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 - Wanted to Love it...I wanted to love this book and I did in some parts. I enjoyed reading about life in the Dominican. The writing at some points was gorgeous. Didn't mind the Spanish phrases. It just sort of didn't go anywhere at the end, for me. It was a little long and not much of a payoff. Rating:  - Bittersweet but at times frustratingThis funny/sad narrative of the family and friends of Dominican Oscar, an overweight sci-fi nerd, is a mixed bag of treasure. Each chapter is narrated by a different person in his life -- his sister, his mother, his college room mate, and of course himself -- and laced with Dominican history, to give insight into his "cursed" life. Parts are very touching, and other parts laugh out loud funny. Be warned though: if you are not bilingual or at least well-versed in Spanish, the book is heavily laced with spanish phrases that go unexplained (there is no glossary of terms -- maybe there should be). It is also filled with references to sci-fi and fantasy novels and role-playing games which may also be frustrating if you are unfamiliar with that genre. Still the characters are compelling and the stroy interesting. There is pleanty to enjoy -- just grab a contemporary Spanish-English dictionary and a Google the sci-fi references. :-) Rating:  - Oscar Wao SucksWorst book I ever tried to read. Put it down in disgust after only 4 chapters. Lots of Spanish words not translated and huge boring footnotes trying to explain situations or references to people. Rating:  - WOW! I loved it!I just finished reading about Oscar & his familia - real characters I know that I've met. Wonderful storytelling - weaving in DR history (that I didn't know) - and sending me to the Spanglish dictionary several times. Truly a great book! Rating: - I Loved Oscar - 4.5/5 starsThe Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao, was a very different kind of book for me. I enjoyed it very much, however, I found it very difficult as well. I attribute this to the fact that I had the audio version for this Pulitzer-Prize winner. There was a lot of use of Spanglish, and for someone without a Spanish background this was tough. The story itself was wonderful. Told through the eyes of various narrators, readers enter the frightening world of a Dominican Republic family living in New Jersey. The characters' lives are overflowing with injustices, unrequited love, lost opportunities, physical cruelties, and as one narrator points out, an ancient Dominican curse called Fukú. Oscar Wao, is a nice guy, who longs for love but he finds a lot of road blocks along the way: he's fat, a comic book, sci-fi, and fantasy nerd, and a loser. These undesirable characteristics diminish his chances of finding love. The love he so desperately craves, continues to elude him, and we witness the lengths Oscar is willing to endure just for the opportunity, however brief to feel love. Oscar is a poignant, painful, and lovable character who is in constant battle with his delusions. The female characters: Oscar's mother and sister, were very memorable as well. Their own brutal histories and sacrifices are heartbreaking. I highly recommend this luminous, and humorous book, however, I would recommend the print version as opposed to the audio version, simply because of the English/Spanish difficulty I had.
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