Malas: A GMA Book Club Pick: A Novel
A GOOD MORNING AMERICA BOOK CLUB PICK "A vivacious, page-turning novel of rebellion and rebirth." --Xochitl Gonzalez, New York Times bestselling author of Olga Dies Dreaming and Anita de Monte Laughs Last
A story full of passion and revenge, following one family living on the Texas Mexico border and a curse that reverberates across generations--"Fuentes has achieved something rare and indelible with this story of complex women." (Erika L. Sánchez) In 1951, a mysterious old woman confronts Pilar Aguirre in the small border town of La Cienega, Texas. The old woman is sure Pilar stole her husband and, in a heated outburst, lays a curse on Pilar and her family. More than forty years later, Lulu Muñoz is dodging chaos at every turn: her troubled father's moods, his rules, her secret life as singer in a punk band, but most of all her upcoming quinceañera. When her beloved grandmother passes away, Lulu finds herself drawn to the glamorous stranger who crashed the funeral and who lives alone and shunned on the edge of town. Their unexpected kinship picks at the secrets of Lulu's family's past. As the quinceañera looms--and we move between these two strong, irascible female voices--one woman must make peace with the past, and one girl pushes to embrace her future. Rich with cinematic details--from dusty rodeos to the excitement of a Selena concert and the comfort of conjunto ballads played at family gatherings--this memorable debut is a love letter to the Tejano culture and community that sustain both of these women as they discover what family means.
A story full of passion and revenge, following one family living on the Texas Mexico border and a curse that reverberates across generations--"Fuentes has achieved something rare and indelible with this story of complex women." (Erika L. Sánchez) In 1951, a mysterious old woman confronts Pilar Aguirre in the small border town of La Cienega, Texas. The old woman is sure Pilar stole her husband and, in a heated outburst, lays a curse on Pilar and her family. More than forty years later, Lulu Muñoz is dodging chaos at every turn: her troubled father's moods, his rules, her secret life as singer in a punk band, but most of all her upcoming quinceañera. When her beloved grandmother passes away, Lulu finds herself drawn to the glamorous stranger who crashed the funeral and who lives alone and shunned on the edge of town. Their unexpected kinship picks at the secrets of Lulu's family's past. As the quinceañera looms--and we move between these two strong, irascible female voices--one woman must make peace with the past, and one girl pushes to embrace her future. Rich with cinematic details--from dusty rodeos to the excitement of a Selena concert and the comfort of conjunto ballads played at family gatherings--this memorable debut is a love letter to the Tejano culture and community that sustain both of these women as they discover what family means.
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Community Reviews
I loved this book! The storylines are well developed and so original. It is both heartbreaking and triumphant. Since I was also a teenager in the 1990's, I found the nostalgia for that time, such as the music and clothes, within Lulu's story fun. I also speak Spanish and have had family from Mexico, so the slang and Spanish words that were thrown in without being over explained were appreciated as well as the notion of a family curse, being born under a bad sign, and witches...it all totally resonated. I do wish that Pilar had a better ending, but it was also open ended enough that there's always opportunity for her and Lulu to have more of a relationship in the future.
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