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The House of Broken Angels
The definitive Mexican-American immigrant story, a sprawling and deeply felt portrait of a Mexican-American family occasioned by the impending loss of its patriarch, from one of the country's most beloved authors.
Prizewinning and bestselling writer Luis Urrea has written his Mexican coming-to-America story and his masterpiece. Destined to sit alongside other classic immigrant novels, The House of Broken Angels is a sprawling and epic family saga helmed by patriarch Big Angel. The novel gathers together the entire De La Cruz clan, as they meet for the final birthday party Big Angel is throwing for himself, at home in San Diego, as he nears the end of his struggle with cancer and reflects on his long and full life.
But when Big Angel's mother, Mama America, approaching one hundred, dies herself as the party nears, he must plan her funeral as well. There will be two family affairs in one weekend: a farewell double-header. Among the attendants is his half-brother and namesake, Little Angel, who comes face to face with the siblings with whom he shared a father but not, as the weekend proceeds to remind him, a life.
This story of the De La Cruzes is the story of what it means to be a Mexican in America, to have lived two lives across one border. It is a tale of the ravaging power of death to shore up the bits of life you have forgotten, whether by choice or not. Above all, this finely wrought portrait of a deeply complex family and the America they have come to call home is Urrea at his purest and best. Teeming with brilliance and humor, authentic at every turn, The House of Broken Angels cements his reputation as a storyteller of the first rank.
Prizewinning and bestselling writer Luis Urrea has written his Mexican coming-to-America story and his masterpiece. Destined to sit alongside other classic immigrant novels, The House of Broken Angels is a sprawling and epic family saga helmed by patriarch Big Angel. The novel gathers together the entire De La Cruz clan, as they meet for the final birthday party Big Angel is throwing for himself, at home in San Diego, as he nears the end of his struggle with cancer and reflects on his long and full life.
But when Big Angel's mother, Mama America, approaching one hundred, dies herself as the party nears, he must plan her funeral as well. There will be two family affairs in one weekend: a farewell double-header. Among the attendants is his half-brother and namesake, Little Angel, who comes face to face with the siblings with whom he shared a father but not, as the weekend proceeds to remind him, a life.
This story of the De La Cruzes is the story of what it means to be a Mexican in America, to have lived two lives across one border. It is a tale of the ravaging power of death to shore up the bits of life you have forgotten, whether by choice or not. Above all, this finely wrought portrait of a deeply complex family and the America they have come to call home is Urrea at his purest and best. Teeming with brilliance and humor, authentic at every turn, The House of Broken Angels cements his reputation as a storyteller of the first rank.
336 pages, Kindle Edition
First published March 6, 2018
About the author
Luis Alberto Urrea
54 books2,777 followersLuis Alberto Urrea is the award-winning author of 13 books, including The Hummingbird's Daughter, The Devil's Highway and Into the Beautiful North (May 2009). Born in Tijuana to a Mexican father and American mother, Luis has used the theme of borders, immigration and search for love and belonging throughout his work. A Pulitzer Prize finalist in 2005 (nonfiction), he's won the Kiriyama Prize (2006), the Lannan Award (2002), an American Book Award (1999) and was named to the Latino Literary Hall of Fame. He is a creative writing professor at the University of Illinois-Chicago and lives with his family in the 'burbs (dreaming of returning West soon!).
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 2,734 reviews
April 8, 2018
I knew I wanted to read this book the minute I heard about it. A very special thanks to Goodreads friend, Truman. His passion and energy for this book had me jumping with my own excitement.
“Big Angel, [patriarch of the family], was turning seventy. It felt very old to him. At the same time, it felt far too young. He had not intended to leave the party so soon. I’ve tried to be good, he told his invisible interviewer.”
“His mother had made it to the edge of one hundred. He had thought he’d at least make it that far. In his mind, he was still a kid, yearning for laughter and a good book, adventures, and one more albondigas soup cooked by Perla. He wished he had gone to college. He wished he had seen Paris. He wished he had taken the time for a Caribbean cruise, because he secretly wanted to snorkel, and once he got well he would go do that. He was still planning on going to Seattle. See what kind of life his baby brother had. He suddenly realized he hadn’t even gone to the north side of San Diego, La Jolla, where all the rich gringos went to get suntans and diamonds. He wished he had walked on the beach. Why did he not have sand dollars and shells? A sand dollar suddenly seemed like a very fine thing to have. And he had forgotten to go to Disneyland. He sat back in shock: he had been too busy to even go to the zoo”.
Cancer has hijacked Big Angels body. He wants to celebrate his birthday with his family - extended family - have the type of party people will talk about for years - but his mother died first....a few days before the party-extravaganza. So - the family must first come to the funeral of Grandma America.
This book sparkles with energy.... so full of life: bigger than life. It’s fresh - it’s funny - it’s heartbreaking. It’s a book about family - complicated and messy relationships - lots of characters -
Lots and lots of wonderful stories and memories .....
It was so easy to slip into sadness one minute - then immediately reflect about something in my own life - then find myself hysterically laughing again.
I’m turning 66 next month - and I kept thinking Big Angel was only 4 years older than me. He missed WALKING! Such a simple daily pleasure we often take for granted.
He was king of his wheel chair - but walking was a memory. This could be any one of us - This is such a HUMAN STORY!
Big Angel missed things we often don’t talk about - sex- even masturbating - restless flirtations with his wife’s sister’s, though he felt repentant about that part.
The children and grandchildren would gather around Big Angel - around his chair -
YEP... he was still king: the Patriarch of the family! That’s got to be a remarkable experience.
Soooo many wonderful moments! This book is CONSTANTLY ENJOYABLE!
....Enjoy the tortillas! Corn - not flour!
....Examine two pet peeves of Big Angel: Mexican Time, and GOLD TEETH
....Stockings and legs are marvelous
....FABULOUS DIALOGUE.....Contemporary voices....awesome Mexican culture....wit & grit.
....Enjoy the family - the celebration- and party like your life depends on it!
Thank you Little Brown and Company - Netgalley - and Luis Alberto Urrea. ( incredible talent)
“Big Angel, [patriarch of the family], was turning seventy. It felt very old to him. At the same time, it felt far too young. He had not intended to leave the party so soon. I’ve tried to be good, he told his invisible interviewer.”
“His mother had made it to the edge of one hundred. He had thought he’d at least make it that far. In his mind, he was still a kid, yearning for laughter and a good book, adventures, and one more albondigas soup cooked by Perla. He wished he had gone to college. He wished he had seen Paris. He wished he had taken the time for a Caribbean cruise, because he secretly wanted to snorkel, and once he got well he would go do that. He was still planning on going to Seattle. See what kind of life his baby brother had. He suddenly realized he hadn’t even gone to the north side of San Diego, La Jolla, where all the rich gringos went to get suntans and diamonds. He wished he had walked on the beach. Why did he not have sand dollars and shells? A sand dollar suddenly seemed like a very fine thing to have. And he had forgotten to go to Disneyland. He sat back in shock: he had been too busy to even go to the zoo”.
Cancer has hijacked Big Angels body. He wants to celebrate his birthday with his family - extended family - have the type of party people will talk about for years - but his mother died first....a few days before the party-extravaganza. So - the family must first come to the funeral of Grandma America.
This book sparkles with energy.... so full of life: bigger than life. It’s fresh - it’s funny - it’s heartbreaking. It’s a book about family - complicated and messy relationships - lots of characters -
Lots and lots of wonderful stories and memories .....
It was so easy to slip into sadness one minute - then immediately reflect about something in my own life - then find myself hysterically laughing again.
I’m turning 66 next month - and I kept thinking Big Angel was only 4 years older than me. He missed WALKING! Such a simple daily pleasure we often take for granted.
He was king of his wheel chair - but walking was a memory. This could be any one of us - This is such a HUMAN STORY!
Big Angel missed things we often don’t talk about - sex- even masturbating - restless flirtations with his wife’s sister’s, though he felt repentant about that part.
The children and grandchildren would gather around Big Angel - around his chair -
YEP... he was still king: the Patriarch of the family! That’s got to be a remarkable experience.
Soooo many wonderful moments! This book is CONSTANTLY ENJOYABLE!
....Enjoy the tortillas! Corn - not flour!
....Examine two pet peeves of Big Angel: Mexican Time, and GOLD TEETH
....Stockings and legs are marvelous
....FABULOUS DIALOGUE.....Contemporary voices....awesome Mexican culture....wit & grit.
....Enjoy the family - the celebration- and party like your life depends on it!
Thank you Little Brown and Company - Netgalley - and Luis Alberto Urrea. ( incredible talent)
April 8, 2018
"The entire history of his family, the world itself, the solar system and galaxy, swirled around him now in weird silence, and he felt blood dribbled down inside his body and the clock, the clock, chipped away at his existence."
4.5 stars
Big Angel (Miguel Angel De La Cruz) has invited his family to his home in San Diego to celebrate his last birthday. His Mother passed away a few days before his birthday, so the family has her funeral one day and his birthday party the next. Two very different farewells for this dynamic family who gather together in celebration of life, to say goodbye, and to tell their favorite family stories and bare their souls.
"Big Angel stood in the shadows of the living room, buffeted by stories of the past, things he remembered and thing he had learned. Or maybe thing he had dreamed. He could no longer tell the difference. The stories flew in like wind through an open window and whirled around him. He could feel them almost pull him off his feet. They seemed to come by their own volition, leaping over years, ignoring the decades. Big Angel found himself in a time storm."
The writing in this book was quite beautiful. This book is sweet, it's funny, it's sad, it's dramatic and gives us a glimpse into the lives of this first generation Mexican-American family living across but near the border. The family is full of interesting characters and has interesting family dynamics (which family doesn't?). Through their interactions and conversations, the reader learns their personalities, thoughts, emotions and fears. Big Angel and his brother, Little Angle have great conversations full of sarcasm and wit which they use to sugarcoat their pain and love for each other.
