is about finding her own place after being unexpectedly fired from her high profile job as a lawyer.
Let me confess right away that this was a real crap week at work and it took me three times as long to read this as it normally would. That definitely could have impacted my rating. I still thought it was a solid debut, but I struggled with the disconnect between the two narrators (Eusebia’s portion was almost like a social thriller that really had me invested, while Luz’s was a family drama/romance mashup). And after “The Tongues” presented their first interlude I really wished the entire book had been written using their voices. I loooooove stories about neighborhoods (especially when the neighborhood itself is almost a main character). If the delivery had been via their narration and provided a more rounded picture of not only Eusebia and Luz’s household, but also included that of Angèlica and Christian and Francesca and Cuca and Juan Juan and Renè, this easily could have been a five star read for me. I’ll blame my own 20+ years in the legal field for some minor bits that I took issue with and that had me raising an eyebrow.
3.5 Stars
June 18, 2023
Who would have said that the earth---- PABLO NERUDA, "How Much Happens in a Day"
with its ancient skin would change so much?
This is a lovely debut novel by Cleyvis Natera relating the immigrant experience of the Guerreros family coming from the Dominican Republic to New York City twenty years ago. However, each member of the family reacts in very different ways to the gentrification of their neighborhood with the razing of a neighborhood tenement house to be built with new high-rise apartments. Vladimir is a detective with New York Police Department and anticipating retiring soon and returning to the Dominican Republic with his love, Eusebia, to their dream home that he is secretly building to surprise Eusebia now that their daughter Luz is a successful Manhattan lawyer and doesn't need their support. The beautiful thread that is woven seamlessly thoughout this heartwarming story is the poetry of Pablo Neruda as everyone tries to determine what makes up home; it could be a place, a person, a feeling or even a profession. It is described as a fluid thing but precious.
"The only anomaly was her father's old book of poems by Pablo Neruda."
"She remembered the generosity of love, how Vladimir had known the distance between them for what it was, and how he decided to to reignite their love and had found so many ways to do so. An old salsa song, an invitation to the old women of the building, whom she'd eventually called the Tongues, who as a housewarming gift brought Eusebia a copy of Neruda's love poems and a pot of caramelized chicken. Vladimir developed a new habit, overnight, of reading aloud from that collection of poetry by Pablo Neruda. That last one her favorite, because it reminded her of when they were kids, how he loved to read, and would do it aloud because she couldn't stand sitting still and staring at a page. And the way he did it, just like it wasn't a big deal, but in his tenor a note of desparation. To have sacrificed as much as they both had to have it fall apart? No. Those poems were about love, and through listening to what Valadimir was saying in recitation, which was really what he couldn't possibly have ever said with his own words, she'd been transported to earlier version of herself, an earlier version of them both.
This book was a many-layered portrait and a rich tapestry of our humanity, that being of family, friendship, ambition and aspirations. It is also a story of what makes up a community and the sacrifices one is prepared to make as well as an individual's goals and what becomes important. Cleyvis Natera is certainly an author that I will look forward to her future works. I was struck to her dedication of this book to her readers:
"This book would not exist without you, the readers. I hope every one of you who has ever been transplanted, made to feel unwelcomed, who faces hostility at home or beyond, embraces my abuelita's words: Let us grow rooted in love of all our homes, let us rejoice in our strength and never shy away from it, let our stories change the world with the power and beauty of our imagination."
May 19, 2022
If you enjoyed Olga Dies Dreaming, you will enjoy reading Neruda on the Park by Cleyvis Natera. This debut is a gripping family drama that will pull at your heartstrings.
Synopsis:
Luz Guerreros, is an ambitious lawyer in a competitive career. She has lived in New York for twenty years in a Dominican neighborhood with her her mom Eusebia and dad Vladimir. The family is originally from the Dominican Republic and Luz's dad Vladimir dreams of retiring there.
The mom Eusebia, is a proud woman and is disturbed by the demolition of her neighborhood. Unbeknownst to Luz and Vladimur, a plan is devised by Eusebia to stop the construction of elaborate condominiums in her community by large corporations. Could this secret plan have dire consequences?
This book has romance, family relationships and a strong sense of community. I love the "Tongues" perspective. They are a group of hilarious neighborhood gossips that add their point of views. This story goes in several different directions and can get confusing, but stay with it because it all comes together at the end in a heartwarming way.
(3.5 stars rounded up to 4 ⭐⭐⭐⭐)
A huge thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine, for allowing me to review this beautiful novel. I appreciate your kindness and look forward to reading more from the Cleyvis Natera. I love the gorgeous book cover! ❤
Synopsis:
Luz Guerreros, is an ambitious lawyer in a competitive career. She has lived in New York for twenty years in a Dominican neighborhood with her her mom Eusebia and dad Vladimir. The family is originally from the Dominican Republic and Luz's dad Vladimir dreams of retiring there.
The mom Eusebia, is a proud woman and is disturbed by the demolition of her neighborhood. Unbeknownst to Luz and Vladimur, a plan is devised by Eusebia to stop the construction of elaborate condominiums in her community by large corporations. Could this secret plan have dire consequences?
This book has romance, family relationships and a strong sense of community. I love the "Tongues" perspective. They are a group of hilarious neighborhood gossips that add their point of views. This story goes in several different directions and can get confusing, but stay with it because it all comes together at the end in a heartwarming way.
(3.5 stars rounded up to 4 ⭐⭐⭐⭐)
A huge thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine, for allowing me to review this beautiful novel. I appreciate your kindness and look forward to reading more from the Cleyvis Natera. I love the gorgeous book cover! ❤
November 2, 2021
Oh, how I wanted to love this book! The premise is enticing - a Dominican family in Nothar Park (upper Manhattan) is forced to deal with the demolition of an eyesore of a building that will be replaced by a development company looking to gentrify the area. Luz is a late 20-something lawyer who lives with her mother and father. After Luz's work path turns in a different direction, she confronts her previous view of herself in addition to her parents' expectations. Eusebia, Luz's mother, refuses to take the gentrification of the neighborhood lightly and devises a plan to make Nothar Park seem undesirable to those who would move in. In the meantime, Luz meets Hudson who turns out to own the company developing the new building. Throughout the course of the book, we see Luz and Eusebia's relationship change as Luz discovers what she wants and Eusebia reflects upon her life and the decisions that others have always made for her.
