The Dirty Girls Social Club: A Novel [Unknown Binding]

Product Details

• Unknown Binding
• Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin
• ASIN: 0091883555
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (164 customer reviews)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

63 of 73 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Grab an InStyle instead, June 9, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: The Dirty Girls Social Club: A Novel (Hardcover)

I feel awful doing this, because there is such a shortage of Latino literature on the market that it hurts to slam anything out there, even if it's bad. "The Dirty Girls' Social Club" was just that - bad. I picked it up based on a review calling it good beach reading on my vacation, grabbed a hat and some sunscreen, and wasted a few hours.

Alisa Valdes-Rodriguez wrote her book with an admirable idea in mind - portray Latina women as strong, diverse people with interests and goals other than those portrayed by mainstream media. However, she sorely fails in reaching her own lofty goal. Her main character, Lauren, is without a doubt the most unsympathetic charater I have ever had the misfortune to read. The premise surrounding Rebecca's story was just ridiculous (I wish I could find someone willing to just throw a one million dollar check at me after one meeting!), as were the circumstances surrounding Sara's spousal abuse. Usnavys was just plain ludicrous, inside and out, and completely fell into the money-hungry, label-seeking sterotype that many people have of Latin women.

The most compelling parts of the story, while still having their roots mired in the same unbelievable muck as Sara's, were Elizabeth's. She's also, ironically enough, the most sorely underused character in the book, and the only one I would have liked to see more of. However, it would have been nice if Valdes-Rodriguez remembered that Boston, for all of its surface conservativeness, is actually more liberal than the story allowed it to be, especially with the large Gothic presence in the colleges.

As a Latina myself, I couldn't imagine sitting through this book again, and am SO not looking forward to the movie. Technically, Alisa Valdes-Rodriguez is a good writer. I'm not convinced, by this offering anyway, that she has what it takes to be a great author.

26 of 29 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Ridiculous stereotypical trash, May 13, 2004

By 

MightyMouse (Astoria, New York United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Dirty Girls Social Club: A Novel (Paperback)

I cannot believe that St. Martin's actually shelled out as much money as they did for this trivial 'work'. Maybe one day, Alisa Valdes-Rodriguez will be a good author, but this offering doesn't show that.
The characters in this book, especially Usnavys, despite Valdes-Rodriguez's efforts, feed into every stereotype Americans have of Latin-American women. Her obsession with labels, her need for a propertied and rich man, all sound like the type of money-grubbing, bling-bling wearing hoochie mama that people have labeled us as.
I didn't pick this book up looking for an intellectual read at all--on the contrary, I was looking for something light and fun to unwind after finals last semester. What I got was a tightening in my gut thinking that this book has a four-star rating on Amazon while it's perpetuating every negative thing that people have to say about Latinas.
The writing itself also drove me bonkers. Valdes-Rodriguez has a choppy style that does this already clunking plot a huge disservice.
I'll never understand what drove the bidding war that resulted in the publication of this book, but I can do one thing to make myself feel better for falling for the hype...I can get my money back. I'd stay far, far away from this wanna-be Sandra Cisneros if I were you.

19 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Shallow, May 3, 2003

By 

"sbrill99" (USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Dirty Girls Social Club: A Novel (Hardcover)

I was so looking forward to this book after reading about the bidding war and the movie rights, but unfortunately it doesn't live up to the hype.

The characters, six Hispanic girl friends in their late 20s, don't have any depth to them. The dialogue sounds forced. They read as representatives of whatever ethnic group they happen to be from, and not as characters unto themselves. In good books, the characters take on a life of their own, but that just doesn't happen here. One character is so out there (Amber), it's just silly.

Overall, I just wasn't convinced.