“I know you hated me for leaving. I know you thought I looked down on all of you. Well, maybe I did. All my life I thought of you. All my life I thought I had to escape to survive. Maybe even to escape you. And now you are leaving me, and I can’t imagine the world without you. I always thought I didn’t really have the father I wanted. And all this time it was you. To be here now, to see what you have made, humbles me. The good parts and the bad. It doesn’t matter. I thought I was going to save the world, and here you were all along, changing the world day by day, minute by minute.”
Like most family gatherings, there is laughter, tears, music, food, dancing, and people. There are some Spanish words through in here which make the book feel more authentic. Even if you do not speak Spanish, I think most of the words are self-explanatory due to the English which is said both before and after the word. Initially I gave this book 4 stars but moved it up to 4.5 due to the writing being so wonderful. The beginning of this book started off with a bang and then the Author does a step back and takes us back in time to when Big Angel met his wife. This was a little bit of a rough transition for me for many reasons: I wanted to keep the present-day story going because I was enjoying it so much and because it interrupted the flow of the story. I liken this to when you are walking behind someone and they suddenly stop fast for no reason and you almost run into them. This is what the transition felt like to me. Otherwise, I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It was my first book by Urrea and I am certain I will be reading more of his books in the future.
Thank you to Little Brown and Company and NetGalley who provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
See more of my reviews at www.openbookpost.com
4.5 stars
Big Angel (Miguel Angel De La Cruz) has invited his family to his home in San Diego to celebrate his last birthday. His Mother passed away a few days before his birthday, so the family has her funeral one day and his birthday party the next. Two very different farewells for this dynamic family who gather together in celebration of life, to say goodbye, and to tell their favorite family stories and bare their souls.
"Big Angel stood in the shadows of the living room, buffeted by stories of the past, things he remembered and thing he had learned. Or maybe thing he had dreamed. He could no longer tell the difference. The stories flew in like wind through an open window and whirled around him. He could feel them almost pull him off his feet. They seemed to come by their own volition, leaping over years, ignoring the decades. Big Angel found himself in a time storm."
The writing in this book was quite beautiful. This book is sweet, it's funny, it's sad, it's dramatic and gives us a glimpse into the lives of this first generation Mexican-American family living across but near the border. The family is full of interesting characters and has interesting family dynamics (which family doesn't?). Through their interactions and conversations, the reader learns their personalities, thoughts, emotions and fears. Big Angel and his brother, Little Angle have great conversations full of sarcasm and wit which they use to sugarcoat their pain and love for each other.
“I know you hated me for leaving. I know you thought I looked down on all of you. Well, maybe I did. All my life I thought of you. All my life I thought I had to escape to survive. Maybe even to escape you. And now you are leaving me, and I can’t imagine the world without you. I always thought I didn’t really have the father I wanted. And all this time it was you. To be here now, to see what you have made, humbles me. The good parts and the bad. It doesn’t matter. I thought I was going to save the world, and here you were all along, changing the world day by day, minute by minute.”
Like most family gatherings, there is laughter, tears, music, food, dancing, and people. There are some Spanish words through in here which make the book feel more authentic. Even if you do not speak Spanish, I think most of the words are self-explanatory due to the English which is said both before and after the word. Initially I gave this book 4 stars but moved it up to 4.5 due to the writing being so wonderful. The beginning of this book started off with a bang and then the Author does a step back and takes us back in time to when Big Angel met his wife. This was a little bit of a rough transition for me for many reasons: I wanted to keep the present-day story going because I was enjoying it so much and because it interrupted the flow of the story. I liken this to when you are walking behind someone and they suddenly stop fast for no reason and you almost run into them. This is what the transition felt like to me. Otherwise, I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It was my first book by Urrea and I am certain I will be reading more of his books in the future.
Thank you to Little Brown and Company and NetGalley who provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
See more of my reviews at www.openbookpost.com
May 20, 2018
5 epic family saga stars to The House of Broken Angels! 🌟 🌟 🌟 🌟 🌟
I have found a new author to love. Luis Alberto Urrea is a storyteller, and that is the highest compliment I can give any author.
Big Angel de la Cruz is the patriarch of his family, and he is dying. The book opens with him having to say goodbye to his mother at her funeral while also knowing he is living his last days.
Big Angel recounts the story of his family and how they came to live in the United States, a tale filled with secrets and lore. The de la Cruz family is complex, the dynamics fraught with the push and pull so native to families. Big Angel’s storytelling is raw and honest, so genuinely authentic, I could see these characters in three dimension and feel their pulses.
The House of Broken Angels is an epic story, one in which to lose yourself. One to help you reflect on your own family and its own push and pull. There is so much to love here and so much with which to relate. There is humor that will make you laugh and heartbreak, too, because isn’t that what families have to walk through together? Indelible is used in the description of this book. Yep, that summarizes it perfectly in one single word. Indelible. And huggable.
Thank you to Luis Alberto Urrea, Little, Brown and Company, and Netgalley for the ARC. The House of Broken Angels is available now!
My reviews can also be found on my shiny new blog: www.jennifertarheelreader.com
I have found a new author to love. Luis Alberto Urrea is a storyteller, and that is the highest compliment I can give any author.
Big Angel de la Cruz is the patriarch of his family, and he is dying. The book opens with him having to say goodbye to his mother at her funeral while also knowing he is living his last days.
Big Angel recounts the story of his family and how they came to live in the United States, a tale filled with secrets and lore. The de la Cruz family is complex, the dynamics fraught with the push and pull so native to families. Big Angel’s storytelling is raw and honest, so genuinely authentic, I could see these characters in three dimension and feel their pulses.
The House of Broken Angels is an epic story, one in which to lose yourself. One to help you reflect on your own family and its own push and pull. There is so much to love here and so much with which to relate. There is humor that will make you laugh and heartbreak, too, because isn’t that what families have to walk through together? Indelible is used in the description of this book. Yep, that summarizes it perfectly in one single word. Indelible. And huggable.
Thank you to Luis Alberto Urrea, Little, Brown and Company, and Netgalley for the ARC. The House of Broken Angels is available now!
My reviews can also be found on my shiny new blog: www.jennifertarheelreader.com
July 31, 2018
Marlin Brando move over - there is a new Godfather in town, the Mexican, Big Angel. Which is an ironic name as he is crippled with cancer and no longer the strong, mammoth man he was.
This is the dying of a patriarch, who is getting ready to celebrate his last birthday. The very same weekend turns into a funeral as his 100 year old mother passes away. The party, however, must go on and the entire family mourns and celebrates the end of an era. History is relived and wow, this family is as tight as an elastic band but will separate just as quickly if it snaps. Big Angel is the glue who has kept his family together - and in some instances, apart.
We relive his life through his poetic moments he journals; his memories of his past with his brother, Little Angel.
Touching and poignant, it was a marvel to be a part of this journey to death. Marvellously descriptive. This is a story of violence, of love, of living and surviving through poverty, redemption and forgiveness and the relationships of the family as they prepare for the dreaded day to come and they lose the monumental force who has stood as protector of the family.
4.5⭐️
This is the dying of a patriarch, who is getting ready to celebrate his last birthday. The very same weekend turns into a funeral as his 100 year old mother passes away. The party, however, must go on and the entire family mourns and celebrates the end of an era. History is relived and wow, this family is as tight as an elastic band but will separate just as quickly if it snaps. Big Angel is the glue who has kept his family together - and in some instances, apart.
We relive his life through his poetic moments he journals; his memories of his past with his brother, Little Angel.
Touching and poignant, it was a marvel to be a part of this journey to death. Marvellously descriptive. This is a story of violence, of love, of living and surviving through poverty, redemption and forgiveness and the relationships of the family as they prepare for the dreaded day to come and they lose the monumental force who has stood as protector of the family.
4.5⭐️
April 3, 2018
A funeral, followed the next day by what is to be the last birthday party of the family's patriarch, Big Angel. Big Ange land little Angel, brothers from the same father but different mothers, Little Angels mother is white. A big, extended clan, this family, was difficult to keep track of who was who and who went with whom, but it didn't matter, the message is what counted. What it means to be American, to try to adapt to a new culture.
Over the course of one day, this large family comes together to celebrate. Secrets will be revealed, connections made, grief, sadness, regrets, love and joy. There is so much humor, almost at times like a who's on first parody. Family means everything, and we find out the good and bad. Emotional wounds are healed, this is one very full day. By no means a fast read, not because of pacing but because so many meaningful things happen that if one doesn't pay attention it can be missed.
I enjoyed this book, enjoyed this family , with all their flaws and missed opportunities. Even though I didn't stress myself by trying to remember who went were, by books end it all came together. Loved the message of family, for good or bad, and reading from a different viewpoint how they view being American, and what they do to adapt. Have read that this is loosely based on the authors family, the role of big Angel based on his brothers life. Well done.
ARC from Netgalley.
Over the course of one day, this large family comes together to celebrate. Secrets will be revealed, connections made, grief, sadness, regrets, love and joy. There is so much humor, almost at times like a who's on first parody. Family means everything, and we find out the good and bad. Emotional wounds are healed, this is one very full day. By no means a fast read, not because of pacing but because so many meaningful things happen that if one doesn't pay attention it can be missed.
I enjoyed this book, enjoyed this family , with all their flaws and missed opportunities. Even though I didn't stress myself by trying to remember who went were, by books end it all came together. Loved the message of family, for good or bad, and reading from a different viewpoint how they view being American, and what they do to adapt. Have read that this is loosely based on the authors family, the role of big Angel based on his brothers life. Well done.
ARC from Netgalley.
October 27, 2022
In 2018 I began to re-read novels with frequency and zeal. I'm not talking about re-reading Shakespeare plays and Jane Austen novels and new translations of The Iliad and all the other stuff we all agree is worth re-reading, if and when we have the time. I'm talking about turning around and re-reading a newly published book within months or weeks or days of my first reading, a practice that I've come to embrace and to even look forward to, even though (like all the other avid readers here) I have an ever-more-ominous tower of 'to-be-read' books on my list that is trying always to persuade me to call the novel "read" and move on.