The character development in the novel seems choppy. We never really understand Luz's motivations and many of the events seem disjointed, particularly towards the end in regards to Luz and Hudson's relationship. Eusebia's plan to save the neighborhood happens with the buy-in of many of their building's residents, but there is no indication why some of them make these life-altering choices. The only constant character is Vladimir, Luz's father and Eusebia's husband. His focus is on retiring from the NYPD to the Dominican Republic and building a house for him and Eusebia to spend their days.
The subsection titles within each chapter are distracting and unnecessary. They pull a word or phrase from the section that often does not seem to be the important message that the author wants us to receive. Additionally, the inclusion of Spanish words, while helping to flavor the text and narrative, stalls a non-Spanish reader. A glossary at the end of the book would solve this problem.
Overall, I really wanted to love this novel. But without revealing too much of the story, many of the events seem unrealistic and just plain odd.
Thanks to #NetGalley for an #ARC. #CleyvisNatera #NerudaonthePark
The character development in the novel seems choppy. We never really understand Luz's motivations and many of the events seem disjointed, particularly towards the end in regards to Luz and Hudson's relationship. Eusebia's plan to save the neighborhood happens with the buy-in of many of their building's residents, but there is no indication why some of them make these life-altering choices. The only constant character is Vladimir, Luz's father and Eusebia's husband. His focus is on retiring from the NYPD to the Dominican Republic and building a house for him and Eusebia to spend their days.
The subsection titles within each chapter are distracting and unnecessary. They pull a word or phrase from the section that often does not seem to be the important message that the author wants us to receive. Additionally, the inclusion of Spanish words, while helping to flavor the text and narrative, stalls a non-Spanish reader. A glossary at the end of the book would solve this problem.
Overall, I really wanted to love this novel. But without revealing too much of the story, many of the events seem unrealistic and just plain odd.
Thanks to #NetGalley for an #ARC. #CleyvisNatera #NerudaonthePark
May 19, 2022
Luz Guerrero is an up and coming lawyer working for a Manhattan law firm, fully expecting to be given news of a promotion when she meets her boss for breakfast at a fancy restaurant...but instead she is shocked to be told she is going to be let go. How to tell her Dominican parents, Eusebia and Vladimir, who are so proud of their daughter? Should she pretend she's still working while desperately trying to find another position? Or take her time and decide what she really wants to do with her life?
The Guerreros live together in the Nothar Park neighborhood of the city which is about to undergo gentrification with the tearing down of an abandoned building to make room for luxury condos. And, even more confounding to them and their neighbors, they receive notification that their own building where they've lived for twenty years, will soon be converted to condos.
What the heck are they going to do now? Eusebia, a respected elder in the community, takes matters into her own hands and organizes her Dominican neighbors to take action. People listen to her but her plans seem to get crazier and riskier as they go along...
Meanwhile, Vladimir, who is a NYC cop, is secretly planning their retirement home back in the Dominican Republic, building it with the help of money provided by his daughter and her high power job. What will he do now if Eusebia refuses to go back home?
And Luz becomes too distracted by the hunky and wealthy developer designing that new building on the park to pay much attention to what's going on with her crazy mother.
The story alternates between Luz and Eusebia's perspectives which works well for this story of two such different women. Natera vividly brings that whole unique Dominican neighborhood to life with her many eccentric characters and their hopes, dreams and worries. An entertaining story of strained but loving relationships.
I received an arc of this debut novel from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Many thanks for the opportunity to meet a fine new author.
The Guerreros live together in the Nothar Park neighborhood of the city which is about to undergo gentrification with the tearing down of an abandoned building to make room for luxury condos. And, even more confounding to them and their neighbors, they receive notification that their own building where they've lived for twenty years, will soon be converted to condos.
What the heck are they going to do now? Eusebia, a respected elder in the community, takes matters into her own hands and organizes her Dominican neighbors to take action. People listen to her but her plans seem to get crazier and riskier as they go along...
Meanwhile, Vladimir, who is a NYC cop, is secretly planning their retirement home back in the Dominican Republic, building it with the help of money provided by his daughter and her high power job. What will he do now if Eusebia refuses to go back home?
And Luz becomes too distracted by the hunky and wealthy developer designing that new building on the park to pay much attention to what's going on with her crazy mother.
The story alternates between Luz and Eusebia's perspectives which works well for this story of two such different women. Natera vividly brings that whole unique Dominican neighborhood to life with her many eccentric characters and their hopes, dreams and worries. An entertaining story of strained but loving relationships.
I received an arc of this debut novel from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Many thanks for the opportunity to meet a fine new author.
March 5, 2022
To thine own self be true. That seems to be the sentence that sums up this thrill of a novel. It doesn’t start out out as a suspense thriller, but Cleyvis Natera slowly and with rapturous prose unravels the story of Luz and Eusebio Guerrero parallel with the fraying of their mostly Dominican neighborhood in New York City. The novel is divided into three parts, Demolition, Excavation, and Grounding. Luz is the daughter of Eusebio and Vladimir.
They left the Dominican Republic to settle in NYC. The parents sacrificed to see that Luz finished law school and passed the Bar. She is a practicing lawyer in a prestigious Manhattan law firm when she is summarily dismissed. This event kicks off the novel and immediately drew me in, I wanted to know why. How could this happen? Well, small spoiler here, that’s not really the crux of this story.
The bigger issue is the coming gentrification of their neighborhood. And what must be done to stop the construction and destruction. And Eusebio has a plan that is crazy and sets the thriller in motion. Several times, I asked of Eusebia, what are you thinking? But remember my first sentence. To thine own self be true. By the third part of the novel, the ominous clouds are forming and the storm of suspense rises to a thrilling but not complete conclusion.
