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Malas: A Novel
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Original price was: $29.00.$14.99Current price is: $14.99.
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A GOOD MORNING AMERICA BOOK CLUB PICK
“A vivacious, page-turning novel of rebellion and rebirth.” —Xochitl Gonzalez, New York Times bestselling author of Olga Dies Dreaming and Anita de Monte Laughs Last
“A vivacious, page-turning novel of rebellion and rebirth.” —Xochitl Gonzalez, New York Times bestselling author of Olga Dies Dreaming and Anita de Monte Laughs Last
A story full of passion and revenge, following one family living on the Texas Mexico border and a curse that reverberates across generations—”Fuentes has achieved something rare and indelible with this story of complex women.” (Erika L. Sánchez)
In 1951, a mysterious old woman confronts Pilar Aguirre in the small border town of La Cienega, Texas. The old woman is sure Pilar stole her husband and, in a heated outburst, lays a curse on Pilar and her family.
More than forty years later, Lulu Muñoz is dodging chaos at every turn: her troubled father’s moods, his rules, her secret life as singer in a punk band, but most of all her upcoming quinceañera. When her beloved grandmother passes away, Lulu finds herself drawn to the glamorous stranger who crashed the funeral and who lives alone and shunned on the edge of town.
Their unexpected kinship picks at the secrets of Lulu’s family’s past. As the quinceañera looms—and we move between these two strong, irascible female voices—one woman must make peace with the past, and one girl pushes to embrace her future.
Rich with cinematic details—from dusty rodeos to the excitement of a Selena concert and the comfort of conjunto ballads played at family gatherings—this memorable debut is a love letter to the Tejano culture and community that sustain both of these women as they discover what family means.
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Categories: Best Books of 2024 So Far
Product name:
Malas: A Novel
Price:
Original price was: $29.00.$14.99Current price is: $14.99.
Maricela –
The book has an exciting beginning in the 1950s an old woman shows up claiming to be the real wife of a young woman’s also young husband and then seems to curse the younger woman. A series of events take place that reinforce the belief of a curse where the book looses focus is when it jumps to 1990s and focuses on the live of a teen from the same town. Those chapters are way too wordy. A more concise summary of 1990s teen’s life to bring the past and future together would have worked better. Then the ending comes way too quickly and suddenly characters know things they really couldnt have.
Darque Dreamer –
Vaqueros, punk rock, and Selena, oh my!
Malas was a powerful story of love, loss, grief, friendship, and family. It was a coming of age story full of grit, cultural beauty, and drama. It was about rebellion, strength, and acceptance. It was full of heartache, laughter, nostalgia, and amazing music.
This is the story I needed in my teen years. As a Latina who did not begin to truly embrace my culture until my adult life, I loved everything about this book, including the fact that I was so much like punky Lulu at her age.
Woven beautifully with the Mexican and tejano culture was an outstanding story of strong women. Connections spanning generations. Superstition. Depression. Fighting against familial and societal norms and expectations. Self discovery, learning about where you came from, and figuring out what friendship and family truly means.
Denise B. –
I have to confess that I met Marcela when she was teaching at the University of Wisconsin. We both had beautiful German Shepherds that enjoyed the dog parks. And, today, we have puppies, Dolly for her, Copper for me, that are littermates!
I’m saying this to a) brag, b) mention our dogs, but also c) because I’m a middle-aged white woman in Wisconsin. I don’t know anything about real life on the border. My 90s were grunge and jangly pop rather than Selena. And while this book wasn’t written for me or about a place I can recognize, it doesn’t matter. Part of the fun of reading is being introduced to a new world, and I immediately felt immersed into every version of La Cienega.
But what I do recognize is grief and the way that spite and fear can make you eat your own face. Lulu, and especially Pilar, kind of haunt me a bit after finishing this book. I’m not going to forget about either of them anytime soon. What a lovely book and I’m so thrilled to have been able to read it.
Melinda –
Emphasis on familial relationships, or lack thereof. Characters that make you care about them.
You can’t choose your family, but you can’t really hate the ones who care about you.
openmypages –
A generational tale about one woman’s series of tragedies and her unending rage at those she blames for her grief. Jumping to her soon to be 15 year old granddaughter rebelling against her hypocritical, double standard, Mexican traditional dad. Pilar & Lulu meet and discover truths about their family that have been hidden for decades. There’s a lot of sad leading to good character growth when Pilar gets some closure and acceptance about the past; Lulu completes her rebellion against her dad by skipping out on an important gathering and closing the door on Pilar. Some cringey moments, weird superstition and stereotypical Mexican culture slice of life. An interesting read overall but just a little too much in the beginning with Pilar’s life, it could have been edited down a bit.
Kristin Prusynski –
“Malas” by Marcela Fuentes is a captivating debut that dives into a story of passion, revenge, and family spanning generations along the Texas-Mexico border. Fuentes’ vivid writing brings Tejano culture to life, making this a heartfelt and unforgettable read! I loved it!
Darque Dreamer –
Thanks to Viking for the gifted copy. All opinions below are my own.
Malas is two stories in one. First, we meet a charming young woman who is building a family with her love when a mysterious older woman appears threatening it all. She is shattered and the family is left cursed. We follow her hardships until we are introduced to a new young girl decades later. This new young girl is living in modern America and straddle the line between being too Mexican or not Mexican enough, a feeling which comes to head as she plans her quinceanera. That story is much more of a coming of age tale. The two stories link together in the end in a beautiful way.
This was a case of me, loving one storyline much more than the other. In the end, I get how they went together, but I never love a huge time jump. Just as you’re getting into the meet of the first story, it is gone and you must settle in with, what I felt was a much less likable character. I do love a multigenerational story, and how trauma can carry through the generations.
Read this one if you liked Vampires of El Norte or I am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter.
Vickie Woodard –
Ay Marcela, I couldn’t put the book down. As a writer, bilingual educatpr, myself, I enjoyed the descriptive scenes that took me to where this story takes place. Being from Del Rio,.living in the barrio, Chihuahua, I can relate to locations, such as my Dad’s old bar, LUCKY BAR, SAN JOSÉ CHURCH, PETER RABBIT, and my friend, Cheve’s store, among others.💓
* Not to mention, you were my daughter’s Myrna Ruiz Salinas classmate.