Latin Moon in Manhattan

by Jaime Manrique

Exuberant and colorful, Latin Moon in Manhattan paints a vivid portrait of New York City as the land of El Dorado for today's Latino immigrants. From Little Columbia in Queens to the street life of Times Square, this brilliant novel is crowded with an extraordinary cast of characters: Hot Sauce, a midget hooker; Simon Bolivar, a parrot who croons Julio Iglesias songs; the Urrutias, a family rich from cocaine smuggling; Santiago Martinez, a loner and would-be poet whose ancient cat, Mr. O'Donnell, is slowly dying of an enlarged heart.

Exploding with a profusion of plots and sub-plots involving drug smuggling, romance, and the literacy politics of Queens, Latin Moon in Manhattan is a rich and charming work.

Genres: LGBT, Fiction, Queer

212 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1992

About the author

Jaime Manrique (16 June 1949 - ) Colombian American author, poet, and journalist.

Reviews

[Santiago Rojas F · Rating 5 out of 5]

But you could learn Spanish too. It’s an easy language to learn, unlike English.

[Ethan Michael · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm obsessed with the fact that Jaime Manrique was besties with Pauline Kael.

The read is definitely not as madcap nor plot-driven as the summary makes it out to be; it's much more internal and low-key. But as a gay who just entered his 30s right before starting this book, it was a pleasingly unique experience to fall into the perspective of a 32-year-old queer man rounding a corner in his life. Much like how I felt after reading Sacred Lips of the Bronx earlier this year, more and more I appreciate novels that detail how homos can continually come-of-age well past adolescence.

[Fred Daly · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'd been looking forward to this a lot -- a novel with a gay Colombian protagonist? Sign me up! It could be great to teach. And then I read the end of Chapter 1, and oops! . . . can't teach this book! I read the rest and found myself liking the protagonist (clearly a stand-in for the author, right down to the epic poem about Columbus), but at times the writing and the characterizations felt perfunctory, like a so-so YA novel. On the other hand, a few sentences really soar.

[Melina Sofía · Rating 3 out of 5]

Este libro lo salva 2 cosas: la primera la historia de sammy con su gato Mr. O'Donnell, el autor describió de manera muy sentida su conexión y como el uno salvó al otro y viceversa. Sentí el dolor de su muerte, me indignó como la mayoría subestimaba su relación, y me emocionó el homenaje al final del libro. La escena donde una vez fallecido el gato, sammy sostiene los bigotes que fue acumulando con el tiempo y se derrumba a llorar, me conmovió. Tal vez esta parte de la historia mueve fibras en mi por el hecho de que tengo un gato al que amo, y se lo que se siente amar a un amigo peludo.
Segundo, la descripción de como se siente vivir lejos de la tierra natal, esa nostalgia y melancolía por la tierra que te vio nacer y crecer.

No soporté las escenas cliché del asalto de los mafiosos colombianos, como todo se resolvió tan mágicamente y al final quedaron como héroes. Te acaban de atracar 2 sicarios mas peligrosos de un cartel colombiano eres apuntado por un arma a punto de morir, y te queda animo para sentarte a hablar de cotilleo amoroso tonto. No lo soporté.
Ni se diga del velorio/despedida de Rebeca, solo vi malos diálogos, diálogos extras, que molestaban y fastidiaban.
Quedaron hilos faltantes en la historia, el recuerdo del incendio en la infancia de Sammy, su crisis existencial que lo hacia pensar a cada instante en su, según el triste infancia y adolescencia en Colombia.
Conclusión, para mi, Mr. O'Donnell es el mejor personaje del libro, y lo salvó.

[Manuel Andrade · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Must

Jaime Manrique, draws a vivid , warm hearted and amusing picture of the Latin gay experience in NY. I just re-read it since it was published and the colors remain bright and engaging.

[ASC Library]

813.5 Man

[Laura Ramirez-A · Rating 2 out of 5]

Decepcionante. Bonito comienzo relatando la vida de los colombianos en Queens, pero luego la historia se vuelve más bien ridícula.

[fabiola · Rating 3 out of 5]

i was considering a 2.5, but the the appearance of mr o’donnell’s son (?) solidified its 3 stars for me.

[Ron Mohring · Rating 2 out of 5]

I stuck with this one all the way through mainly because I grew interested in the characters, though the writing style itself strikes me as clunky. I wanted to give this a 2.5 rating; it's not quite a three in my estimation.

[Monica · Rating 5 out of 5]

wonderful window into nyc colombian culture.

[Craig · Rating 1 out of 5]

Animal fucking will always net you a 1 star.

[N · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lots of fun!

[Alicia M · Rating 3 out of 5]

Keeps reader's interest but characters were kind of cartoons.