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Closed for Repairs (Lannan Translation Selection (Curbstone Press)) [Paperback]

Nancy Alonso (Author)
5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)

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Book Description

July 1, 2007 Lannan Translation Selection (Curbstone Press)

Closed for Repairs is a series of eleven vignettes that depict Cuban ingenuity in the face of urban problems. Each solution is framed with humor and irony and gives a glimpse of life on the island today.

In a clever fashion, Nancy Alonso shows us the spirit of resolve on the part of Cubans when faced with such issues as transportation problems, lack of water, and the shortage of consumer goods and construction materials caused by the embargo.

Illuminating the endurance and resilience of the Cuban people, these stories will make you chuckle. Alonso's sly wit is compelling as she satirizes the bureaucracy-an element of her work that will resonate universally.


Frequently Bought Together

Customers buy this book with The Cuba Reader: History, Culture, Politics (The Latin America Readers) $19.46

Closed for Repairs (Lannan Translation Selection (Curbstone Press)) + The Cuba Reader: History, Culture, Politics (The Latin America Readers)
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Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

In 11 too-brief, charming tales, Cuban author Alonso gently pokes fun at the irksome living conditions in her home country. In "Caesar," a family starved for the taste of meat-unavailable and prohibitively expensive to the regular workers-decide to raise a pig for slaughter, but become very attached to the clean, well-behaved Caesar. More gruesome is the plight of Berta in "The Test," who prolongs the ulcer that ensures she'll continue to receive the dietary supplement to her food rations. "Mutiny on Board" presents a satisfying revolt by a busload of workers mortally tired of being cheated by the bus drivers and fare collectors on Cojímar's route 58. A gap "like a giant stomach, constantly devouring" garners national attention but little repair in "The Story of a Pothole," while a the couple seeking a new home in "Never Finished" try to navigate the bewildering system of Cuban house trading, permutar. Throughout, Alonso finds a redemptive humor amid privation and heartache.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist

The resilience of the Cuban people during the economically depressed mid-1990s, the so-called Special Period, is showcased in eleven short stories from Alonso (Casting the First Stone, 1997). Brief vignettes are linked by characters' ingenuity in solving everyday urban troubles, be it lack of water, hazardous potholes, shoddy public transportation, or deficient materials for repairing deteriorating buildings. In the sly "Mutiny on Board," a group of determined citizens spontaneously take over a bus after the driver allows employees to board first. In "Never Finished," a couple considers a move from their old, leaky house, forcing them to contend with the Cuban approach to real estate, which entails a complicated legal process. The result is an amusing, yet stirring, resolution to their increasingly convoluted options. Alonso's sparse prose and absurdist narrative move at a sprightly pace, allowing the keen wit behind the tales to sink in and provoke a thoughtful chortle and create a memorable impression of human resolve. Strauss, Leah

Product Details

  • Paperback: 80 pages
  • Publisher: Curbstone Books (July 1, 2007)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 1931896321
  • ISBN-13: 978-1931896320
  • Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.8 x 0.3 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 5.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
  • Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,154,615 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

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Average Customer Review
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful!, August 28, 2007
By 
D. Owen (Champaign, Illinois) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   
This review is from: Closed for Repairs (Lannan Translation Selection (Curbstone Press)) (Paperback)
What great translations for such wonderful stories!
D.E.O., Parkland College
Champaign, IL
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Closed For Repairs, July 24, 2007
By 
This review is from: Closed for Repairs (Lannan Translation Selection (Curbstone Press)) (Paperback)
Nancy Alonso's wit, insight and description of the challenges facing the Cuban people today resonantes those who have family and friends living in Cubas today as well as those who care about Cuba. The translation reads so well, it is sometimes feels like one is standing in the sidelines of the stories. What a wonderful series of vignettes.
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Compelling glances into modern Cuba, July 24, 2007
By 
B. James (North Carolina, USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   
This review is from: Closed for Repairs (Lannan Translation Selection (Curbstone Press)) (Paperback)
This is a wonderful collection of stories from contemporary Cuba, both uniquely Cuban yet accessible to anyone. I highly recommend this work and hope that more of Alonso's stories will be translated into English.
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