Are the lies we tell ourselves harmless? What kind of damage can we wrought? These themes are explored under a big umbrella that also addresses the idea of “home” as physical place or psychic peace. Really enjoyed how Cleyvis built this story and the emotional mother daughter relationship. It was damn near perfect plotting and pacing. Besides the cliched boyfriend hookup for Luz, there isn’t much to dislike. Is the neighborhood decaying or is Eusebia’s perspective crumbling? You’ll have to read this debut novel to find out? Thanks to Netgalley and Ballantine for an advanced DRC. The book drops May 8, 2022. Mark your calendar.
They left the Dominican Republic to settle in NYC. The parents sacrificed to see that Luz finished law school and passed the Bar. She is a practicing lawyer in a prestigious Manhattan law firm when she is summarily dismissed. This event kicks off the novel and immediately drew me in, I wanted to know why. How could this happen? Well, small spoiler here, that’s not really the crux of this story.
The bigger issue is the coming gentrification of their neighborhood. And what must be done to stop the construction and destruction. And Eusebio has a plan that is crazy and sets the thriller in motion. Several times, I asked of Eusebia, what are you thinking? But remember my first sentence. To thine own self be true. By the third part of the novel, the ominous clouds are forming and the storm of suspense rises to a thrilling but not complete conclusion.
Are the lies we tell ourselves harmless? What kind of damage can we wrought? These themes are explored under a big umbrella that also addresses the idea of “home” as physical place or psychic peace. Really enjoyed how Cleyvis built this story and the emotional mother daughter relationship. It was damn near perfect plotting and pacing. Besides the cliched boyfriend hookup for Luz, there isn’t much to dislike. Is the neighborhood decaying or is Eusebia’s perspective crumbling? You’ll have to read this debut novel to find out? Thanks to Netgalley and Ballantine for an advanced DRC. The book drops May 8, 2022. Mark your calendar.
May 6, 2022
⭐️⭐️⭐️ 3/5. Liked it, didn’t love it, but would absolutely read more by this author (I even got some Franzen vibes!).
Many thanks to Ballantine Books and @NetGalley for the complimentary advance review copy. All thoughts are my own.
We are transported to the fictional neighborhood of Northar Park in upper Manhattan, a mostly Dominican neighborhood, where a wealthy developer has decided to tear down tenement housing and construct new luxury condos. The Guerrero family, Dominican immigrants and long established community members, are forced to either purchase their apartment or move out of the neighborhood that has become home. Matriarch Eusebia becomes determined to stop the gentrification process by any means necessary, while at the same time her daughter Luz starts dating said wealthy developer. You might be thinking to yourself, I think I know where this is going, but you would be WRONG!!!
About 20 pages into this book, I thought this was going to be a five star read. Natera’s writing is beautiful (and complex and provocative and surprising…) and the topic of gentrification and its pros and cons fascinates me. Luz’s realization that being a big-time attorney wasn’t making her happy definitely resonated with me (👋), and “the tongues” (the ladies who sit on lawn chairs outside of their building and spread all the neighborhood gossip) were such fantastic characters.
Towards the middle, the plot lost some steam – things got overly complicated, then confusing, and then just plain weird! The ending didn’t provide much, if any, resolution. After spending so much time with Eusebia, it was frustrating to be left feeling uncertain about her true feelings for her neighborhood and her daughter. Still, Natera is a fresh and exciting voice and I am eager to see what she does next.
Many thanks to Ballantine Books and @NetGalley for the complimentary advance review copy. All thoughts are my own.
We are transported to the fictional neighborhood of Northar Park in upper Manhattan, a mostly Dominican neighborhood, where a wealthy developer has decided to tear down tenement housing and construct new luxury condos. The Guerrero family, Dominican immigrants and long established community members, are forced to either purchase their apartment or move out of the neighborhood that has become home. Matriarch Eusebia becomes determined to stop the gentrification process by any means necessary, while at the same time her daughter Luz starts dating said wealthy developer. You might be thinking to yourself, I think I know where this is going, but you would be WRONG!!!
About 20 pages into this book, I thought this was going to be a five star read. Natera’s writing is beautiful (and complex and provocative and surprising…) and the topic of gentrification and its pros and cons fascinates me. Luz’s realization that being a big-time attorney wasn’t making her happy definitely resonated with me (👋), and “the tongues” (the ladies who sit on lawn chairs outside of their building and spread all the neighborhood gossip) were such fantastic characters.
Towards the middle, the plot lost some steam – things got overly complicated, then confusing, and then just plain weird! The ending didn’t provide much, if any, resolution. After spending so much time with Eusebia, it was frustrating to be left feeling uncertain about her true feelings for her neighborhood and her daughter. Still, Natera is a fresh and exciting voice and I am eager to see what she does next.
November 12, 2021
A complex but interesting story that I was surprised to enjoy as much as I did. The story is told from the perspective of Luz and her mother Eusebia with occasional interjections by “The Tongues”, 3 sisters known to be gossips. All are immigrants from the Dominican Republic living near Nothar Park in New York City. Luz is a recently unemployed attorney trying to figure out what to do with her life. She meets and falls in love with Hudson and finds out that he is behind the demolition of an old building in her neighborhood and planned construction of luxury apartments at the site. In the meantime, Eusebia is fighting the neighborhood changes and takes her attempted sabotage to extremes. Luz’s father, Vladimir is occupied with his work on difficult cases as a police officer and with building a retirement dream home for he and Eusebia in the Dominican Republic so is mostly unaware of his family and neighborhood spiraling out of control.
I was surprised at how much I enjoyed the book because it seemed a little disjointed and lacking direction and plot at first. However, I felt like the main characters were developed well in an interesting and intriguing manner. There were humorous moments involving some minor characters such as Eusebia’s sister, Cuca and The Tongues. I felt like the interjections by The Tongues gave the book a unique perspective and demonstrated the author’s creative writing style. There were definitely unanswered questions in the end but letting the reader wonder, think about the possibilities and want more is a writing style that I always enjoy.
Thanks to NetGalley and Random House Publishers for the Advanced Reader Copy!
I was surprised at how much I enjoyed the book because it seemed a little disjointed and lacking direction and plot at first. However, I felt like the main characters were developed well in an interesting and intriguing manner. There were humorous moments involving some minor characters such as Eusebia’s sister, Cuca and The Tongues. I felt like the interjections by The Tongues gave the book a unique perspective and demonstrated the author’s creative writing style. There were definitely unanswered questions in the end but letting the reader wonder, think about the possibilities and want more is a writing style that I always enjoy.
