Comments on: The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao, by Junot Diaz http://thebluestockings.com/2008/08/the-brief-wondrous-life-of-oscar-wao/ A Place for Readers Wed, 08 Feb 2012 16:03:58 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: Luis http://thebluestockings.com/2008/08/the-brief-wondrous-life-of-oscar-wao/comment-page-1/#comment-634 Luis Sun, 07 Sep 2008 17:00:38 +0000 http://thebluestockings.com/?p=172#comment-634 If you're bothered by the Spanish, jump on Google and look it up. The unfortunate truth is that it's not written for you, but for us. You are warmly invited to observe, but we're not changing the language to suit you. That happens enough day to day. As for cane fields, Junot is right. They're terrifying and you should never walk into one in the DR or anywhere else. Being led into one by either a gun or a paycheck spells a severely abbreviated life. If you’re bothered by the Spanish, jump on Google and look it up. The unfortunate truth is that it’s not written for you, but for us. You are warmly invited to observe, but we’re not changing the language to suit you. That happens enough day to day.

As for cane fields, Junot is right. They’re terrifying and you should never walk into one in the DR or anywhere else. Being led into one by either a gun or a paycheck spells a severely abbreviated life.

]]> By: More Oscar Wao Review « Care’s Online Book Club http://thebluestockings.com/2008/08/the-brief-wondrous-life-of-oscar-wao/comment-page-1/#comment-377 More Oscar Wao Review « Care’s Online Book Club Tue, 12 Aug 2008 19:11:42 +0000 http://thebluestockings.com/?p=172#comment-377 [...] Jessica’s The Blue Stocking Society Nymeth’s Things Mean A Lot (From July 200 One Minute Book Reviews [...] [...] Jessica’s The Blue Stocking Society Nymeth’s Things Mean A Lot (From July 200 One Minute Book Reviews [...]

]]> By: Care http://thebluestockings.com/2008/08/the-brief-wondrous-life-of-oscar-wao/comment-page-1/#comment-376 Care Tue, 12 Aug 2008 17:42:52 +0000 http://thebluestockings.com/?p=172#comment-376 Excellent review. I agree with Nymeth's comment about having or needing superstitions to explain the bad stuff. As well as the survival parts of the story being explained by mongooses and exceptional prayer power. Excellent review. I agree with Nymeth’s comment about having or needing superstitions to explain the bad stuff. As well as the survival parts of the story being explained by mongooses and exceptional prayer power.

]]> By: Kristen (bookclubclassics) http://thebluestockings.com/2008/08/the-brief-wondrous-life-of-oscar-wao/comment-page-1/#comment-365 Kristen (bookclubclassics) Fri, 08 Aug 2008 02:04:10 +0000 http://thebluestockings.com/?p=172#comment-365 Amen, amen, amen! I really liked (and agreed with) your review... I didn't think Oscar (or Junot) used his past as an excuse, but it certainly informed who he (they) became -- complex! I was also irritated and wow-ed by this novel... Amen, amen, amen! I really liked (and agreed with) your review… I didn’t think Oscar (or Junot) used his past as an excuse, but it certainly informed who he (they) became — complex! I was also irritated and wow-ed by this novel…

]]> By: Nymeth http://thebluestockings.com/2008/08/the-brief-wondrous-life-of-oscar-wao/comment-page-1/#comment-362 Nymeth Thu, 07 Aug 2008 18:44:30 +0000 http://thebluestockings.com/?p=172#comment-362 This story moved me a lot, too. About the fuku, here's how I interpreted it: I didn't think the family was actually cursed, but that the fuku was introduced because the things that happened in these peoples' lives were so horrific that it's almost tempting to look for a supernatural explanation. If there were a curse, all that senseless violence would at least make some kind of sense. The same goes for all the comparisons between Trujillo and Sauron. It almost suggests that the things he did are too horrible to be real, while at the same time underlining the fact that yes, they are indeed real. People do things that cruel to one another. This story moved me a lot, too.

About the fuku, here’s how I interpreted it: I didn’t think the family was actually cursed, but that the fuku was introduced because the things that happened in these peoples’ lives were so horrific that it’s almost tempting to look for a supernatural explanation. If there were a curse, all that senseless violence would at least make some kind of sense.

The same goes for all the comparisons between Trujillo and Sauron. It almost suggests that the things he did are too horrible to be real, while at the same time underlining the fact that yes, they are indeed real. People do things that cruel to one another.

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