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Review title: contrived and flat
Product review: We read this novel for Book Club, and all agreed that it did not live up to the glowing reviews. The characters were flat and unbelievable, the plot contrived. It's not that the situation could not have happened, but rather that the author wrote it clumsily, so that it did not come across as believable. In fact the heavy and clumsy writing detracted considerably from enjoyment of the book. The "subtitles" and translations in parentheses were quite annoying. None of us felt that there was any literary quality to the novel; it seemed more that Hijuelos was coasting on his reputation. If you want to read it, try the library first--I wouldn't recommend spending money on it.