The House of Broken Angels is my latest re-read. It's maybe fitting, since this is a novel about family, that three weeks ago when I first read the novel it gave me the feeling I have sometimes when members of my own extended family come to visit--'ok I love you guys, but too much of a good thing is too much of a good thing, so maybe now it's time to go home.' I got to the end of my first read of this novel thinking almost exclusively about what I didn't like about these characters. Especially the men. Throughout the novel their thoughts and actions pricked my sensibilities, and made me hypercritical, until I was very cranky by the end.
But then it felt to me, because it was true, that I'd closed my mind to the goodness of these characters, and focused on their flaws. I don't like doing that with people, so why did I think it was fine to be so opinionated about people in books?
And so I read it again, deciding that this time I'd let these people be themselves.
Let me tell you something. I was deeply, deeply moved. By getting out of my own way and my own judgments I could see the extraordinary depth of feeling Urrea has created here among the members of this fictional family. A history of choices, and of memories shared. The extraordinary careful rendering of a blended family, not only blended by ethnicity but also by nationality--here is a fictional rendition of a family living the reality of border politics for the last few decades, the way undocumented and citizen exist within the same family, their fates determined by a few miles difference between their place of birth. It gently, yet devastatingly lays out the way border-crossing experiences can be, in some years, easy memories, whereas in other years (like those closer to the present day) border crossing becomes a harrowing outrageous violation of selfhood. The second time, I marveled at the way these people forgive one another. I loved the way the author loves this family, too, flaws and all, and the way he invites me to love them. My previous irritations with these characters' faults felt like I was being that kind of a family member who refuses to forget and move on and to forgive other family members, whereas this family, Big Angel's family, was all about forgetting and moving on and forgiving.
This novel is a beautiful humane depiction of the dignity of everyday humans, and you should read it.
Sometimes a get to the end of a book and it says to me, "turn around. go back. take another look." I'm so glad this novel said that to me.
...
1/3/19:
Ok, I am reading this again and I'm loving it completely and without reservation. More to come.
...
First Read/Review, 12/15/18:
I loved this book but in a quiet way. As I read I kept thinking: 'wow, that's lovely,' and 'my, that is beautifully put,' and 'oh, what a dear way to capture this filial feeling,' but even so I was also feeling a little restless, and as if I'd stayed too long in a bath, or maybe, it's that I felt exactly as if I, too, was at this big family reunion, where almost everyone is a bit noisier than I would like, and none of them are very good listeners, and, even though I love them, and even though I know they are good people who are doing their best, all I want is for them to leave me alone, so I can go find a quiet room, and close the door behind me preferably with a glass of wine and a good book to keep me company.
The House of Broken Angels is my latest re-read. It's maybe fitting, since this is a novel about family, that three weeks ago when I first read the novel it gave me the feeling I have sometimes when members of my own extended family come to visit--'ok I love you guys, but too much of a good thing is too much of a good thing, so maybe now it's time to go home.' I got to the end of my first read of this novel thinking almost exclusively about what I didn't like about these characters. Especially the men. Throughout the novel their thoughts and actions pricked my sensibilities, and made me hypercritical, until I was very cranky by the end.
But then it felt to me, because it was true, that I'd closed my mind to the goodness of these characters, and focused on their flaws. I don't like doing that with people, so why did I think it was fine to be so opinionated about people in books?
And so I read it again, deciding that this time I'd let these people be themselves.
Let me tell you something. I was deeply, deeply moved. By getting out of my own way and my own judgments I could see the extraordinary depth of feeling Urrea has created here among the members of this fictional family. A history of choices, and of memories shared. The extraordinary careful rendering of a blended family, not only blended by ethnicity but also by nationality--here is a fictional rendition of a family living the reality of border politics for the last few decades, the way undocumented and citizen exist within the same family, their fates determined by a few miles difference between their place of birth. It gently, yet devastatingly lays out the way border-crossing experiences can be, in some years, easy memories, whereas in other years (like those closer to the present day) border crossing becomes a harrowing outrageous violation of selfhood. The second time, I marveled at the way these people forgive one another. I loved the way the author loves this family, too, flaws and all, and the way he invites me to love them. My previous irritations with these characters' faults felt like I was being that kind of a family member who refuses to forget and move on and to forgive other family members, whereas this family, Big Angel's family, was all about forgetting and moving on and forgiving.
This novel is a beautiful humane depiction of the dignity of everyday humans, and you should read it.
Sometimes a get to the end of a book and it says to me, "turn around. go back. take another look." I'm so glad this novel said that to me.
...
1/3/19:
Ok, I am reading this again and I'm loving it completely and without reservation. More to come.
...
First Read/Review, 12/15/18:
I loved this book but in a quiet way. As I read I kept thinking: 'wow, that's lovely,' and 'my, that is beautifully put,' and 'oh, what a dear way to capture this filial feeling,' but even so I was also feeling a little restless, and as if I'd stayed too long in a bath, or maybe, it's that I felt exactly as if I, too, was at this big family reunion, where almost everyone is a bit noisier than I would like, and none of them are very good listeners, and, even though I love them, and even though I know they are good people who are doing their best, all I want is for them to leave me alone, so I can go find a quiet room, and close the door behind me preferably with a glass of wine and a good book to keep me company.
September 21, 2021
"All believed Big Angel's smile because they needed to. Because they had always believed him. Because he was the law."
There are many, many tributaries over many, many years that flow over rutted landscapes and drought-filled pockets. They spread wide and far and in a multitude of unplanned directions seeking distance, and at the same time, longing for familiarity. They ebb and flow from a certain source and a certain essence. And that particular is Big Angel.
Big Angel is bent over in his chair with the agonizing weight of his recent cancer diagnosis. Nothing stops a man like the faint whisper of "Never more." To be silenced has never been in the framework of this man. To know less and less days never fit upon this receding horizon. Life for Big Angel was always large, over-the-top, and wide-spreading into everybody else's territory whether it was welcomed or not. He wished for only one thing.....a last birthday celebration. But someone has stolen his thunder. Perhaps his own mother clashed with a mighty roar almost silencing his own.
The De La Cruz family gathers to bury Mama America. Luis Alberto Urrea draws you into this story with touches of family flames lighting the sparks of a fire long in the making. We visit generations that infused a certain faint glow. We also experience those who leave nothing but scorched earth in their aftermath. Family, familia, is destined to be. Urrea reminds us that each individual, good, bad, or indifferent is a vital cog in the wheel. You can never wish it away like blowing out candles on a birthday cake. It exists, triumphantly or in devastation. You are part of it and it, always, will be part of you.
"A good life," he said. He lay back and withdrew his hand and clutched the warmth of her in his empty palm.
The House of Broken Angels is not a maudlin tale focusing solely on death. We embrace this family filled with chaos, uncertainty, severe hardships......but most of all humor. Luis Alberto Urrea inserts dialogue filled with sharp quips and laugh out loud bawdy retellings. His gift for writing weaves throughout echoing high notes and the low. Soft, gentle rains and reverberating thunderstorms. It's ours for the taking. We stand in the doorway of this life, and perhaps one day, someone will stand in the doorway of ours.
There are many, many tributaries over many, many years that flow over rutted landscapes and drought-filled pockets. They spread wide and far and in a multitude of unplanned directions seeking distance, and at the same time, longing for familiarity. They ebb and flow from a certain source and a certain essence. And that particular is Big Angel.
Big Angel is bent over in his chair with the agonizing weight of his recent cancer diagnosis. Nothing stops a man like the faint whisper of "Never more." To be silenced has never been in the framework of this man. To know less and less days never fit upon this receding horizon. Life for Big Angel was always large, over-the-top, and wide-spreading into everybody else's territory whether it was welcomed or not. He wished for only one thing.....a last birthday celebration. But someone has stolen his thunder. Perhaps his own mother clashed with a mighty roar almost silencing his own.
The De La Cruz family gathers to bury Mama America. Luis Alberto Urrea draws you into this story with touches of family flames lighting the sparks of a fire long in the making. We visit generations that infused a certain faint glow. We also experience those who leave nothing but scorched earth in their aftermath. Family, familia, is destined to be. Urrea reminds us that each individual, good, bad, or indifferent is a vital cog in the wheel. You can never wish it away like blowing out candles on a birthday cake. It exists, triumphantly or in devastation. You are part of it and it, always, will be part of you.
"A good life," he said. He lay back and withdrew his hand and clutched the warmth of her in his empty palm.
The House of Broken Angels is not a maudlin tale focusing solely on death. We embrace this family filled with chaos, uncertainty, severe hardships......but most of all humor. Luis Alberto Urrea inserts dialogue filled with sharp quips and laugh out loud bawdy retellings. His gift for writing weaves throughout echoing high notes and the low. Soft, gentle rains and reverberating thunderstorms. It's ours for the taking. We stand in the doorway of this life, and perhaps one day, someone will stand in the doorway of ours.
April 13, 2018
”Big Angel was late to his own mother’s funeral.
“He tossed in his bed, the sheets catching his feet in a tangle. Sweat ticked his sides as he realized what was happening. The sun was up – it was bright through his eyelids. The burning pink world. Everybody else would be there before him. No. Not this. Not today. He struggled to rise.”
”Every morning since his diagnosis, he had the same thoughts. They were his alarm clock.
How could a man out of time repair all that was broken? And on this morning, as he was awakening to these worries, cursed by the light, cursed in every way by time, betrayed by his exhausted body while his mind raged, he was started to find his father’s ghost sitting beside him on the bed.”
Family gathers for the funeral, and then again for Big Angel’s birthday on the following day. An extended family including Big Angel’s half-brother, Little Angel, a child of his father’s and a different mother, cousins, Aunts, Uncles and all of the newest members.
There is the type of humour you’ll find in family gatherings, the subtle, or not so subtle ways that family has of putting you in your place, of reminding you of where you come from and who you are. Still, all the time there is that bond, that love that is always there, shining through even in those moments of not-so-gentle teasing. The men boasting amongst themselves, but becoming more reflective when alone, and when they are with their women.