Thanks to NetGalley and Random House Publishers for the Advanced Reader Copy!
June 25, 2022
Gentrification is a practice that ruins the lives of many. In the case of this book, Neruda on the Park, the Dominican neighborhood of Nothar Park is facing a very difficult time. Developers are offering large cash settlements in order to rid the neighborhood of its long-term residents, with plans of high rises and other things that appeal to the rich.
The Guerreros family have lived their with their other Dominican neighbors for decades. Demolition is going on, and Eusebia Guerreros plans on taking matters in her own hands, going to any extreme possible to bring a stop to these changes. Meanwhile, her daughter Luz is excited that she is about to be made partner at her law firm. Mostly Anglicized, Luz has huge career goals. However, the promotion doesn't happen. In fact, she is fired. No job. No more expensive clothes and shoes. And, if the developers have anything to do with it, no home.
One of the developers named Hudson has caught Luz's eye. The two begin to date despite the huge conflict that lies between them. And, as everything is going on Luz's father Vladmir, works hard with and for immigrants in his job as a police officer. Also, since he and Luz have a secret they share - building a retirement home for him and Eusebia in the Dominican Republic, a cash buyout really appeals to him. So, three people in one small family, all with different goals and aspirations. Will what is going on destroy this family unit?
There are intriguing side stories in this novel, involving Eusebia and the reason for her actions, Vladmir's heartbreaking work experiences, Luz's facing career difficulties, and, of course, the gentrification taking place.
The history that is included in this fabulous debut novel brings my attention to Pablo Neruda and other poets of decades ago show that both Luz and Hudson are erudites, and that is always a treat for me.
This is a debut novel? Indeed it is, but it reads of years of incredible writing experience because that is what Cleyvis Natera gave us readers. Kudos to her for her first book, and she now has a new fan in me.
Many thanks to Ballantine Books and to NetGalley for this ARC for review. This is my honest opinion.
Please also enjoy my YouTube video review - https://youtu.be/Z6btwSLqFeY
The Guerreros family have lived their with their other Dominican neighbors for decades. Demolition is going on, and Eusebia Guerreros plans on taking matters in her own hands, going to any extreme possible to bring a stop to these changes. Meanwhile, her daughter Luz is excited that she is about to be made partner at her law firm. Mostly Anglicized, Luz has huge career goals. However, the promotion doesn't happen. In fact, she is fired. No job. No more expensive clothes and shoes. And, if the developers have anything to do with it, no home.
One of the developers named Hudson has caught Luz's eye. The two begin to date despite the huge conflict that lies between them. And, as everything is going on Luz's father Vladmir, works hard with and for immigrants in his job as a police officer. Also, since he and Luz have a secret they share - building a retirement home for him and Eusebia in the Dominican Republic, a cash buyout really appeals to him. So, three people in one small family, all with different goals and aspirations. Will what is going on destroy this family unit?
There are intriguing side stories in this novel, involving Eusebia and the reason for her actions, Vladmir's heartbreaking work experiences, Luz's facing career difficulties, and, of course, the gentrification taking place.
The history that is included in this fabulous debut novel brings my attention to Pablo Neruda and other poets of decades ago show that both Luz and Hudson are erudites, and that is always a treat for me.
This is a debut novel? Indeed it is, but it reads of years of incredible writing experience because that is what Cleyvis Natera gave us readers. Kudos to her for her first book, and she now has a new fan in me.
Many thanks to Ballantine Books and to NetGalley for this ARC for review. This is my honest opinion.
Please also enjoy my YouTube video review - https://youtu.be/Z6btwSLqFeY
January 25, 2022
NERUDA ON THE PARK is unlike anything I've ever read before. This is the unforgettable story of a family and community under threat, and a mother and daughter just beginning to truly see one another. It is as poignant and perceptive as it is sexy and thrilling, the rare book that manages to be chilling and fun and profound all at once. A remarkable feat of imagination from a wholly original writer.
November 22, 2022
I really enjoyed the beginning of this novel and thought it had so much promise. Unfortunately, it could not keep my attention and seemed to go all over the place, and I was diverted down a million side alleys I didn’t enjoy heading down. Ultimately it wasn’t my cup of tea. I couldn’t relate to the characters, and they didn’t feel like real people to me. The middle went on forever until finally I gave up reading it.
I was given a complimentary copy of the digital ARC by the publisher and NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.
I was given a complimentary copy of the digital ARC by the publisher and NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.
June 9, 2022
RTC. A LOT of thoughts on this one. 3.5 rated up to 4.
June 18, 2022
Wtf did I just read.
May 25, 2023
I went into this story thinking the focus would be on the gentrification of a neighborhood and the displacement of so many families. This book ended up being so much more. From Luz, Eusebia, and occasionally The Tounges' perspective, we explore what a home and community really is. Peppered with shocking revelations along the way, we follow these characters as they find the meaning in their lives.
October 6, 2022
This could've been a book about a badass elderly Dominican lady rallying her neighborhood to fight off gentrifiers, but instead its politics derail with every added thread.
I'm not a fan of the "race traitor" character type, which is who this book primarily revolves around. Luz's character bothers me a lot because most of her choices are unexplained, like her relationship with the man who will tear down the buildings in her lifelong neighborhood. The whole development of their relationship feels fake; there's no tension 1) because they say I love you after a week of knowing each other, and 2) because SHE DOESN'T SEE A PROBLEM WITH HIS WORK until he talks about building an underground apocalyptic community.
What I disliked the most was the disrespect toward Eusebia, Luz's mother. Her idea to keep her neighborhood alive is to create crime to the point where rich people would no longer want to take over. This should've been the main plot. There's so much nuance with this idea, yet Natera strikes it down completely, explaining away this "bizarre" mindset with an untreated concussion. The whole resolution around Eusebia's character feels a bit disrespectful toward the power of elders in community organizing. There's a line toward the end saying how the crimes committed drove neighbors further apart, which definitely could've been expanded upon (and would have been a much more satisfying ending).
