The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao

Doesn't live up to the hype.

After reading so many positive reviews and hearing about the numerous awards this book won, I was extremely anxious to get my hands on a copy. Once I did, however, I was disappointed. I was expecting Diaz's style to be much more subtle and sophisticated, based on what I'd read in the reviews, and was rather underwhelmed by his style of prose. The characters had the potential to be very interesting, but I think the author tried to delve too deeply into too many of them, thus leaving the reader with a shallow impression of all. Oscar, especially, disappointed me. While he may not be a typical DR boy, he is the standard nerdy American boy stereotype. I almost felt as if I was reading a random YA paperback with subpar writing and a so-so plot. I enjoyed the supernatural elements of the book, but they were so few and far between, and examined so briefly, that Diaz might as well just have left them out. The Spanish sentences and the footnotes didn't bother me. If I don't understand something, I can always find an internet translation site, and while the footnotes did drag a bit at times, my understanding of the book would have been severely prohibited without them. Overall, not a bad book by any means, but certainly not one of my favorites. Perhaps if my expectations hadn't been so high to start with I would have enjoyed it more.

6 out of 8 people found this review helpful.

Doesn't live up to the hype

I am a hispanic female and I did understand the Spanish parts of the book but unfortunately that was really all I understood. At times the book was interesting but at other times it just dragged on. The history of the mother was way too long! At times I couldn't tell who was actually telling the story. I thought it was just me but after reading some other reviews I see that others had the same problems. I was really disappointed that this book didn't live up to all the hype surrounding it. Sorry, this was NOT my favorite book.

3 out of 5 people found this review helpful.

Amazing

I honestly never heard of diaz until my prof told me about him...i fell in love with this book...as a college junior i would say this is my favorite book that i read beside Tuesday with Maury...

3 out of 4 people found this review helpful.

Confounded By the Acclaim

As a big fan of minority voices in literature, I was eager to read Junot Diaz¿s debut novel. I was impressed by his writing style in the few short stories I read from his collection of short stories Drown. They uniquely, playfully, and insightfully recounted a sort of trans-national, immigrant identity from the Dominican Republic to the New York/ New Jersey empire. Expecting The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao to reflect this same sort of literary aptitude, I must say I was let down. Diaz attempts to create the complete anti- stereotype of a Dominican. He creates a corpulent, fantasy obsessed, gamer. Oscar spends his days like a typical nerd- using an elevated and convoluted vocabulary, spending hours in front of the tv and computer screen, and daydreaming endlessly about all the beautiful girls he sees but will never touch. The only unique thing about Oscar is that he happens to be much darker than the typical nerd would be. Not that nerds can¿t be interesting, it¿s just that Diaz doesn¿t give him any other traits besides that. Oscar is an archetype. What¿s more, it seems that with the creation of Oscar¿s character Diaz wants to debunk stereotypes of minority, namely Latino, characters. In listing everything that makes Oscar unDominican- that he¿s the antiplayer, that he spends his time gaming not gang banging, that he chooses to act educated- he in fact reinforces stereotypes against urban Latinos. Another character, Yunior, who is also the narrator, almost fits this stereotype perfectly, except that he is sensitive enough to write all this stuff down. And I realize his vantage point is from the street, which can be a very interesting one, but there¿s not enough sophistication in his voice to overshadow his blatant and sometimes gratuitous use of street slang. There are plenty of ways to make a character street and sophisticated at the same time. The mothers in this story whose personalities are shaped by lives back on the island also do not offer much in the way of a unique identity. They are basically what one would expect of a Dominican woman- lady in the streets, freak in the sheets type thing. The island itself becomes one big stereotype- a place where machismo is so thick you could pierce it with the bullets from the guns that all the gangsters running around have. Come on Diaz, make us Latinos proud and give us some characters that have more than 2 dimensions. The intrigue of the plot itself ebbs and flows. Some points I find myself very entertained, and at others I am wondering where the hell Diaz got this stuff. It¿s kinda random. Oscar falling in love with a prostie? While the contrast between a paranoid and vigilant life on the island and the carefree life in the States is apparent, the connection between these two spheres is just too¿ contrived. And beware: tragedy abounds. All that said, I still have faith in Mr. Diaz. He himself has said that all novels have bad chapters. Except in his case, most of the chapters aren¿t very good. Since this is his first novel, I¿ll give him a break. I can¿t wait to see his third or fourth. Then, I¿ll be excited again.

3 out of 6 people found this review helpful.

A Difficult Read

In terms of depicting inner city life, it is obvious that the author knows what he is talking about.

However, for a reader who was finding it unpleasant to be bombarded with challenging language very frequently; it can be a very rough and tough read. I made the mistake while taking my family on an outing of putting the cd into the car player. Whoa. This Pulitzer Prize offering was quickly removed. Having said that in terms of trying to read and understand the Spanglish also proved not as enjoyable as I would have liked.

It is an interesting study in urban culture and warrents a look...far away from the children that is. But having said that, I was more than shocked to see that it won the Pulitzer Prize.

C- overall

Bentley

2 out of 3 people found this review helpful.

Amazing

I was blown away by the plot of the story. This is truely an imaginative tale.

2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

Interesting and Different

This books is interesting in that it is fairly compelling, but definitely offbeat. As an English teacher, I find some of the slang and strange sentence structure slightly off-putting, but certainly not enough to put the book down. I find Latin American history/culture extremely fascinating, so the novel's take on the Trujillo Era is quite engaging. I would recommend it to a friend, but it is neither light nor easy reading,so better for a book club/somewhat serious read than escapist or beach reading...