Then there is the one that is missing, whose absence is felt more than if he were present. Surely he will not stay away, surely this is a time when he will return to his family, and then, like the parable of the prodigal son, the feast will be a joyous one, an embracing of their differences, as well.
”This is the prize: to realize, at the end, that every minute was worth fighting for with every ounce of blood and fire.”
”So you fill your hours with hubbub. Like now. The house seemed to be bulging elastically like an old cartoon—music and dust flying out through the gaping junctures of the bouncing, jiving walls.
“Big Angel surveyed his domain.”
Sorrow. The sorrow of losing loved ones, the sorrow of facing the end of life. Sorrow, so well balanced in this story by the joys of life, the joys of love. Family. The good, the bad, the ugly, at the end we are still family. Sometimes, things happen and we’d like to change that, CTRL-ALT-DEL people from our lives, but it isn’t that easy with family. America / Americans and becoming Americans, a process, much like life. We are all always becoming, becoming something different from what we were, and hopefully a better version, without leaving our “old” selves behind. And there is the humour, of course, it’s a family gathered together, and stories are told, memories are shared. Stories that are teasing, meant to embarrass, in the way which families manage to excel, but shared with love.
”There is a minute in the day, a minute for everyone, though most everyone is too distracted to notice its arrival. A minute of gifts coming from the world like birthday presents. A minute given to every day that seems to create a golden bubble available to everyone.”
There is a moment in this book, nearing the end, that felt like that to me, a present. Well, more than one moment, but one between Big Angel and Ookie that stood out from the rest and melted my heart.
Published 6 MAR 2018
Many thanks for the ARC provided by Little, Brown and Company
“He tossed in his bed, the sheets catching his feet in a tangle. Sweat ticked his sides as he realized what was happening. The sun was up – it was bright through his eyelids. The burning pink world. Everybody else would be there before him. No. Not this. Not today. He struggled to rise.”
”Every morning since his diagnosis, he had the same thoughts. They were his alarm clock.
How could a man out of time repair all that was broken? And on this morning, as he was awakening to these worries, cursed by the light, cursed in every way by time, betrayed by his exhausted body while his mind raged, he was started to find his father’s ghost sitting beside him on the bed.”
Family gathers for the funeral, and then again for Big Angel’s birthday on the following day. An extended family including Big Angel’s half-brother, Little Angel, a child of his father’s and a different mother, cousins, Aunts, Uncles and all of the newest members.
There is the type of humour you’ll find in family gatherings, the subtle, or not so subtle ways that family has of putting you in your place, of reminding you of where you come from and who you are. Still, all the time there is that bond, that love that is always there, shining through even in those moments of not-so-gentle teasing. The men boasting amongst themselves, but becoming more reflective when alone, and when they are with their women.
Then there is the one that is missing, whose absence is felt more than if he were present. Surely he will not stay away, surely this is a time when he will return to his family, and then, like the parable of the prodigal son, the feast will be a joyous one, an embracing of their differences, as well.
”This is the prize: to realize, at the end, that every minute was worth fighting for with every ounce of blood and fire.”
”So you fill your hours with hubbub. Like now. The house seemed to be bulging elastically like an old cartoon—music and dust flying out through the gaping junctures of the bouncing, jiving walls.
“Big Angel surveyed his domain.”
Sorrow. The sorrow of losing loved ones, the sorrow of facing the end of life. Sorrow, so well balanced in this story by the joys of life, the joys of love. Family. The good, the bad, the ugly, at the end we are still family. Sometimes, things happen and we’d like to change that, CTRL-ALT-DEL people from our lives, but it isn’t that easy with family. America / Americans and becoming Americans, a process, much like life. We are all always becoming, becoming something different from what we were, and hopefully a better version, without leaving our “old” selves behind. And there is the humour, of course, it’s a family gathered together, and stories are told, memories are shared. Stories that are teasing, meant to embarrass, in the way which families manage to excel, but shared with love.
”There is a minute in the day, a minute for everyone, though most everyone is too distracted to notice its arrival. A minute of gifts coming from the world like birthday presents. A minute given to every day that seems to create a golden bubble available to everyone.”
There is a moment in this book, nearing the end, that felt like that to me, a present. Well, more than one moment, but one between Big Angel and Ookie that stood out from the rest and melted my heart.
Published 6 MAR 2018
Many thanks for the ARC provided by Little, Brown and Company
January 15, 2020
This book is lushly written, a detailed description of life in America for a family of Mexican immigrants.
The family is coming together for dual events, the funeral of Mama America and the birthday party of Big Angel, her son, who is dying of cancer. There’s a large cast of characters that took me awhile to get straight in my head. Just like Little Angel with his notepad, I needed notes to remember how they were related.
It’s a very slow moving book. Don’t expect a lot to happen. It’s much more contemplative, showing us everyone’s thoughts and memories. Big Angel keeps notebooks of his gratitudes and a mental spreadsheet of his sins to repent of and mark PAID.
I would say I appreciated this book more than loved it. The writing was good, the characters were fully fleshed out. I adored the love story between Big Angel and Perla. Urrea totally gets how complicated and sloppy family relationships can be. It reminds you to be grateful. It reminds you you don’t know how much time is left.
My one complaint about the book was its scattered approach. Coupled with the large cast of characters, it often left me confused and casting around to put things in order in my brain.
Still, this is well worth the time investment necessary to appreciate it.
April 12, 2019
Miguel Angel de La Cruz (Big Angel) relishes what time he has left as the partriarch of a large family now concentrated on the California side of the border. The main story takes place during a particularly dramatic window starting with his mother’s funeral, followed the next day by what he knew would be his last birthday. Cancer would see to that. The family gathered for both events. There were countless POV characters, and plenty of back-stories to fill in. One character, a half-brother their father had named Gabriel Angel (Little Angel) had a gringa mother and wasn’t raised with his siblings. Conflict was always going to be part of that story. It’s The House of Broken Angels, right?
Anyway, someone had convinced Big Angel that he should keep a notebook to jot down the enjoyable things in his life. It didn’t take much space in the narrative – his entries clustered in sets of three or four and were typically only a line each – but I liked the device. He could pass this down to his family to let them know how he felt, and it tended to keep him more positive and focused on meaning. Darker family tensions came out in other ways. I thought for the rest of this review I could use a similar set of bullets for the things I liked about the book. I’ll also sneak in a few less likeable aspects and denote them with a (-) rather than a (+).
The emphasis was always on family. (+)
Families don’t always agree; but they can stay close despite this. (+)
Big Angel’s wife and daughter were devoted and sweet. (+)
When a family tie is compromised, there’s often a feeling of real hurt. (+)
Generational conflicts are the younger one’s fault (well, maybe not always). This line says something about that: “They thought he was stupid, as parents often do. Well, he was stupid, as children often are.” (+)
Machismo, stereotypical as it may seem, is addressed: “His father had taught him to be stoic. Pain was how a man measured his worth.” (+)
The Mexican food descriptions were mouth-watering. (+)
The cast of characters was so large, you’ll wish you had ancestry.com to keep track of them all. (-)
Yes, the family gathering was huge, but this made the dynamics feel real, with all types represented. (+)
Off to the side a bit, there was a modern-day prodigal son story. No fatted calf, though; more like KFC. (+)
Another quote said, “Every man dies with secrets. Big Angel was certain a happy man was a man who died with the worst things safely hidden.” But it seemed like a lot of Big Angel’s secrets were revealed. And maybe that wasn’t so bad. (+)
Emotional wounds, once the greasy, slapdash bandages are removed can be cleaned, and healing can begin. (+)
“[…] rocks remember when they were mountains.” And Big Angel remembered when he was Don Corleone, James Bond, and Don Juan all rolled into one. (+)
The Spanish in the book was not always basic, and you often weren’t given the context to figure it out. I even had trouble finding translations when I took the time to look. (-)
The cultural education, in general, was good, though it occasionally dealt in clichés. (+)
A trick someone described for dealing with a smelly situation was to stick Vicks VapoRub in your nose. A day after I read this, an article in the Trib was talking about how it’s a tradition in Latin American culture overuse the stuff. (Now see if the coincidence happens to you. These things are contagious, you know.) (+)
Urrea said in an interview that he started writing this book as a way to discuss border politics and dreamer narratives in the Age of Trump, but it became more and more about families (including a fair amount about his own). (+)
An important, almost cinematic scene at the end seemed risky to include, but Urrea pulled it off. I felt a little catch in my breath reading it. (+)
Some books are said to be all head, no heart. This one was closer to the opposite. I can go either way with books of that sort, but this one seemed honest, so it’s a net (+).
The writing wasn’t what you’d call facile, but it was OK for its purpose. (+/-)
As you can see, in aggregate, there were a lot more pluses than minuses—good for 4 stars.
Anyway, someone had convinced Big Angel that he should keep a notebook to jot down the enjoyable things in his life. It didn’t take much space in the narrative – his entries clustered in sets of three or four and were typically only a line each – but I liked the device. He could pass this down to his family to let them know how he felt, and it tended to keep him more positive and focused on meaning. Darker family tensions came out in other ways. I thought for the rest of this review I could use a similar set of bullets for the things I liked about the book. I’ll also sneak in a few less likeable aspects and denote them with a (-) rather than a (+).
