Join a book club that is reading Catalina: A Novel!
Catalina: A Novel
NATIONAL BESTSELLER • LONGLISTED FOR THE NATIONAL BOOK AWARD • A year in the life of the unforgettable Catalina Ituralde, a wickedly wry and heartbreakingly vulnerable student at an elite college, forced to navigate an opaque past, an uncertain future, tragedies on two continents, and the tantalizing possibilities of love and freedom
“[A] sparkling fiction debut.”—The New York Times Book Review (Editors’ Choice)
“[A] fresh and unflinching take on the campus novel.”—People (Ten Best Books of the Year)
“Diabolically charming and magnetic.”—Ira Glass
FINALIST FOR THE PEN/HEMINGWAY AWARD • A BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR: Time, The Washington Post, NPR, The Boston Globe, them
When Catalina is admitted to Harvard, it feels like the fulfillment of destiny: a miracle child escapes death in Latin America, moves to Queens to be raised by her undocumented grandparents, and becomes one of the chosen. But nothing is simple for Catalina, least of all her own complicated, contradictory, ruthlessly probing mind. Now a senior, she faces graduation to a world that has no place for the undocumented; her sense of doom intensifies her curiosities and desires. She infiltrates the school’s elite subcultures—internships and literary journals, posh parties and secret societies—which she observes with the eye of an anthropologist and an interloper’s skepticism: she is both fascinated and repulsed. Craving a great romance, Catalina finds herself drawn to a fellow student, an actual budding anthropologist eager to teach her about the Latin American world she was born into but never knew, even as her life back in Queens begins to unravel. And every day, the clock ticks closer to the abyss of life after graduation. Can she save her family? Can she save herself? What does it mean to be saved?
Brash and daring, part campus novel, part hagiography, part pop song, Catalina is unlike any coming-of-age novel you’ve ever read—and Catalina, bright and tragic, circled by a nimbus of chaotic energy, driven by a wild heart, is a character you will never forget.
“[A] sparkling fiction debut.”—The New York Times Book Review (Editors’ Choice)
“[A] fresh and unflinching take on the campus novel.”—People (Ten Best Books of the Year)
“Diabolically charming and magnetic.”—Ira Glass
FINALIST FOR THE PEN/HEMINGWAY AWARD • A BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR: Time, The Washington Post, NPR, The Boston Globe, them
When Catalina is admitted to Harvard, it feels like the fulfillment of destiny: a miracle child escapes death in Latin America, moves to Queens to be raised by her undocumented grandparents, and becomes one of the chosen. But nothing is simple for Catalina, least of all her own complicated, contradictory, ruthlessly probing mind. Now a senior, she faces graduation to a world that has no place for the undocumented; her sense of doom intensifies her curiosities and desires. She infiltrates the school’s elite subcultures—internships and literary journals, posh parties and secret societies—which she observes with the eye of an anthropologist and an interloper’s skepticism: she is both fascinated and repulsed. Craving a great romance, Catalina finds herself drawn to a fellow student, an actual budding anthropologist eager to teach her about the Latin American world she was born into but never knew, even as her life back in Queens begins to unravel. And every day, the clock ticks closer to the abyss of life after graduation. Can she save her family? Can she save herself? What does it mean to be saved?
Brash and daring, part campus novel, part hagiography, part pop song, Catalina is unlike any coming-of-age novel you’ve ever read—and Catalina, bright and tragic, circled by a nimbus of chaotic energy, driven by a wild heart, is a character you will never forget.
Show more
BUY THE BOOK
These clubs recently read this book...
Community Reviews
âI had been abandoned, sure, I could do nothing about the fact that I had been abandoned, but I could turn this ship around, make lemonade out of lemons, I could become the most famous abandoned girl in the world. Out of all the abandoned girls in the world, I could be their valedictorian.â
âï¸âï¸âï¸âï¸âï¸
My 50th book of the year didnât disappointââCatalinaâ was an amazing read, and even more so when you consider that this is the authorâs debut novel.
Catalina Ituralde is a Harvard student whose dreams of becoming a writer exist alongside the threat of her and her grandparentsâ undocumented status. Catalinaâs voice is observant and hilarious, often delivering scathing comments sugarcoated under the guise of sincerity. These observations move from both lighthearted to painful throughout the book as she navigates the 2000âs and the uncertainty of immigration laws in the US.
I will be reading everything else that Karla Cornejo Villavicencio writes, and I strongly encourage that everyone else does the same. âCatalinaâ packs a heavy emotional punch inside its aesthetically beautiful cover, and one worthy of being on your TBR!
âï¸âï¸âï¸âï¸âï¸
My 50th book of the year didnât disappointââCatalinaâ was an amazing read, and even more so when you consider that this is the authorâs debut novel.
Catalina Ituralde is a Harvard student whose dreams of becoming a writer exist alongside the threat of her and her grandparentsâ undocumented status. Catalinaâs voice is observant and hilarious, often delivering scathing comments sugarcoated under the guise of sincerity. These observations move from both lighthearted to painful throughout the book as she navigates the 2000âs and the uncertainty of immigration laws in the US.
I will be reading everything else that Karla Cornejo Villavicencio writes, and I strongly encourage that everyone else does the same. âCatalinaâ packs a heavy emotional punch inside its aesthetically beautiful cover, and one worthy of being on your TBR!
Show more
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC of this book!
This book is a very short semi-coming of age story about an illegal immigrant (DREAMer) named Catalina who is very smart with many miracles occurring around her. I liked the subject matter and the tone of the book but I did want more resolution than it gave me.
Overall, I think the author did what she set out to do and I didnât mind too much what it lacked in the end. I think it had some powerful notes and provided commentary that made me think more about how privileged I am as an American to not think twice about traveling to other places in the world when many people canât go visit their family.
4/5
This book is a very short semi-coming of age story about an illegal immigrant (DREAMer) named Catalina who is very smart with many miracles occurring around her. I liked the subject matter and the tone of the book but I did want more resolution than it gave me.
Overall, I think the author did what she set out to do and I didnât mind too much what it lacked in the end. I think it had some powerful notes and provided commentary that made me think more about how privileged I am as an American to not think twice about traveling to other places in the world when many people canât go visit their family.
4/5
Show more
See why thousands of readers are using Bookclubs to stay connected.