Reviews

Solitária by Eliana Alves Cruz

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whatabbysreading's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective sad tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.5

What I can appreciate about Solitaria is that it has a very focused thesis idea that underlies the entire plot -- it knows what it's about and explores it with fervor. The end result ties together in a bit of a dualistic way (i.e: poor people = good, rich people = bad), and while I always enjoy an analysis of class structures, I just wish it was explored in a more nuanced way that dissected the overall societal issues rather than individual morality. I also found the actual writing to be a bit simplistic, but this could very well be a product of being translated. Beyond this, I really enjoyed the multiple perspectives; the final part was especially unique and tied together the themes of isolation and invisibility. Overall, I think most readers will be able to appreciate the authors valiant attempt to shed light on the unique, but also universally felt, class imbalances in Brazil.

Many thanks to Penguin Random House Canada for providing me with an advanced digital copy via NetGalley in an exchange for an honest review.

Content Warnings

susanafernandes_2025's review

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Livro que dá voz a pessoas que não têm espaço para se ouvir ou fazer ouvir.
Gostei imenso da Mabel .
Nunca é tarde e o meio pode ser muito difícil, limitativo, castrador . No entanto havendo resiliência e foco consegue-se sair e elevar a nossa vida através dos nossos objetivos .
Escrita fluida descontraída directa ao ponto.

bookscs's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful reflective sad fast-paced

5.0

felacoochie's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional hopeful inspiring medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

This is the first Brazilan Portuguese translation I've ever read and Cruz is prompting me to explore more work from Brazil and Latin America. The translation is poignant and elegant and so moving - I can only imagine what it reads like in Portuguese. The intertwined stories of the Black workers and the rich white family, playing out against a changing political situation in Brazil was done incredibly well. The mother and daughter at the centre of the book creates a really interesting dynamic for thinking about servitude and the choices available for Black women across shifting times and generations.
My only wish was that we got more of the love story between Mabel, Jao and Cacao - it was getting kinda spicy!