The emphasis was always on family. (+)
Families don’t always agree; but they can stay close despite this. (+)
Big Angel’s wife and daughter were devoted and sweet. (+)
When a family tie is compromised, there’s often a feeling of real hurt. (+)
Generational conflicts are the younger one’s fault (well, maybe not always). This line says something about that: “They thought he was stupid, as parents often do. Well, he was stupid, as children often are.” (+)
Machismo, stereotypical as it may seem, is addressed: “His father had taught him to be stoic. Pain was how a man measured his worth.” (+)
The Mexican food descriptions were mouth-watering. (+)
The cast of characters was so large, you’ll wish you had ancestry.com to keep track of them all. (-)
Yes, the family gathering was huge, but this made the dynamics feel real, with all types represented. (+)
Off to the side a bit, there was a modern-day prodigal son story. No fatted calf, though; more like KFC. (+)
Another quote said, “Every man dies with secrets. Big Angel was certain a happy man was a man who died with the worst things safely hidden.” But it seemed like a lot of Big Angel’s secrets were revealed. And maybe that wasn’t so bad. (+)
Emotional wounds, once the greasy, slapdash bandages are removed can be cleaned, and healing can begin. (+)
“[…] rocks remember when they were mountains.” And Big Angel remembered when he was Don Corleone, James Bond, and Don Juan all rolled into one. (+)
The Spanish in the book was not always basic, and you often weren’t given the context to figure it out. I even had trouble finding translations when I took the time to look. (-)
The cultural education, in general, was good, though it occasionally dealt in clichés. (+)
A trick someone described for dealing with a smelly situation was to stick Vicks VapoRub in your nose. A day after I read this, an article in the Trib was talking about how it’s a tradition in Latin American culture overuse the stuff. (Now see if the coincidence happens to you. These things are contagious, you know.) (+)
Urrea said in an interview that he started writing this book as a way to discuss border politics and dreamer narratives in the Age of Trump, but it became more and more about families (including a fair amount about his own). (+)
An important, almost cinematic scene at the end seemed risky to include, but Urrea pulled it off. I felt a little catch in my breath reading it. (+)
Some books are said to be all head, no heart. This one was closer to the opposite. I can go either way with books of that sort, but this one seemed honest, so it’s a net (+).
The writing wasn’t what you’d call facile, but it was OK for its purpose. (+/-)
As you can see, in aggregate, there were a lot more pluses than minuses—good for 4 stars.
April 4, 2018
Luis Urrea has joined the ranks of great American writers with his new novel, The House of Broken Angels. (Think John Steinbeck here--a worthy comparison).
Miguel Angel De La Cruz, known as Big Angel, the patriarch of the family, is dying of cancer and wants to celebrate his last birthday with his extensive family, a blowout party...but first they must bury Grandma America who has so obligingly died first.
Urrea writes about the Mexican-American experience with both humor and gravitas but he nails family relationships so perfectly that most of his readers will be able to recognize certain aspects of their own families, no matter what the nationality. The universal experience. No one can hurt us so deeply, rattle ours chains, push our buttons, yet inspire such deep love and loyalty.
"A family inheritance, he thought. Endless drama."
"They didn't ever let anybody have a secret, but they were hiding things from one another every day of their lives."
"These men are driving me insane."
**This might be a book you'll want to listen to on audible. I was sent a 5 minute clip today to listen to and it was excellent to hear the scene in the author's own voice.
Many thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for providing me with an arc of this wonderful new book. I predict this book will become a classic.
Miguel Angel De La Cruz, known as Big Angel, the patriarch of the family, is dying of cancer and wants to celebrate his last birthday with his extensive family, a blowout party...but first they must bury Grandma America who has so obligingly died first.
Urrea writes about the Mexican-American experience with both humor and gravitas but he nails family relationships so perfectly that most of his readers will be able to recognize certain aspects of their own families, no matter what the nationality. The universal experience. No one can hurt us so deeply, rattle ours chains, push our buttons, yet inspire such deep love and loyalty.
"A family inheritance, he thought. Endless drama."
"They didn't ever let anybody have a secret, but they were hiding things from one another every day of their lives."
"These men are driving me insane."
**This might be a book you'll want to listen to on audible. I was sent a 5 minute clip today to listen to and it was excellent to hear the scene in the author's own voice.
Many thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for providing me with an arc of this wonderful new book. I predict this book will become a classic.
July 31, 2019
The House of Broken Angels is a poignant novel featuring a Mexican immigrant family living in California. The beloved patriarch of the clan, Big Angel, is dying from cancer and calls on his entire extended family to gather to celebrate his last birthday. Spoiling the party plan is the fact that Big Angel's mother, Grandma America, dies a few days before the event and her funeral takes place the day before the birthday party. The book is a collection of family memories of different kinds, some are entertaining, some are sad or even tragic; and also Big Angel's contemplations and regrets about his life.
I mostly enjoyed reading The House of Broken Angels; the author's writing talent is undeniable. There were numerous beautiful passages that I loved and couldn't get enough of. I found the story of Big Angel and Perla's relationship and marriage captivating and it was definitely my favourite storyline. What I struggled with was the scattered plot, infused with stories and dialogue that felt a bit out of place. What didn't help was the overwhelming number of characters, some of whom where just thrown in and their relationships explained only later in the book. 3 stars overall!
Many thanks to John Murray Press for my review copy in exchange for an honest review.
I mostly enjoyed reading The House of Broken Angels; the author's writing talent is undeniable. There were numerous beautiful passages that I loved and couldn't get enough of. I found the story of Big Angel and Perla's relationship and marriage captivating and it was definitely my favourite storyline. What I struggled with was the scattered plot, infused with stories and dialogue that felt a bit out of place. What didn't help was the overwhelming number of characters, some of whom where just thrown in and their relationships explained only later in the book. 3 stars overall!
Many thanks to John Murray Press for my review copy in exchange for an honest review.
April 13, 2018
The dying patriarch of an extended Mexican-American family has one last birthday party on the day after his mother's funeral. The immigrant experience, happy memories, dark secrets, sibling rivalries and old grievances are explored. The writing was colorful and there was humor, poignancy and a realistic representation of a family. However, I would have preferred a more linear plot and I found that extended family confusing. I could have used a family tree because there were too many names and nicknames for me to keep straight. Since many of the characters seemed to be lusting after each other it sort of mattered how they were related. I admired the writing in this book, but didn't love it.
I received a free copy of this book from the publisher.
I received a free copy of this book from the publisher.
March 29, 2018
It’s ridiculous how much I liked Luis Alberto Urrea’s new novel House of Broken Angels. This book made me laugh so forcefully that I alarmed the people in the DMV sitting next to me. No doubt they feared the inevitable final collapse of my sanity was at hand. It made me weep so vigorously that the Stop and Shop cashier forgot to scan my double coupons, and the bagger (in such a rush to hand me her hankie) bagged my loaf of ciabatta beneath the cantaloupe. There were moments that enraged my sensibilities causing me to howl out obscenities, lift the Girl Scout’s table stacked with boxes of Thin Mints, Samoas, and Tagalongs over my head and hurl it through the window of the scoutmaster’s Honda Pilot. It made me ponder the deeper things in life: the legacy we leave on this Earth, the strength of family, the importance of acceptance, and that maybe I should set up a wellness visit with my primary care physician, Dr. Doofenshmirtz, to see about all these mood swings I’ve been having recently.
There’s a sign my family picked up at a souvenir shop during our vacation to the Outer Banks last summer (as discriminating shoppers we decided to pass on a set of T-shirts designating us as members of the “Twerk Team”, a boogie board graced with an image of the Confederate rebel flag, as well as an impressively extensive selection of novelty underpants; though all items clearly stirred our hearts and filled our souls with both awe and admiration). The sign, which now resides above our front door warning all visitors, reads: Remember, As Far As Anybody Knows…We Are A Nice Normal Family. Family is a funny thing—we love them, would do just about anything for them…but… families are also messy things. They nurture us, but also drive us crazy. There is love and security but also so much embarrassment that sometimes we feel we must conceal their true nature to the outsiders that would never understand. This is pretty much what House of Broken Angels is about.
Adored and revered patriarch Miguel Angel de La Cruz, endearingly called Big Angel, has mustered his large and diverse family to his San Diego home. They gather for Big Angel’s birthday which will more than likely be his last. His once strong body is rapidly consumed by cancer and he feels he has just days left to live. The de La Cruz family is a Mexican family with many aunts, uncles, sons, daughters, and cousins spanning many generations and many walks of life. During this birthday party the family will grapple with hidden secrets from the past, hidden secrets from the present, inappropriate actions, excessive drinking, general goofiness and coping with the loss of their leader, Big Angel.
Currently my favorite book of the year, the disheveled cast of characters in House of Broken Angels all lead fully formed, interesting, and enthusiastic lives. It’s hard not to like and respect all of them even in their disheveled existences with all their flaws and blemishes conspicuously displayed like the neither regions of a bike messenger through his spandex shorts. This is a book that shines a light on the immigrant experience, as many of the members of the de La Cruz clan could be once (or are currently) classified as illegal immigrants. But more than that it is a book of the American dream, celebrating the attributes that make us similar and relatable despite differing backgrounds and experiences.
There’s a sign my family picked up at a souvenir shop during our vacation to the Outer Banks last summer (as discriminating shoppers we decided to pass on a set of T-shirts designating us as members of the “Twerk Team”, a boogie board graced with an image of the Confederate rebel flag, as well as an impressively extensive selection of novelty underpants; though all items clearly stirred our hearts and filled our souls with both awe and admiration). The sign, which now resides above our front door warning all visitors, reads: Remember, As Far As Anybody Knows…We Are A Nice Normal Family. Family is a funny thing—we love them, would do just about anything for them…but… families are also messy things. They nurture us, but also drive us crazy. There is love and security but also so much embarrassment that sometimes we feel we must conceal their true nature to the outsiders that would never understand. This is pretty much what House of Broken Angels is about.
Adored and revered patriarch Miguel Angel de La Cruz, endearingly called Big Angel, has mustered his large and diverse family to his San Diego home. They gather for Big Angel’s birthday which will more than likely be his last. His once strong body is rapidly consumed by cancer and he feels he has just days left to live. The de La Cruz family is a Mexican family with many aunts, uncles, sons, daughters, and cousins spanning many generations and many walks of life. During this birthday party the family will grapple with hidden secrets from the past, hidden secrets from the present, inappropriate actions, excessive drinking, general goofiness and coping with the loss of their leader, Big Angel.