The plot is solved passively in the last five pages. Luz gets a change of heart and gets the neighborhood declared a heritage sight somehow. The entire last third of the book feels completely rushed.
The writing, though, is gorgeous and immersive. What stood out most to me was this one section about Eusebia's sister, Cuca, who goes to DR for plastic surgery and comes back nearly disfigured but sets a trend for the other women in the neighborhood. I felt so much sadness and tenderness toward her character and Natera's description; I could see the world that is built through these side characters, but I wish this same care was given to the two main characters.
I'm not a fan of the "race traitor" character type, which is who this book primarily revolves around. Luz's character bothers me a lot because most of her choices are unexplained, like her relationship with the man who will tear down the buildings in her lifelong neighborhood. The whole development of their relationship feels fake; there's no tension 1) because they say I love you after a week of knowing each other, and 2) because SHE DOESN'T SEE A PROBLEM WITH HIS WORK until he talks about building an underground apocalyptic community.
What I disliked the most was the disrespect toward Eusebia, Luz's mother. Her idea to keep her neighborhood alive is to create crime to the point where rich people would no longer want to take over. This should've been the main plot. There's so much nuance with this idea, yet Natera strikes it down completely, explaining away this "bizarre" mindset with an untreated concussion. The whole resolution around Eusebia's character feels a bit disrespectful toward the power of elders in community organizing. There's a line toward the end saying how the crimes committed drove neighbors further apart, which definitely could've been expanded upon (and would have been a much more satisfying ending).
The plot is solved passively in the last five pages. Luz gets a change of heart and gets the neighborhood declared a heritage sight somehow. The entire last third of the book feels completely rushed.
The writing, though, is gorgeous and immersive. What stood out most to me was this one section about Eusebia's sister, Cuca, who goes to DR for plastic surgery and comes back nearly disfigured but sets a trend for the other women in the neighborhood. I felt so much sadness and tenderness toward her character and Natera's description; I could see the world that is built through these side characters, but I wish this same care was given to the two main characters.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 5, 2022
I got bored and skipped to the end. The story was all over the place like it was trying to be too many things.
August 6, 2022
“It isn’t the way here, to care. To be selfless.”
I really enjoyed this debut! The close-knit ties of a Dominican family living in the fictional NYC neighborhood of Nothar Park immediately drew me in. You could just feel the love, especially from Eusebia, the matriarch and caretaker of the family who has spent decades of her life sacrificing for others. Gentrifiers are about to upend their community and Eusebia hates it.
Luz, her adult daughter, has found herself in a precarious season in life, working for a prestigious law firm and making good money, the opposite of her childhood best friend Angélica, but still not making enough money to keep up with the bougie lifestyles of her coworkers and boss, whom she strives to emulate, and she actually hates her job.
The patriarch, Vladimir, has worked hard for his family since moving them from the DR, and wants to retire soon from being a detective so that he and Eusebia can live out their golden years in their dream home back in the Dominican.
That’s where the loving familial story sort of ends and everything changes. After an accident in the park, Eusebia becomes hyper-focused on saving her neighborhood, and develops an unrealistic and dangerous plan to ward off investors interested in making their neighborhood the next Brooklyn. Luz finds an unlikely love interest and becomes disconnected from her family.
The remaining journey throughout this book takes us through Eusebia’s increasingly alarming behavior and misguided ideas, Luz trying to find her place in the world, a side plot with Eusebia’s sister that illustrates the lengths women sometimes go to keep a man, and the toll past trauma can take on a person when buried inside them for years.
I thought the audiobook was narrated very well and I highly recommend listening to this one!
I really enjoyed this debut! The close-knit ties of a Dominican family living in the fictional NYC neighborhood of Nothar Park immediately drew me in. You could just feel the love, especially from Eusebia, the matriarch and caretaker of the family who has spent decades of her life sacrificing for others. Gentrifiers are about to upend their community and Eusebia hates it.
Luz, her adult daughter, has found herself in a precarious season in life, working for a prestigious law firm and making good money, the opposite of her childhood best friend Angélica, but still not making enough money to keep up with the bougie lifestyles of her coworkers and boss, whom she strives to emulate, and she actually hates her job.
The patriarch, Vladimir, has worked hard for his family since moving them from the DR, and wants to retire soon from being a detective so that he and Eusebia can live out their golden years in their dream home back in the Dominican.
That’s where the loving familial story sort of ends and everything changes. After an accident in the park, Eusebia becomes hyper-focused on saving her neighborhood, and develops an unrealistic and dangerous plan to ward off investors interested in making their neighborhood the next Brooklyn. Luz finds an unlikely love interest and becomes disconnected from her family.
The remaining journey throughout this book takes us through Eusebia’s increasingly alarming behavior and misguided ideas, Luz trying to find her place in the world, a side plot with Eusebia’s sister that illustrates the lengths women sometimes go to keep a man, and the toll past trauma can take on a person when buried inside them for years.
I thought the audiobook was narrated very well and I highly recommend listening to this one!
April 7, 2022
After reviewing novels for 15 years and plotting my own, it's not often that a book surprises me, but Neruda on the Park is an astounding debut. The set-up reminded me of the movie You've Got Mail: a naive young woman falls for the charming developer who threatens to destroy her world. However, as the beautiful cover art reveals, Neruda on the Park is more of a mother-daughter story than a romance, unless Nothar Park, their Dominican neighborhood in NYC, is the main love interest. What the story becomes is true to the multidimensional characters in our uncertain times but not what you'd expect from genre scaffolding.
Natera's novel has such a wonderful sense of place of both Manhattan (where I grew up) and the Dominican Republic (where I've visited). The generosity and rivalry of neighbors in a close knit community was well observed. I especially enjoyed the descriptions of food: "Pastel making started out as it always did - hours peeling skin, grinding the flesh of plátanos, yautias, and yuccas until the grainy yellow paste was smooth enough to be mistaken for cooked cornmeal." There's so much local flavor: from the decorative (not pandemic) masks celebrating Dominican Independence Day to the sidewalk barbecues with extra food to share, but crime, sexism, racism, and ICE lurk around the corner.
