Customer Reviews

Arrancame La Vida

5 star:		(20)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This book gives the reader an insight into what it's like to be a woman from the heart, the mind and the belly. Just as it makes you laugh on one page and cry on another, it will also make you so angry you'll stay up at night... angry at her, angry at her husband and angry at yourself because you find something likeable in the horrible husband of this likeable woman. I loved it!

Very good book. Although some other people that have reviewed this book might not have noticed it, this is actually the story of part of the life of Maximino Avila Camacho, governor of the state of Puebla during the forties and called Andrés Ascencio in the story. Other important people mantioned are: Mexican tycoon Emilio Azcárraga Milmo (Milito), owner of Televisa (Mexico's biggest TV company), and Manuel Avila Camacho, Maximino's brother who was president of Mexico during the mid/late 40's. I know all this because I come from Puebla, just like the author of the book. I even know some of her relatives!

First of all sorry for my poor English. I am German but grew up in Costa Rica and now in Panama.

Angeles Mastretta has that writing style that wont let you stop reading until you reach the end. Historically speaking you learn what in a certain sense you already know. Militarism in Latin America. Its hidden horrors still continue today in many of our LA countries. The time of Zapata was no different though always interesting to refresh.

Besides, Angeles Mastretta has the abilily of describing everyday life as I had never read before. She will also keep you alert, awake, and interested through the whole book, every single page. I have read her 3 books. Mujeres de Ojos Grandes, Mal de Amores y Arráncame la Vida. All of them deserve 5 stars. I hope she will continue writing, or if she has written something else, I hope Amazon will sell it.

Frauke Schnell de Muñoz

'Arracancame la Vida' shows Angeles Mastretta at her best, growing as one of the more talented writers in Latin-America. Only someone like her -a strange mix of a provincial burgeois background and a passion for literature- can take us so vividly to the humid corridors of Teziutlán, the intricacies of passion and the Puebla of the 40's. For those reading Spanish, check her beautiful stories in NEXOS, a monthly magazine available on the Internet. Fine book.

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Arráncame la Vida de Angeles Mastretta
Es una obra de literatura impactante y encantadora que no le permitirá dejar de leerla hasta el final. Y no sólo eso, sino que le narrará una historia cautivadora ocurrida en México durante y después de la Revolución Mexicana.

Catalina, la protagonista de la novela, se casa muy joven con un político, mayor que ella, y muy prominente de la ciudad Mexicana de Puebla. A medida que la carrera de él, Andrés Atencio, va aumentando, Catalina se ve envuelta en más y más responsabilidades, lo cual hace maravillosamente. Estas responsabilidades incluyen criar a varios de los otros hijos de Atencio.

Luego a medida que la novela va avanzando ella se entera de críticas fuertes a su marido, de las luchas por poder, de los acusaciones de asesinato por parte de su marido y Catalina , quizás como vía de escape, hasta busca amor en dos distintos amantes. Al final, como en todas las tragedias de la novela hay un impactante suceso que quizá libera a Catalina de todo el peso que ha tenido que aguantar.

Esta novela ha sido traducida hasta el presente en 11 idiomas y al principio narra el amor inicial y hasta sumiso de Catalina por el General Andrés Atencio y la progresiva desvinculación de ella a un tiempo de su papel de subordinación conyugal y de su aceptación del contexto político que pondrá en duda sus ideales revolucionarios.
Es una novela bellamente escrita que no debe dejar de leer.

Being a native Mexican I should be rather used to hearing stories about revolutionary and post - revolutionary Mexico. But never is it so fascinating and perfectly descriptive as with Angeles Mastretta. This story is probably one of her best! Not only does she relate the story of a woman - which at the same time can be and probably is the story of many women at the time- in the chaotic, war-like and post war Mexico, but the protagonist in the story starts evolving all throghout the plot - a parallelism with the country. Her description is not only vivid but exciting, which will make you unable to put the book down! And it is on this book where she displays what a magnificent writer she is: vivid and exciting, turning reality into something almost fantastic, and transforming tragedy into something to laugh about. Truly, one of her best books.

A book as grand as her writer.

Es una obra de literatura impactante y encantadora que no le permitirá al lector dejar de leerla hasta el final. Y no sólo eso, sino que le narrará una historia cautivadora ocurrida en México durante y después de la Revolución Mexicana.
Catalina, la protagonista de la novela, se casa muy joven con un político, mayor que ella y muy prominente de la ciudad mexicana de Puebla. A medida que la carrera de él, Andrés Atencio, va aumentando, Catalina se ve envuelta en más y más responsabilidades, tareas que desempeña maravillosamente. Estos trabajos incluyen criar a varios de los otros hijos de Atencio.
Luego, a medida que la novela va avanzando, ella se entera de críticas fuertes hechas a su marido, de las luchas por el poder y de las acusaciones de asesinato por parte de su marido. Es entonces cuando Catalina, quizás como vía de escape, hasta busca amor en dos distintos amantes. Al final, como en todas las tragedias de la novela, hay un impactante suceso que quizá libera a Catalina de todo el peso que ha tenido que aguantar a través de los años.
Esta novela ha sido traducida hasta el presente a 11 idiomas y al principio narra el amor inicial y hasta sumiso de Catalina por el General Andrés Atencio y la progresiva desvinculación de ella, a su debido tiempo, de su papel de subordinación conyugal y de su aceptación del contexto político que pondrá en duda sus ideales revolucionarios.
Es una novela bellamente escrita que no debe dejar de leer.

I had never read a book by Mastretta until I picked up a copy of "Arrancame la vida". In this book, the author describes the life of a woman, Catalina, during and after the Mexican Revolution. She marries a strong, power-thirst man who becomes a big politician.

I found this story different because of the sincerity with which the main character expresses herself. However, what made the story interesting, at least for me, was to realise how little things have changed in the power circles. Replace Catalina's name and add a current, prominent last name of a Mexican socialité, and you can probably still validate all the assumptions on which this book is based.

Mastretta has that "spark" that allows you to get a realistic picture of the book's characters. It is also quite witty if you know anything about the Mexican culture! The only drawback I found in the book was her use of the punctuation signs, but you can get over it because the story is gripping.

Highly recommended if you want something lite, relaxing and that makes you laugh and become even more cynical about politicans and society.

A beautifully written novel with a very engaging plot. I loved it. Though reading it for a Latin American lit class, I always found that I was so drawn into the story that I read past the assigned chapters. I highly recommend Arrancame La Vida.

No book has brought home the message better than this one that a woman's emerging awareness of herself, her needs, her power and her powerlessness is universal. Set against a historical backdrop of the Mexican political and cultural scene of the first half of this century, this tale is the recounting of intense personal development in response to the changing panorama of conjugal, familial and political pressures. Colorful, surprising and occasionally shocking, a no-nonsense portrayal from the inside of the Mexican politically elite in a very entertaining story.