Currently my favorite book of the year, the disheveled cast of characters in House of Broken Angels all lead fully formed, interesting, and enthusiastic lives. It’s hard not to like and respect all of them even in their disheveled existences with all their flaws and blemishes conspicuously displayed like the neither regions of a bike messenger through his spandex shorts. This is a book that shines a light on the immigrant experience, as many of the members of the de La Cruz clan could be once (or are currently) classified as illegal immigrants. But more than that it is a book of the American dream, celebrating the attributes that make us similar and relatable despite differing backgrounds and experiences.
August 13, 2023
I have a wonderful neighborhood of prolific readers who once they are done, donate their books to my Little Free Library Shed. And then of course, because I am the one organizing my LFL, I get to pick and choose what I would like to read.
This was one that I chose to read (a while back – finally bringing my review to Goodreads).
I am especially excited about this book, since, I had the opportunity to also read and review, Into the Beautiful North https://www.goodreads.com/review/show... (which was also a donation).
I know, I am very lucky to be a repository for such wonderful books. As is, my neighborhood.
There is no doubt, Urrea is a gifted storyteller. With this story, it is almost like getting invited to a party. Also, a funeral.
When the novel opens, Big Angel de la Cruz, the patriarch of a sprawling Mexican-American family, is getting ready to bury his mother, and to die. I mean seriously, the first sentence of the book says…
“Big Angel was late to his own mother’s funeral.”
Doesn’t that make you want to keep reading?
Big Angel is in the late stages of terminal cancer, and so he gathers his relatives for a Saturday, funeral and on Sunday, his last birthday party.
Now…
This may sound like a tearjerker. But the book’s spirit is high.
Even in its saddest moments this book just feels full of joy.
Even Big Angel spends a lot of time listing what he is grateful for…
“Family, marriage, working, oysters, being taller than my kids.”
Readers can still feel the passion between him and his wife, Perla, even if he can’t act on it.
And…
We feel the pleasure of family, throughout the pages.
It doesn’t mean the de la Cruz family is perfect. They struggle with all sorts of ailments…addiction, exhaustion, alienation, frustrated ambition. One is married to a woman who might be a bit off. One spends the whole funeral and most of the birthday party outside in their car. Everyone is grieving. Especially Big Angel.
Yet…
This is not a novel about grief.
It is a novel about how amazing it is to have been alive.
About being amazed.
This book is a celebration. Of life. Of vulnerability.
So even if the subject seems morose, the story isn’t told in that way.
Open the pages of this book, settle back and be amazed.
P.S. – be sure and read the Author’s Note and Acknowledgments.
This was one that I chose to read (a while back – finally bringing my review to Goodreads).
I am especially excited about this book, since, I had the opportunity to also read and review, Into the Beautiful North https://www.goodreads.com/review/show... (which was also a donation).
I know, I am very lucky to be a repository for such wonderful books. As is, my neighborhood.
There is no doubt, Urrea is a gifted storyteller. With this story, it is almost like getting invited to a party. Also, a funeral.
When the novel opens, Big Angel de la Cruz, the patriarch of a sprawling Mexican-American family, is getting ready to bury his mother, and to die. I mean seriously, the first sentence of the book says…
“Big Angel was late to his own mother’s funeral.”
Doesn’t that make you want to keep reading?
Big Angel is in the late stages of terminal cancer, and so he gathers his relatives for a Saturday, funeral and on Sunday, his last birthday party.
Now…
This may sound like a tearjerker. But the book’s spirit is high.
Even in its saddest moments this book just feels full of joy.
Even Big Angel spends a lot of time listing what he is grateful for…
“Family, marriage, working, oysters, being taller than my kids.”
Readers can still feel the passion between him and his wife, Perla, even if he can’t act on it.
And…
We feel the pleasure of family, throughout the pages.
It doesn’t mean the de la Cruz family is perfect. They struggle with all sorts of ailments…addiction, exhaustion, alienation, frustrated ambition. One is married to a woman who might be a bit off. One spends the whole funeral and most of the birthday party outside in their car. Everyone is grieving. Especially Big Angel.
Yet…
This is not a novel about grief.
It is a novel about how amazing it is to have been alive.
About being amazed.
This book is a celebration. Of life. Of vulnerability.
So even if the subject seems morose, the story isn’t told in that way.
Open the pages of this book, settle back and be amazed.
P.S. – be sure and read the Author’s Note and Acknowledgments.
July 21, 2019
I admired more than enjoyed this story, its literary merits far outweighing my reading pleasure. Starting with a funeral and continuing with a birthday celebration that turns into a living wake, the effort to follow the constantly shifting viewpoints, names and nicknames of this big, raucous family required an attention that took away from the emotion I’d hoped to find in its pages.
This is a very personal story for Urrea given that it was inspired by the death of his eldest brother and that love reverberates in the character of Big Angel, the only character in which I felt invested. There are the themes of love, alienation and redemption to name a few, but for me there was a distance, I was an observer at this party, never a part of it. And as a Spanish speaker, the vulgarity of the slang on almost every page became tiresome and let me be clear, I am no shrinking violet.
I know this is worthy of the literary praise that’s been heaped upon it, the critics loved it as did many of my GR friends, but for me it was too convoluted to truly enjoy in the way of a Marquez or Allende. And as a glimpse into the plight of the immigrant, especially those of Central America, I felt that The Book of Unknown Americans was more nuanced and affecting.
**2.5 stars for reading pleasure rounded up to 3 stars for the occasional brilliant moment.
This is a very personal story for Urrea given that it was inspired by the death of his eldest brother and that love reverberates in the character of Big Angel, the only character in which I felt invested. There are the themes of love, alienation and redemption to name a few, but for me there was a distance, I was an observer at this party, never a part of it. And as a Spanish speaker, the vulgarity of the slang on almost every page became tiresome and let me be clear, I am no shrinking violet.
I know this is worthy of the literary praise that’s been heaped upon it, the critics loved it as did many of my GR friends, but for me it was too convoluted to truly enjoy in the way of a Marquez or Allende. And as a glimpse into the plight of the immigrant, especially those of Central America, I felt that The Book of Unknown Americans was more nuanced and affecting.
**2.5 stars for reading pleasure rounded up to 3 stars for the occasional brilliant moment.
April 14, 2018
Well, of course, I loved this book, but then my beautiful daughter-in-law is hispanic, born in Tijuana, and replanted here in North Carolina, when my son returned to his home state in 2008. I visited their ‘garage kingdom’ in 07' when they were living in her parent's attached garage in San Diego. So many things that Luis Alberto Urrea writes about in ‘The House of Broken Angels,’ I saw while I was there. The border crossing, the border patrol, the food, the generosity of Mexicans, the music, and the humor, all alive in my experience and in this book.
In ‘The House of Broken Angels,’ Big Angel’s mother, America has passed away. Big Angel says, who but a Mexican would name their child America. All the family is coming in for the funeral, and the next day they’re going to celebrate Big Angel’s birthday. Big Angel has cancer and this is his last birthday. All this is revealed in the first few pages. The book centers around familial connections, and how to end a life with dignity and a little heroism.
My favorite thing about this book is it’s humor. At times subtle and at times so uproarious, I was falling over laughing. That may be because I know and am friends with my daughter-in-law’s family, and I can see this humor popping out of them every time I’m around them. Her parents followed her out here to North Carolina, so we’ve become good friends.
Here’s an example of Urrea’s humor:
“Flaco,” Perla said. “What did they say?”
“Well,” he said, “I’m sick. But we all know that.”
“But you’re cool, Pops?”
“Of course, Lalo. I told you I was fine.”
Minnie hugged him and made him feel like her hair was smothering him.
“It could be worse,” he told Perla.
“How?” she cried.
“At least I don’t have hemorrhoids.”
Big Angel’s Dad, Antonio, left his mother to marry an American woman. They had a child together, Little Angel. Little Angel thinks his Mexican siblings are jealous of him because he got a bike and other toys for Christmas. To them, it seems like Little Angel is spoiled. Now, Big Angel is in his seventies and Little Angel nearing fifty. They reminisce about the years of their lives. Little Angel represents the very strong border theme of this story. Straddling two cultures, he struggles to find his place with his siblings. His siblings are also part of two cultures because they have become Americans, but not quite the same as Little Angel, who’s skin is of two worlds.
In the story, Big Angel can be reverent and then irreverent in the space of a few sentences. He asks God for forgiveness. He writes in a notebook about all the things for which he is grateful. Poetic and spiritual feelings and phrases engulf him.
“The notebooks had a title: My Silly Prayers…..
marriage
family
walking
working
books
eating
Cilantro
That surprised him. He didn’t know where it came from. Cilantro? he thought. Then:
my baby brother
Every day, he found his gratitudes more ridiculous. But they were many, and they reproduced like desert wildflowers after rain.”
I find the above quote so profound, so heartfelt. I kept sharing parts of this book with my daughter-in-law, especially the funny ones. In addition to the humor, there is a wonderful depth, a richness to Urrea’s writing. There’s something about the story that makes me wish to be like Big Angel when death come near. I loved this book!
In ‘The House of Broken Angels,’ Big Angel’s mother, America has passed away. Big Angel says, who but a Mexican would name their child America. All the family is coming in for the funeral, and the next day they’re going to celebrate Big Angel’s birthday. Big Angel has cancer and this is his last birthday. All this is revealed in the first few pages. The book centers around familial connections, and how to end a life with dignity and a little heroism.
My favorite thing about this book is it’s humor. At times subtle and at times so uproarious, I was falling over laughing. That may be because I know and am friends with my daughter-in-law’s family, and I can see this humor popping out of them every time I’m around them. Her parents followed her out here to North Carolina, so we’ve become good friends.
Here’s an example of Urrea’s humor:
“Flaco,” Perla said. “What did they say?”
“Well,” he said, “I’m sick. But we all know that.”
“But you’re cool, Pops?”
“Of course, Lalo. I told you I was fine.”
Minnie hugged him and made him feel like her hair was smothering him.