The book opens with commercial glitz: successful women wear designer suits with mortgageable shoes and dine in trendy restaurants. The power players, both black and white, live in private brownstones, where jewelry and books are displayed behind glass like trophies of social status. Double Ivy League educated herself, Luz Guerrero wants to grasp everything that is withheld from her. Her name in Spanish means light warrior, and she earns it, fighting for justice.
To please her doting parents and her mentor-boss, Luz works long hours as a corporate lawyer, pouring her savings into her parent's retirement home back in DR and buying designer clothes for herself on credit. After her career hits an unexpected setback, Luz meets a handsome billionaire in a hot yoga class (don't quit reading). Although white and privileged, Hudson apologizes for his mistakes, speaks better Spanish than hers, recites Pablo Neruda's poetry from heart, and welcomes Luz into his luxurious world without reservations. Hudson wants the best for her. So why does her mother hate him?
Halfway through the book, the seemingly predictable plot warps like a Dali clock, resetting our perception of reality. What I enjoyed the most was watching the characters develop and twist the storyline in unexpected directions, but I won't say any more to avoid spoilers. Except go pre-order this May 17th book from your local indie bookstore before it sells out. Publishing rights to Neruda on the Park sold at auction for all the right reasons. Will there be a movie?
Me encantó.
Natera's novel has such a wonderful sense of place of both Manhattan (where I grew up) and the Dominican Republic (where I've visited). The generosity and rivalry of neighbors in a close knit community was well observed. I especially enjoyed the descriptions of food: "Pastel making started out as it always did - hours peeling skin, grinding the flesh of plátanos, yautias, and yuccas until the grainy yellow paste was smooth enough to be mistaken for cooked cornmeal." There's so much local flavor: from the decorative (not pandemic) masks celebrating Dominican Independence Day to the sidewalk barbecues with extra food to share, but crime, sexism, racism, and ICE lurk around the corner.
The book opens with commercial glitz: successful women wear designer suits with mortgageable shoes and dine in trendy restaurants. The power players, both black and white, live in private brownstones, where jewelry and books are displayed behind glass like trophies of social status. Double Ivy League educated herself, Luz Guerrero wants to grasp everything that is withheld from her. Her name in Spanish means light warrior, and she earns it, fighting for justice.
To please her doting parents and her mentor-boss, Luz works long hours as a corporate lawyer, pouring her savings into her parent's retirement home back in DR and buying designer clothes for herself on credit. After her career hits an unexpected setback, Luz meets a handsome billionaire in a hot yoga class (don't quit reading). Although white and privileged, Hudson apologizes for his mistakes, speaks better Spanish than hers, recites Pablo Neruda's poetry from heart, and welcomes Luz into his luxurious world without reservations. Hudson wants the best for her. So why does her mother hate him?
Halfway through the book, the seemingly predictable plot warps like a Dali clock, resetting our perception of reality. What I enjoyed the most was watching the characters develop and twist the storyline in unexpected directions, but I won't say any more to avoid spoilers. Except go pre-order this May 17th book from your local indie bookstore before it sells out. Publishing rights to Neruda on the Park sold at auction for all the right reasons. Will there be a movie?
Me encantó.
June 21, 2022
I wanted to like this one more than I did, but after a promising start it devolved into an increasingly uneasy mixture of disparate plot elements: a little Harlequin romance, a dash of dangerous sabotage, a retirement dream so implausibly kept secret, and lots more tumbling around in there.
Nothar Park is an area of NYC that is largely Dominican, but a long burned-out tenement building is knocked down and the planned replacement tower of luxury condos signals that the vibrant ethnic neighbourhood is about to undergo gentrification, making it unaffordable for the long-time residents. The focus is on one family: father Vladimir, a police detective who hates his job and dreams of retiring and returning to the Dominican Republic, Eusebia, the self-sacrificing woman who lives to wait on her family hand and foot, and Luz, their 30-ish daughter, who still lives with them and who is fulfilling the American Dream of her parents by having become a lawyer and rising in a high-powered firm, nose firmly to the grindstone. But it’s all a house of cards that soon starts to tremble.
There’s a scene close to the beginning that lays out Eusebia’s morning routine. She’s almost jaw-droppingly self-effacing: everything she does is for Vladimir and Luz, and only them. She gets up much earlier than they do to make each of them their perfect breakfast and coffee just the way they each want it and doesn’t take a bite for herself till they’re done and out the door. I think the author creates this scene showing Eusebia’s loving attention to every detail just to underline the sea change that’s about to take place in her. She becomes increasingly unhinged by the thought of the neighbourhood’s gentrification and develops a steely determination to stop it at any cost. She comes up with a harebrained scheme that clearly has no hope of success, but nevertheless manages to convince several of her friends and neighbours to get on board, involving them in illegal and increasingly dangerous activity. Meanwhile, Luz (who is dark-skinned and six feet tall and lean as a greyhound) has started a passionate (and secret from her parents) romance with the handsome and wealthy developer responsible for the condo tower. Oh, and Vladimir has been secretly (lots and lots of big secrets in this family) building a beautiful house on a verdant hill in the DR to surprise his wife. (Really? You build a house and plan to retire there with your wife without saying a single word to her about it? You don’t consult her about a single decision, however small, oh, maybe the kitchen layout or the colour of the tiles around the pool?) House of cards, brace yourself for the big blow.
This wasn’t terrible, it just never cohered for me but remained a rather messy jumble with some outlandish elements.
Nothar Park is an area of NYC that is largely Dominican, but a long burned-out tenement building is knocked down and the planned replacement tower of luxury condos signals that the vibrant ethnic neighbourhood is about to undergo gentrification, making it unaffordable for the long-time residents. The focus is on one family: father Vladimir, a police detective who hates his job and dreams of retiring and returning to the Dominican Republic, Eusebia, the self-sacrificing woman who lives to wait on her family hand and foot, and Luz, their 30-ish daughter, who still lives with them and who is fulfilling the American Dream of her parents by having become a lawyer and rising in a high-powered firm, nose firmly to the grindstone. But it’s all a house of cards that soon starts to tremble.
