So Far from God: A Novel

The characters are always interesting; some are, at times, crazy or perhaps simply in touch with the unseen, some have intuition, and some crave normalcy. The novel is filled with surprises, sadness and poignancy.

Trust me just read it

A basic knowledge of Spanish helped me understand lots of the nuances that would have escaped me otherwise. Ana has some keen insight in the essence of being New Mexican. A very nice blend of reality, culture, tradition and whimsy.

You breathe in this book and ordinary evolves into a very different place. This is the story of the archetypal family.

You must to read this book !!

This was required reading for a class but I could not finish it. If a story is very complicated, or if I am going to be tested on the plot (which I was for this class) I will sometimes take little notes as I read. I quickly gave up on my notes. I don't know how anyone could remember everything that happens in this novel. The story revolves around a family of daughters. There were just too many characters to get a handle on and no discernible plot. I don't mind a story with a lot of characters but it felt like the author didn't want you to be invested in them. She would just throw out all of these details, let you follow a character around for a while, and then switch to someone else. I never felt like I emotionally connected with what a character wanted or what was driving their story arc. If it's possible for a story to be aloof, then that's what So Far From God was. I felt like it didn't want me to read it or care about it. It feels like a community that doesn't take kindly to strangers. I felt completely alienated the whole time I was reading it until I finally gave up. The writing was incredibly flat and the characters were lifeless lists of traits and activities. Some people find the story depressing because misfortune is relentlessly piled upon the characters. But even their misfortune is oddly emotionless. When a character was violently attacked I felt no more sympathy than I would for a stranger on the news as it was related with the same amount of emotion and Castillo had given me no reason to care about the character. Also, the way plot points are resolved and brushed over makes everything feel more than a little pointless.

If you come from New Mexico, as I do, you'll especially love this novel! Full of faith, magic, superstition, beauty, tragedy, folklore... well, life, especially as women experience it. Lots of hilarity and heartbreak. A little Spanish is an asset, but not a necessity, in reading it.

This is truly a wonderful novel. I have always been amazed at how a storyteller can tell a realistic tale, throw in some magic, and have it not sound like science fiction. Ana Castillo tells a great story of a mother and her four unique daughters with humor and with seriousness that gives you those goosebumps that come from a touch from beyond this world. I especially liked the Stations of the Cross of the Poor of Our Time.

I rated this story a 4 because I don't have adequate experience to give it a 5.I enjoyed Castillo's writing style and her story that asked me to step into unfamiliar territory. Throughout the tragic loss of her daughters Sofia was never comforted by God or men. Women peopled her world at every turn providing support, compassion, understanding, and steadfast friendship.Of course each child is unique, but Sofi's daughters' uniquenesses force the family to meet life's challenges be developing uncommon skills resulting in uncommon consequences.

Angesichts der vielen Tippfehler in der englischen Kindle Version war das Lesen dieser Ausgabe kein Vergnügen. Scheint eine gescannte Version zu sein, denn besonders bei den Namen der Protagonisten finden sich die Fehler, etwa wird aus 'Sofi' (Sophia wohl) im Wechsel immer wieder einmal 'Soft', sodass ich anfangs wirklich von zwei Charakteren ausgegangen war.Die Charaktere in der Geschichte sind überzeichnet und verlieren dadurch ihre Glaubwürdigkeit. Mich persönlich konnte die Geschichte nicht überzeugen.

I read this book at least 20 years ago and remember really liking it. I was happy to find that it was made into an ebook. However, doesn't anyone check the content once it has been put into this format?? I have only read a few pages so far and the mother's name - Sofia - is continually typed as either Soft or Sofi. I find this distracting as well as disappointing in the level of quality control.

Recomendado / Recommended