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Excellent book, very original, awsome writing style

Mr Diaz does a grate job in pairing historical events with it's fictional caracters and plots. His writing style is original, maybe one of the reasons he won a pulitzer. His other book Drown is also amazing. Can't wait for his next masterpiece.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

A crude and humorous mix of reality and fiction

Book Review: The Brief and Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao

The Brief and Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao by Junot Diaz is definitely not an ordinary book. and not to be read lightheartedly. It is written in lively voices of the characters in mix of English and Spanish, jumping from time to time and characters to the other. It tells the story of the De Leon Family, consisting of the Single Mother, Belícia, and her children, Lola and Oscar. Belícia's story tells the tale of her youth, when she was so recklessly in love with men and the disaster the love brings to her. Lola's story consists of a growing woman trying to find her freedom within her rocky relationship with her mother. Oscar, the main boy, tries to find true romance with his heavy body and geeky tastes, and ends up meeting his own "happy" doom. A strong curse (or 'Fúku', as the family calls it) seems to follow this family from 1944~1995, and the characters struggle to survive and find their destiny within it.

The book is not particularly an easy reading, for there are so many jumps. Time jumps almost randomly every chapter, and at this change, the narrator, place, and people flips back and forth. Also, the author provides an inside-out history of the Trujillo dictatorship in Dominican Republic in side notes, which deeply related with the story base. Violence and injustice is strong in the story, and you'll be taken back by the intensity of emotions. Despite the strong themes, there are still humor and romance (although sometimes politically wrong), and draws its readers into the true read-through oh humanness

I recommend The Brief and Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao to those who like a story with fast pace, and a mix of fiction with reality. Also, the book contains many aspects, from violence to humor, and is good to re-read. For those who does not like so much changes in plot from chapter to chapter, this book might not be as capturing to you.

In overall, this book opened my eyes to a new type of literature with its direct 'street' language, talking about very possible events. I strongly recommend this book to be read smoothly and through the night, and hope that you experience the excitement in it too.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

I really liked this book!!

I really enjoyed this book.

It tells the story of Oscar de Leon (nicknamed Oscar Wao in reference to Oscar Wilde). He sees himself as the antithesis of what a Dominican male should be. Overweight, bookish, SF movie watching, journal writing , and worst of all NO luck with the ladies. His story is told from several points of view (his own, his sister Lola, his friend Yunior, and other family members).

They take us on a journey through Oscar's life, and also through the birth and reasons behind the family fuku (bad karma) that flows through every action and possible outcome, predetermining the worst outcome. You get a up close look at the Dominican Republic's history especially the era of the dictator Trujillo, a regime as oppressive as any dictator in history, that operated for over 40 years in obscurity to the outside world, but with devastating consequence to the people, including Oscar and his family.

The characters are believable, neither glorified nor reviled, just trying to survive. They leave the Dominican and immigrate to Nuevo Yol in search of freedom and a better life. But what can be done with the ever present fuku? It seems you cannot escape!

I found Oscar and his family's story fascinating. Each generations struggle to escape the repressive situation in which they live and struggle toward a better life. Oscar struggles to become a man and find love and happiness in his life. Will he succeed? Read and find out!

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Truly enjoyable!

Oscar Wao is a fun book to read...I couldn't put it down...loved the mix of fiction and nonfiction and the way they blended throughout.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

amazing writing

easily one of the best books i've read in the past ten years

1 out of 4 people found this review helpful.

Highly recommended, wonderful!

This is just a fun read. It is wild, and quite an adventure. Oscar is a tragic character and you can't help to feel a little sorry for him. I enjoyed the author's style. It is unique, readable, and engaging. And the Spanish words? Don't worry. If you pay attention, you'll get the full meaning. Read this if you want to be entertained!

1 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

Ugh!!!!

Pulitzer Prize winning novel? I don't think so. . . I was so excited to finally read this novel based on the reviews that I had heard. The plot sounded good but about 60 pages in, I lost all interest in the book and finished it just to finish it. Way too much time was devoted to the mother's story and very little to the three characters as a whole. I was sorely disappointed with the Pulitzer Board's choice seeing as Richard Russo's Bridge of Sighs came out in the same year. . . Oh, well here's hoping next year's committee does a better job.

1 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

Okay-not great

I did not like how most of the book was a footnote. If I wanted a history lesson on the D.R. I would of read a history book. All I wanted was a good story to read. I didn't like how there were no quotation marks either. The story was sad and dark.

1 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

The Power of Wao

Not just in Oscar but in all minority lives around the world, Junot Diaz captures disenfranchisement. Oscar Wao is the young acne faced preteen, the legging covered corpulent housewife, the hijab covered Muslim in downtown Manhattan, the mentally unstable homeless, the amputee, the scarred....The needs and longings of all are revealed in his character as well as the fear, cruelty and irrationality of those who judge him. A remarkable book that took me on a journey through life.

1 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

Diaz is an important writer. He'll be with us for a long time. O

Diaz is an important writer. He'll be with us for a long time. Oscar is a magnificent character, and his brief life does turn out to be wondrous, even if it appears it won't for most of the book. I found the narrator a little too self involved, but maybe that's the point. Well worth reading.

Quick read

Quick read.. good book hilarious!!

Not recommended-but that could just be me

If it wasn't required reading for a class in Latin American culture I never would have bought the book.

This book is amazing!!!! he hit the nail with THIS book.coming

This book is amazing!!!! he hit the nail with THIS book.coming from the same Dominican background I was taken back into oscars world!! And the history that my parents had to grow up in .... Love love this book...was very sad when I finished it lol