There’s a scene close to the beginning that lays out Eusebia’s morning routine. She’s almost jaw-droppingly self-effacing: everything she does is for Vladimir and Luz, and only them. She gets up much earlier than they do to make each of them their perfect breakfast and coffee just the way they each want it and doesn’t take a bite for herself till they’re done and out the door. I think the author creates this scene showing Eusebia’s loving attention to every detail just to underline the sea change that’s about to take place in her. She becomes increasingly unhinged by the thought of the neighbourhood’s gentrification and develops a steely determination to stop it at any cost. She comes up with a harebrained scheme that clearly has no hope of success, but nevertheless manages to convince several of her friends and neighbours to get on board, involving them in illegal and increasingly dangerous activity. Meanwhile, Luz (who is dark-skinned and six feet tall and lean as a greyhound) has started a passionate (and secret from her parents) romance with the handsome and wealthy developer responsible for the condo tower. Oh, and Vladimir has been secretly (lots and lots of big secrets in this family) building a beautiful house on a verdant hill in the DR to surprise his wife. (Really? You build a house and plan to retire there with your wife without saying a single word to her about it? You don’t consult her about a single decision, however small, oh, maybe the kitchen layout or the colour of the tiles around the pool?) House of cards, brace yourself for the big blow.
This wasn’t terrible, it just never cohered for me but remained a rather messy jumble with some outlandish elements.
July 6, 2022
On paper, Neruda On The Park is 100% the kind of book I’d like. An Afro-Dominican family living in a New York City neighbourhood on the brink of dooming gentrification with a sprinkle of magical realism! But something about this book just didn't connect. I’m quite surprised I even finished it!
The book focuses on the Guerrero family. The father, Vladimir, is a police officer and the mother, Eusebia, is a devoted homemaker and friend to many in the community. Their daughter Luz is a successful lawyer until she loses her job on the day she thought she was going to get promoted. They live in an apartment building in a community called Nothar Park, home to many other immigrant families, the majority of which are from the Dominican Republic.
The community fears for their future when a new development replaces an abandoned building in their neighbourhood. In order to bring this new development to life, something or someone has to be squeezed out. Eusebia takes it upon herself to find a way to keep their community the way it is even if it means going to extreme measures and putting those she loves at risk in the process.
While the premise of the novel is interesting, I found the reading experiences so clunky and jarring. The daughter Luz is described as an intelligent, successful Millennial which is totally my demographic (minus the intelligence and success HAHA) and yet she felt nothing like any Millennial I’ve met. The language and “wokeness” for lack of a better term felt forced. And the constant references to her selfies and her need to show up and show off on social media was overdone.
The chapters flipped between the perspectives of Eusebia, Luz and a collective character referred to as ‘The Tongues’. Switching up the narrator is usually an effective tactic for exploring different viewpoints, adding depth to the plot and adding objectivity. The issue I found was that even within each character's chapter there were sub-chapters with a title pulled from the section. I’m not sure what the author was hoping to achieve with this. It almost felt like she was saying “This line is really important! Make sure you keep an eye out for it.” But if a line is significant and written well, I don’t need the author to point it out for me. I found it disrupted the flow a bit.
Even though the novel wasn’t the best for me, I can appreciate some of the topics the story explored such as the role of the homemaker and how their work is often undermined and undervalued; how the mental and physical health of women is treated in the healthcare system and within society; the effects of toxic work culture and the need to appear successful.
Despite all this, the ending was actually alright. It felt a bit rushed but I was ready for the book to be over.
The book focuses on the Guerrero family. The father, Vladimir, is a police officer and the mother, Eusebia, is a devoted homemaker and friend to many in the community. Their daughter Luz is a successful lawyer until she loses her job on the day she thought she was going to get promoted. They live in an apartment building in a community called Nothar Park, home to many other immigrant families, the majority of which are from the Dominican Republic.
The community fears for their future when a new development replaces an abandoned building in their neighbourhood. In order to bring this new development to life, something or someone has to be squeezed out. Eusebia takes it upon herself to find a way to keep their community the way it is even if it means going to extreme measures and putting those she loves at risk in the process.
While the premise of the novel is interesting, I found the reading experiences so clunky and jarring. The daughter Luz is described as an intelligent, successful Millennial which is totally my demographic (minus the intelligence and success HAHA) and yet she felt nothing like any Millennial I’ve met. The language and “wokeness” for lack of a better term felt forced. And the constant references to her selfies and her need to show up and show off on social media was overdone.
The chapters flipped between the perspectives of Eusebia, Luz and a collective character referred to as ‘The Tongues’. Switching up the narrator is usually an effective tactic for exploring different viewpoints, adding depth to the plot and adding objectivity. The issue I found was that even within each character's chapter there were sub-chapters with a title pulled from the section. I’m not sure what the author was hoping to achieve with this. It almost felt like she was saying “This line is really important! Make sure you keep an eye out for it.” But if a line is significant and written well, I don’t need the author to point it out for me. I found it disrupted the flow a bit.
Even though the novel wasn’t the best for me, I can appreciate some of the topics the story explored such as the role of the homemaker and how their work is often undermined and undervalued; how the mental and physical health of women is treated in the healthcare system and within society; the effects of toxic work culture and the need to appear successful.
Despite all this, the ending was actually alright. It felt a bit rushed but I was ready for the book to be over.
March 15, 2022
I received this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
The setting: Encroaching gentrifcation in New York City's Northar Park [fictional, I believe] and how members of the Guerreros, a Dominican family, react. Eusebia, the mom, and an elder of the community, takes matters into her own hands by devising an increasingly dangerous series of schemes to stop the construction of luxury condos. Her daughter, Luz, once a rising associate at a top Manhattan law firm [fired at the beginning of the book] becomes romantically involved with the handsome white developer at the company her mother so vehemently opposes. Vladimir, an NYPD officer and Luz's father, is so involved in the retirement home he has secretly designed in the Dominican Republic with Luz, is oblivious to the tensions between mother and daughter, husband and wife.
Throw in a bunch of other people, particularly Hudson, the developer, Angelica, a childhood friend of Luz's, "The Tongues" [loved]--the neighborhood gossips, Raenna, Luz's former boss, and Cuca and Juan Juan [a whole other story!!} and you have quite the cast of characters.
