by Ana Menendez
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Product Description
Pushcart Prize winner Ana Menendez landed firmly in the literary landscape last year with the hardcover publication of In Cuba I Was a German Shepherd. Reviewers overwhelmingly agree that she is an important new voice in American fiction: hers is "a bright debut that points to even brighter accomplishments to come" (Michiko Kakutani, The New York Times), a tour de force that is "poignant and varied, emotionally vivid and hauntingly melancholy" (San Francisco Chronicle), and "a Cuban odyssey that conjures up Eugene O'Neill-like drama" (Kirkus Reviews). In these linked tales about the Cuban-American experience and the immigrant experience in general, Ana Menendez has instantly established herself as a natural storyteller who "probes with steady humor and astute political insight the dreams versus the realities of her characters" (Elle). From the prizewinning title story -- a masterpiece of humor and heartbreak -- unfolds a series of family snapshots that illuminate the landscape of an exiled community rich in heritage, memory, and longing for the past. In Cuba I Was a German Shepherd is at once "tender and sharp-fanged" (L.A. Weekly) as Ana Menendez charts the territory from Havana to Coral Gables with unforgettable passion and explores whether any of us are capable, or even truly desirous, of outrunning our origins. "Achingly wise." -- Richard Eder, the New York Times Book Review "Menendez taps into [a] wellspring of broken promises and unfulfilled desires and gives us a ... peek at ... the Cuban-American experience." -- Ariel Gonzalez, The Miami Herald "Menendez offers a lilting narrative that sways soulfully between past and present, longing and regret, joy and tragedy." -- Donna Rifkind, The Baltimore Sun "Superb ... The community that emerges in these pages is one of humor, acute grief, and gifted storytelling." -- Fionn Meade, The Seattle Times "The first work of a young writer with a bright future." -- Jay Goldin, Fort Worth Morning Star-Telegram "A tender and occasionally sharp-fanged portrait of Miami's Cuban-exile community ... Brave and funny and true." -- Ben Ehrenreich, L.A. Weekly "A raucous, heartfelt debut...Deft, talented and hilarious...." -- Junot Diaz
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Average Customer Review:
1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
 Beautifully written, but repetitive, 2005-12-12
This book is a collection of short stories, all of which involve Cuban expatriates, and many of which have characters in common. All the stories have a tone of melancholy or even desperation, and all deal with themes of loss--loss of husbands, wives, parents, and children, and especially, loss of a homeland. Each story makes beautiful use of language, but they are mostly the sort of stories in which nothing much really happens: a husband can't sleep because he imagines that his wife is unfaithful, a woman waits to see if her husband will survive the raft trip from Cuba, and so on. While I enjoyed each story, I found the collection as a whole repetitive. By the end, I didn't think that the stories had anything new to say.
0 of 0 people found the following review helpful:
A Varied Collection of Variable Quality, 2005-03-01
These eleven short stories with recurring characters range from the comic opener to the darkly sinister "The Perfect Fruit" to the almost Argentine magical realism of "Miami Relatives." There are many flashes of brilliance, such as this from "Miami Relatives":
"The Aunt Julia climbs to the top of the table and holds her arms out for silence. 'Today I ate the sun,' she says. 'The darkness was delicious.' We sit staring at her until she opens her mouth and blinds us."
Or the story "The Last Rescue" which is a fevered depiction of insomnia.
However these moments arrive as flashes precisely because the surrounding text is less bright, less interesting, less illuminated by insight. Long stretches seem strained or uninspired. Perhaps, not being Cuban-American, I cannot relate to the experiences related by the author but my general impression is that the book was somewhat uneven.
5 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
 Not my kind of book, 2003-07-13
I can definitely see how some people would enjoy this book, but it didn't do much for me. I felt some stories were too long winded, especially the one where the husband is having a sleepless night and keeps worrying about his wife's faithfulness to him. It was torture trying to get through that and other stories. Sure, the author could write beautifully, but I didn't feel like I learned anything from the stories or the novel as a whole. A disappointing read.
3 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
 Amazing Imagery, 2003-01-10
This book completely caught me off guard with its beautifully still scenes of intense imagery. I can't recommend this book enough to people who love authors who have almost a lyrical style. The plot is complex and many of the chapters seem to suspend time in the air. Not arrogant or showy at all, the book is intricately beautiful and a phenomenal piece of art.
3 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
A voice for a people of exile, 2002-12-12
Ana Menendez does a fantastic job expressing life as an immigrant. Through humor and uncanny examples and spanish phrases any Cuban is all too familiar with, she brings a sense of nostalgia with her words that reach and communicate not only to the Cuban people but to any group of people anywhere in the world. Fantastic read!
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