“It could be worse,” he told Perla.
“How?” she cried.
“At least I don’t have hemorrhoids.”
Big Angel’s Dad, Antonio, left his mother to marry an American woman. They had a child together, Little Angel. Little Angel thinks his Mexican siblings are jealous of him because he got a bike and other toys for Christmas. To them, it seems like Little Angel is spoiled. Now, Big Angel is in his seventies and Little Angel nearing fifty. They reminisce about the years of their lives. Little Angel represents the very strong border theme of this story. Straddling two cultures, he struggles to find his place with his siblings. His siblings are also part of two cultures because they have become Americans, but not quite the same as Little Angel, who’s skin is of two worlds.
In the story, Big Angel can be reverent and then irreverent in the space of a few sentences. He asks God for forgiveness. He writes in a notebook about all the things for which he is grateful. Poetic and spiritual feelings and phrases engulf him.
“The notebooks had a title: My Silly Prayers…..
marriage
family
walking
working
books
eating
Cilantro
That surprised him. He didn’t know where it came from. Cilantro? he thought. Then:
my baby brother
Every day, he found his gratitudes more ridiculous. But they were many, and they reproduced like desert wildflowers after rain.”
I find the above quote so profound, so heartfelt. I kept sharing parts of this book with my daughter-in-law, especially the funny ones. In addition to the humor, there is a wonderful depth, a richness to Urrea’s writing. There’s something about the story that makes me wish to be like Big Angel when death come near. I loved this book!
May 29, 2021
[3+] "This family. They were all crazy. And they talked too much." The words of an intruder to the de la Cruz funeral/birthday celebration resonated with me. I felt like a guest invited to watch the unspooling of intimate memories, rivalries, inside jokes, over the top antics and most of all -- love. There were too many names and relationships to keep track of and my attention drifted in and out. Yet Urrea writes with heart and humor and I was content to hang out until the end.
May 2, 2018
I have to admit, this one took me a while to get into. The de La Cruz family is big, so there are lots of characters to keep track of through multiple generations. On top of that, the storyline shifts from past to present, to further in the past, and back again. I was working so hard to keep track of who everyone was, I didn’t have much headspace left for what Urrea was doing on a deeper level.
Something happened though in the last third of the book that brought it all together for me. Big Angel and Little Angel had those conversations lying in bed together, maybe being as honest as they’d ever been with each other. It was painful, it was awkward, but their honesty really got me in the feels. Even as I could see how sad Big Angel’s situation was, I thought how sweet and good it was for him to have a chance to say the things he needed to say to the people who mattered most to him. It made me think about what constitutes a “good” death. I think Big Angel had as good a death as anyone could hope for.
Another aspect that resonated for me was Big Angel’s reflection on things he had done in the past that he regretted or felt guilty about. It seems like a given, even a cliché maybe, to say that no one lives a perfect life, but if we’re lucky enough to live as long as Big Angel, we’re going to do things that hurt others, things that haunt us, things we would take back if we could. I really admired Big Angel’s efforts to face those things squarely and own them, and then to try to atone for them. The line when he says, “I am so dirty”—who hasn’t felt that way? That feeling that if people really knew you, they wouldn’t love you anymore? Big Angel’s struggle with those feelings made me want to give him and his whole family a big hug.
I read another book by Urrea, Into the Beautiful North, a while back, so I knew to expect dashes of his signature humor, and I was not disappointed in that regard. The scene at the border with the parrot in the cleavage! Perhaps not what we’ve come to expect from a story about crossing the border, but damn, that’s comedy gold. I’m glad I stuck with this one because by the end I realized I’d gotten a lot out of it.
More book recommendations by me at www.readingwithhippos.com
Something happened though in the last third of the book that brought it all together for me. Big Angel and Little Angel had those conversations lying in bed together, maybe being as honest as they’d ever been with each other. It was painful, it was awkward, but their honesty really got me in the feels. Even as I could see how sad Big Angel’s situation was, I thought how sweet and good it was for him to have a chance to say the things he needed to say to the people who mattered most to him. It made me think about what constitutes a “good” death. I think Big Angel had as good a death as anyone could hope for.
Another aspect that resonated for me was Big Angel’s reflection on things he had done in the past that he regretted or felt guilty about. It seems like a given, even a cliché maybe, to say that no one lives a perfect life, but if we’re lucky enough to live as long as Big Angel, we’re going to do things that hurt others, things that haunt us, things we would take back if we could. I really admired Big Angel’s efforts to face those things squarely and own them, and then to try to atone for them. The line when he says, “I am so dirty”—who hasn’t felt that way? That feeling that if people really knew you, they wouldn’t love you anymore? Big Angel’s struggle with those feelings made me want to give him and his whole family a big hug.
I read another book by Urrea, Into the Beautiful North, a while back, so I knew to expect dashes of his signature humor, and I was not disappointed in that regard. The scene at the border with the parrot in the cleavage! Perhaps not what we’ve come to expect from a story about crossing the border, but damn, that’s comedy gold. I’m glad I stuck with this one because by the end I realized I’d gotten a lot out of it.
More book recommendations by me at www.readingwithhippos.com
April 7, 2018
The House of Broken Angels is a beautiful and heartwarming tale of three generations of a Mexican and Mexican-American family taking place between La Paz, Tijuana and San Diego with the Mexican-American border in the mix. Patriarch Miguel Angel de La Cruz, affectionately known as "Big Angel" is dying, and has summoned all of his family to celebrate his seventieth and last birthday. However his mother, Mama America, has just died resulting in her funeral the preceding day. As everyone gathers in Big Angel and Perla's home in San Diego, you begin to know the generations and history of this family related in endearing and fascinating ways as the family folklore unfolds in about a week's time where there is celebration, love, hope and understanding as well as sadness, grief and reconciliation, as this very American family struggles with the same hopes and dreams of us all. Luis Alberto Urrea's prose was beautiful. This is a powerful book on many levels that I no doubt will read again.
"His mind burned with random glory. Sunset over La Paz. The shadows in a ruined Mexican cathedral. . . The whale he saw in the Sea of Cortez, rising from the water and hanging there in shattered glass skirts of sea water as if the air itself held its impossible bulk aloft, and flying fish as tiny and white as parakeets passing under its arched belly and vanishing in foam."
"For Angel, La Paz was mostly light and small. The sunlight, bouncing off the sea and the backs of whales, silvered by marlins and waves and sand, ricocheted from bare rock spires and desert shimmers, was as saturating as a flood. Yellow, blue, clear, white, everywhere vibrating, everywhere frank and blunt and without nuance. Red flowers, yellow, blue as plastic. Light."
"And everyone loved sunsets. The light lost its sanity as it fell over the hills and into the Pacific--it went red and deeper red, orange and even green. The skies seemed to melt, like lava eating black rock into great bite marks of burning. . . Swirls of gulls and pelicans like God's own confetti snowed across those sky riots."
"The mariachis marched through the garage and burst out in a line, playing impossibly loud, joyous music. All in magnificent black and silver, crimson cummerbunds, vast sombreros. White frilly shirts with red ties elaborately fluttering. Trumpets, violins, guitarron, guitar."
"His mind burned with random glory. Sunset over La Paz. The shadows in a ruined Mexican cathedral. . . The whale he saw in the Sea of Cortez, rising from the water and hanging there in shattered glass skirts of sea water as if the air itself held its impossible bulk aloft, and flying fish as tiny and white as parakeets passing under its arched belly and vanishing in foam."
"For Angel, La Paz was mostly light and small. The sunlight, bouncing off the sea and the backs of whales, silvered by marlins and waves and sand, ricocheted from bare rock spires and desert shimmers, was as saturating as a flood. Yellow, blue, clear, white, everywhere vibrating, everywhere frank and blunt and without nuance. Red flowers, yellow, blue as plastic. Light."
"And everyone loved sunsets. The light lost its sanity as it fell over the hills and into the Pacific--it went red and deeper red, orange and even green. The skies seemed to melt, like lava eating black rock into great bite marks of burning. . . Swirls of gulls and pelicans like God's own confetti snowed across those sky riots."
"The mariachis marched through the garage and burst out in a line, playing impossibly loud, joyous music. All in magnificent black and silver, crimson cummerbunds, vast sombreros. White frilly shirts with red ties elaborately fluttering. Trumpets, violins, guitarron, guitar."
October 28, 2018
Sorry to be a party-pooper, but to say I like this book or even that it is OK would be a downright lie! I have disliked it from start to finish.
The language, the sprawling number of characters and the drippy ending all displeased me immensely. Problems are resolved and tied up neatly with a bow. That forgiveness and redemption is plastered on at the end is not to my taste.
The setting of the story is San Diego. We are at the funeral of Big Angel’s mother and, on the following day, the celebration of his own 70th birthday--his last birthday ever to be celebrated. He is dying of cancer. All of the family gather for the double fiesta. The kids alone come to one hundred and forty-nine!
The plot is not linear, but this did not give me trouble. The huge number of characters in the extended family did. What they remember they tell us, but in a jargon not easy to follow.
The book draws the difficult situation many Mexican immigrants in the US must cope with. There is nothing wrong with this topic; the topic itself is good. The problem is that the book spreads itself thin by dipping into other themes too—redemption, God and forgiveness, feminism and homosexuality, drug and physical abuse, sex, intoxication and the redeeming force of love and family. It is not hard to guess how each is drawn. This being a two-day party, there is lots and lots of talk about food.
The author reads the audiobook. What is spoken is a mix of English words, Spanish words and distortions of both—let’s call this Spanglish. He emphasizes the Spanish drawl. This may be appropriate for some Mexican immigrants in the US, but I found it a drain lo listen to, particularly along with the frequent usage of swear words, screaming and the vulgarity of the characters’ deportment.
The author tackles the Mexican immigrant situation in the US, both in this fictional book and in his non-fiction book The Devil's Highway: A True Story. His approach in the two is very different. I prefer the latter much more.