Immigrants, hardships, mothers and daughters, developers vs. community--all familiar stories. And Luz, the local girl who went to Harvard and made good.
I did enjoy a few descriptions:
"Her mothers' forehead took up a generous portion of her face..."
"...even if the parts themselves were meticulously constructed she had that man-made look people have when they've had plastic surgery."
"Her body was still in a pleaure trance."
The book is divided into three segments: demolition, excavation, and grounding.
In several instances--indeed, from the beginning, the plot development/twists were obviously telegraphed [IMHO].
This is a fast-paced read that kept me going--until it did not. At about 80% in, I felt it spiraling down. No spoiler from me, but the last 10%, though believable in terms of plot development--I had wondered--just left me disappointed.
So I'd recommend, for a slice of life, view into the Dominican culture, what happens to immigrants in their struggles against developers, but not wholeheartedly. And it definitely reminded me of a book recently read--Olga Dies Dreaming.
This is Natera's debut novel. I look forward to reading her next book.
The setting: Encroaching gentrifcation in New York City's Northar Park [fictional, I believe] and how members of the Guerreros, a Dominican family, react. Eusebia, the mom, and an elder of the community, takes matters into her own hands by devising an increasingly dangerous series of schemes to stop the construction of luxury condos. Her daughter, Luz, once a rising associate at a top Manhattan law firm [fired at the beginning of the book] becomes romantically involved with the handsome white developer at the company her mother so vehemently opposes. Vladimir, an NYPD officer and Luz's father, is so involved in the retirement home he has secretly designed in the Dominican Republic with Luz, is oblivious to the tensions between mother and daughter, husband and wife.
Throw in a bunch of other people, particularly Hudson, the developer, Angelica, a childhood friend of Luz's, "The Tongues" [loved]--the neighborhood gossips, Raenna, Luz's former boss, and Cuca and Juan Juan [a whole other story!!} and you have quite the cast of characters.
Immigrants, hardships, mothers and daughters, developers vs. community--all familiar stories. And Luz, the local girl who went to Harvard and made good.
I did enjoy a few descriptions:
"Her mothers' forehead took up a generous portion of her face..."
"...even if the parts themselves were meticulously constructed she had that man-made look people have when they've had plastic surgery."
"Her body was still in a pleaure trance."
The book is divided into three segments: demolition, excavation, and grounding.
In several instances--indeed, from the beginning, the plot development/twists were obviously telegraphed [IMHO].
This is a fast-paced read that kept me going--until it did not. At about 80% in, I felt it spiraling down. No spoiler from me, but the last 10%, though believable in terms of plot development--I had wondered--just left me disappointed.
So I'd recommend, for a slice of life, view into the Dominican culture, what happens to immigrants in their struggles against developers, but not wholeheartedly. And it definitely reminded me of a book recently read--Olga Dies Dreaming.
This is Natera's debut novel. I look forward to reading her next book.
January 24, 2022
Focussing on a loving family, each withholding secrets and dishonest motivations, Neruda on the Park presents a picture of Dominican immigrant life in New York. Luz, the daughter who has seemingly attained the American dream, armed with her law degree that means less than she'd envisioned, enters into an unlikely relationship with the developer threatening to destroy her family's neighborhood. Eusebia, her mother, has found she treasures the life she's found in New York and comes up with a questionable means of dealing with it. Vladimir, Papi, a member of the NYPF, is the least represented but whose encounters with the upheavals incurred in the course of his job. There is a Greek chorus of gossipy sisters, rounding out the primary characters. I loved the premise of the book, but there were areas where the writing could have been tighter, not as repetitive. But any story with love of the poetry of Neruda at its core holds my interest.
May 28, 2022
This is a bittersweet novel about family, traditions, and self-sacrifice. Doting, do-good Dominican-born mother Eusebia and her cronies concoct a plan to halt demolition of a neighboring condo development when the process of gentrification begins. But their schemes backfire at the same time that daughter, Luz meets the white developer Hudson and falls for him after losing her job as an attorney. And a generational chasm is opened; but family is forever, and fortunately father Vladimir has plans of his own. Natera deftly examines culture, race relations, family bonds, as well as societal expectations in this lovely tale. Clearly this is a novel for our times!
Thanks to NetGalley for this ARC!
Thanks to NetGalley for this ARC!
March 24, 2023
Wow, this was so engrossing, it took so many wild and unexpected turns.
NERUDA ON THE PARK is a story about a community and family whose lives start to become unrooted when developers move in to gentrify their neighbourhood.
I had such a love/hate relationship with the majority of these characters - one minute I was mad at them the next I was feeling so sad for them. It was a rollercoaster. Mainly, told from Eusebia and Luz’s POV as their mother-daughter relationship took a turn for the worse. I enjoyed the exploration of the sacrifices, hurt and love they had.
As for Hudson - there were so many little things that interested and irked me, I wish we had more of a discussion on who he was and the effects of his decisions.
An excellent debut!
4.25⭐
NERUDA ON THE PARK is a story about a community and family whose lives start to become unrooted when developers move in to gentrify their neighbourhood.
I had such a love/hate relationship with the majority of these characters - one minute I was mad at them the next I was feeling so sad for them. It was a rollercoaster. Mainly, told from Eusebia and Luz’s POV as their mother-daughter relationship took a turn for the worse. I enjoyed the exploration of the sacrifices, hurt and love they had.
As for Hudson - there were so many little things that interested and irked me, I wish we had more of a discussion on who he was and the effects of his decisions.
An excellent debut!
4.25⭐
July 14, 2022
This was probably more of a 2.5-3 star book but I had to knock an extra star off because of how short it fell of my expectations based on the praise it has received and the marketing/publicity push that was made for it. This book is fine if you’re looking for some very basic, straightforward, heavy handed, very commercial fiction that deals with immigrant issues in America. However, I felt like because of its pitch and placement I was expecting something a bit more upmarket or at least more nuanced. I also felt like it was a really cheap shot to evoke Pablo Neruda in the title as that has absolutely no impact on the story.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 489 reviews