This book probably counts as my literary nemesis. It's only 138 stinkin' pages, yet I kept getting halfway through and WALKING AWAY. And I'm not talking about walking away for a week or two - no, try months or years. This was going to be the third ever book I reviewed for this blog because it was bite-sized and about Latin America - my favorite. But here we are at book number 60 - four years later.
Definitely my nemesis.
There's not really much I can say about this book outside of the fact that nothing really happens and it takes its own sweet time not happening. I like the setting described, from the mountains to the salt mines. The people are interesting (and the llamas too!). The themes of family and home are timeless and handled surprisingly well. Internal conflict is handled well....
Wait! It sounds like a good book! I know it does - but stories need five things: plot, character, conflict, theme, and setting. This story has very little in the way of plot. Characters visit salt mines (uneventfully), characters return home, character learns things (OFF PAGE), character goes to Cuzco, character returns to the mountains, and then well that's it.
Way too much of the 'action' in this book is told to us after the fact. I want to like this book but unfortunately it is just boring.
There's not really much I can say about this book outside of the fact that nothing really happens and it takes its own sweet time not happening. I like the setting described, from the mountains to the salt mines. The people are interesting (and the llamas too!). The themes of family and home are timeless and handled surprisingly well. Internal conflict is handled well....
Wait! It sounds like a good book! I know it does - but stories need five things: plot, character, conflict, theme, and setting. This story has very little in the way of plot. Characters visit salt mines (uneventfully), characters return home, character learns things (OFF PAGE), character goes to Cuzco, character returns to the mountains, and then well that's it.
Way too much of the 'action' in this book is told to us after the fact. I want to like this book but unfortunately it is just boring.
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