*********************
*The Devil's Highway: A True Story 4 stars
*The Hummingbird's Daughter 4 stars
*The House of Broken Angels1 star
The language, the sprawling number of characters and the drippy ending all displeased me immensely. Problems are resolved and tied up neatly with a bow. That forgiveness and redemption is plastered on at the end is not to my taste.
The setting of the story is San Diego. We are at the funeral of Big Angel’s mother and, on the following day, the celebration of his own 70th birthday--his last birthday ever to be celebrated. He is dying of cancer. All of the family gather for the double fiesta. The kids alone come to one hundred and forty-nine!
The plot is not linear, but this did not give me trouble. The huge number of characters in the extended family did. What they remember they tell us, but in a jargon not easy to follow.
The book draws the difficult situation many Mexican immigrants in the US must cope with. There is nothing wrong with this topic; the topic itself is good. The problem is that the book spreads itself thin by dipping into other themes too—redemption, God and forgiveness, feminism and homosexuality, drug and physical abuse, sex, intoxication and the redeeming force of love and family. It is not hard to guess how each is drawn. This being a two-day party, there is lots and lots of talk about food.
The author reads the audiobook. What is spoken is a mix of English words, Spanish words and distortions of both—let’s call this Spanglish. He emphasizes the Spanish drawl. This may be appropriate for some Mexican immigrants in the US, but I found it a drain lo listen to, particularly along with the frequent usage of swear words, screaming and the vulgarity of the characters’ deportment.
The author tackles the Mexican immigrant situation in the US, both in this fictional book and in his non-fiction book The Devil's Highway: A True Story. His approach in the two is very different. I prefer the latter much more.
*********************
*The Devil's Highway: A True Story 4 stars
*The Hummingbird's Daughter 4 stars
*The House of Broken Angels1 star
October 16, 2022
Семейные саги - отличный способ узнать побольше о людях страны, их менталитете, образе жизни, устремлениях. Мы проживаем несколько дней с большой, шумной, такой разнообразной мексиканской семьёй, чей патриарх - Старший Ангел на последней стадии рака, и чья мать умирает накануне его юбилея. Весь роман проходит в ожидании смерти Старшего Ангела, но он все не умирает. В романе в числе прочих проблем, поднимается проблема расизма. Что привлекло внимание, так это почти точное воспроизведение реакции белой женщины, говорящей мексиканскому иммигранту пожелания скорейшей депортации, которое было в романе Салмана Рушди "Кишот". Если современные писатели одинаково пишут о какой-то проблеме, значит, проблема стоит остро.
Чего я не люблю - изобилия ругательств, сексуальных сцен - здесь это в изобилии. Семья такая большая, что разобраться кто есть кто нелегко. Несмотря на сюжетное ожидание смерти, роман атмосферно солнечен и радостен. Так ощущать мир можно только в Мексике!
Чего я не люблю - изобилия ругательств, сексуальных сцен - здесь это в изобилии. Семья такая большая, что разобраться кто есть кто нелегко. Несмотря на сюжетное ожидание смерти, роман атмосферно солнечен и радостен. Так ощущать мир можно только в Мексике!
July 6, 2022
Sprawling, like a Robert Altman movie, this gathering of a Mexican family for a funeral and a birthday for a long time was kind of wonderful. But also exhausting. But also funny. But also has so many people at a certain point, I kind of gave up trying to remember the relationships.
But then, by the end, it turned unequivocally wonderful, funny, love-soaked, just wonderful. The humor exploded, the love became an ocean.
As if that weren’t enough, Urrea concludes this exquisitely written opus with one of the best Acknowledgments sections I’ve ever read, using it to actually talk about the inspiration for the book, something that never occurred to me to do—perhaps I’ll steal this one day.
But then, by the end, it turned unequivocally wonderful, funny, love-soaked, just wonderful. The humor exploded, the love became an ocean.
As if that weren’t enough, Urrea concludes this exquisitely written opus with one of the best Acknowledgments sections I’ve ever read, using it to actually talk about the inspiration for the book, something that never occurred to me to do—perhaps I’ll steal this one day.
February 25, 2019
I had a couple of minor quibbles reading this but overall I thought it was a great story well told. I wouldn't mind if it won the TOB2019. I need to re-evaluate my brackets.
May 7, 2020
Many authors can make you laugh.
Many authors can make you cry.
Many authors can make you laugh AND cry at the same time.
And then there’s Luis Alberto Urrea.
Many authors can make you cry.
Many authors can make you laugh AND cry at the same time.
And then there’s Luis Alberto Urrea.
October 13, 2018
This book was a random pick for me after seeing the author would be attending the Southern Festival of Books in Nashville. I am so glad I took a chance on this one. This seemed authentic, genuine, and very honest. I look forward to seeing the author discuss this in one of the literary panels. Pick this one up, so worth the time. Great title, too! I am still laughing over the drunk, escape artist bird!
Update:10/13 rights sold to Hollywood. Author is genuine, interesting and honest. Book is based on his actual family.
Update:10/13 rights sold to Hollywood. Author is genuine, interesting and honest. Book is based on his actual family.
November 24, 2018
Perhaps it is a case of 'it is not the book it is me', I thought a story about a dying old man (Big Angel) planning out the last of his days and how his extended family (most noticeable the man's half brother Little Angel) react to it would be quite interesting. Well, for the first 100 pages the colorful characters and the background of the Mexican-American mixed cultures do keep me interested, but then 50 pages later the plot still it isn't moving forward, so I gave up.
April 22, 2018
Oh, my--this book! I was overwhelmed by this boisterous, complicated, colorful family gathered for the funeral of their matriarch and the last birthday of her son Big Angel, who is dying of cancer.
As I read, this family took residence in my heart. They were not so unlike my own family. I remembered the large family gatherings of my childhood; we have our 'colorful' characters, too. My cousins and I are are too quickly becoming the oldest generation--the next to die.
Through the story of one particular Mexican-American family, The House of Broken Angels recalls what it means to be family. Through the life and death of one man, we grapple with the purpose of our own life and death.
Big Angel's grandfather came to America after the Mexican Revolution, tried to enlist for service during WWI, then in 1932 the family was deported back to Mexico. He was First Angel.
Big Angel's deceased father, a cop, is still a powerful presence in the lives of Big Angel and his half-brother, Little Angel. He was feared, he was idolized, and he was hated. Big Angel's dad abandoned his family for an American woman,"all Indiana milk and honey" with "Cornflower-blue eyes." He had 'forgotten' he had a son named Angel in his first family. The half-brothers have had an uneasy relationship.
At his seventieth birthday party, Big Angel is surrounded by his beloved Perla and their children, Perla's sisters who he helped raise, his half-siblings, and grandkids. Those who have died, and a son who has been estranged, are present in aching hearts.
As Big Angel struggles with how to die, how to atone for his sins, and the legacy he wants to leave his family, we learn the family's stories, the things that have divided and alienated them, and the things that bind them together. They will break your heart and they will inspire you with the strength and love of their family bonds. The revelation of this purpose is the climax of the novel, a scene that you will never forget.
Author Luis Alberto Urrea was inspired by his own family in writing this book. His eldest brother was dying when a day before his birthday he had to bury his mother. The family put on a 'blowout party, the kind of ruckus he would have delighted in during better days."
Urrea also wanted to tell the story of Mexican-American families, about immigrants and the American dream, living on the border between two countries and cultures, the hopes and dreams and cruel realities.
Reviewers use the word exuberant in describing this book. It is!
I received a free ebook from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for a fair and unbiased review.
As I read, this family took residence in my heart. They were not so unlike my own family. I remembered the large family gatherings of my childhood; we have our 'colorful' characters, too. My cousins and I are are too quickly becoming the oldest generation--the next to die.
Through the story of one particular Mexican-American family, The House of Broken Angels recalls what it means to be family. Through the life and death of one man, we grapple with the purpose of our own life and death.
Big Angel's grandfather came to America after the Mexican Revolution, tried to enlist for service during WWI, then in 1932 the family was deported back to Mexico. He was First Angel.
Big Angel's deceased father, a cop, is still a powerful presence in the lives of Big Angel and his half-brother, Little Angel. He was feared, he was idolized, and he was hated. Big Angel's dad abandoned his family for an American woman,"all Indiana milk and honey" with "Cornflower-blue eyes." He had 'forgotten' he had a son named Angel in his first family. The half-brothers have had an uneasy relationship.
At his seventieth birthday party, Big Angel is surrounded by his beloved Perla and their children, Perla's sisters who he helped raise, his half-siblings, and grandkids. Those who have died, and a son who has been estranged, are present in aching hearts.
As Big Angel struggles with how to die, how to atone for his sins, and the legacy he wants to leave his family, we learn the family's stories, the things that have divided and alienated them, and the things that bind them together. They will break your heart and they will inspire you with the strength and love of their family bonds. The revelation of this purpose is the climax of the novel, a scene that you will never forget.
Author Luis Alberto Urrea was inspired by his own family in writing this book. His eldest brother was dying when a day before his birthday he had to bury his mother. The family put on a 'blowout party, the kind of ruckus he would have delighted in during better days."
Urrea also wanted to tell the story of Mexican-American families, about immigrants and the American dream, living on the border between two countries and cultures, the hopes and dreams and cruel realities.
Reviewers use the word exuberant in describing this book. It is!
I received a free ebook from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for a fair and unbiased review.
September 12, 2021
A touching novel that follows the patriarch of a complex Mexican-American family as he faces his final days of life. Infused with Spanish phrases, cultural dishes, and vivid Mexican landscapes, Urrea highlights the importance of heritage and family loyalty, while also depicting the realistic hardships that immigration and class status present. Heartbreaking, hilarious, and moving.
April 22, 2018
Finished over spring break. A big, bodacious Mexican-American family, mainly chronicled through the eyes of a dying patriarch. Almost made-for-TV, the personalities in this crew, with numerous flashbacks to provide well-spaced exposition. Saved from mill comma run-of-the by some sterling writing in parts. That is, some poetic prose. A worthy read, all in all.
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