Customer Reviews

Waking Up in the Land of Glitter: A Crafty Chica Novel (Crafty Chica Novels)

5 star:		(48)
4 star:		(11)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I wish this book had been longer so that time & space could have been given to allow me inside the women's worlds and problems a bit more. While light and fluffy in appearance, the heroines of the story all have some very serious issues and rather than be shown those issues and their 'easy' resolutions I would have liked to get more invested in feeling/seeing the process. Likewise I would have liked fewer points of view - sometimes it drew me out of the story as I figured out who was now talking.

Am I being picky? Absolutely! So my picky bits aside, I loved this novel to pieces. The author is truly gifted at writing and bringing her whole world to life for me to see, taste, and feel. Not only that, but I walked away totally inspired to craft myself a shadow box assemblage ASAP!

This novel is unique in being about crafty (Hispanic) women in Arizona who come together in unusual circumstances - yet the bottom line, the love, friendship, and finding the right path messages present are so universal and I would recommend this to anyone looking for a happy, glitter-fied, read. At first I worried the characters would make cliched moves, be too predictable, or bore me... NOPE! I was very interested and entertained (and even laughed few times!) the whole time. As a crafter I loved the misadventures and projects gone wrong so very much.

Crafty Chica, I hope for many more novels from you - and I look forward to seeing how you grow as a novelist!

Loved this book !!!! Good summer read. Full of laughs and awwww moments. I loved how she incorperated Spanish dialog into this novel it made it feel more authentic :-) can't wait for her next book

Loved this book even though I don't like glitter myself. I could identify with a lot of crafting and art references in the book since I am a mixed media artist. It was much more than that. It had a great theme about friendship and about how women find themselves despite their shortcomings. I think that readers will find connections within the book whether they are artists, crafters, or "non-creative" people. (OT: Non-creative people - you just haven't found something that interests you yet.You haven't found that "something" yet.) Back to the book, you want to know what happens next to the main character, Estrella, and her friends. No big suprises in the book but a lot of little twists and turns that keep you turning the page and wanting more.

I teach in a primarily Hispanic area. I gained more background information and connections from references in the book. I really hope that this book will be published in Spanish.

Sure I enjoyed the book (sort of)...it was light, fluffy reading. Everyone's life worked out by the last page...no loose ends, no heartbroken people...
But I have progressed in my reading standards, and am far from the level of the romance novel that ends with everyone's wrapped in a nice, tidy bundle. I read the description and was looking for something that would offer a bit of depth about the urge to work in the art field, both in craft and fine art (a distinction that is continually debated in art circles). I have been a craftsperson for many years. While I currently make what some folks consider `high art' (artist books and printmaking), I have paid my `crafting dues' for over 15 years of craft fairs (both high end and small town festivals). I was quite disappointed. I expected more than three characters that were really caricatures/stereotypes of the folks one might expect if you didn't really know the craft industry very well. There was the poser who doesn't like crafts (but who converts in the end and finds love and happy ever after), the crafty woman whose work is terrible (but who has an epiphany in the end and finds her true calling and happy ever after), and the `artist' who thinks craft is bogus (but who has a craft epiphany in the end and finds love and happy ever after). Nice wrap-up if you don't want any depth. I never met any of those folks in the craft circuit, so I have a hard time believing in the basic premise of this book. Bottom line? Don't expect anything other than a fluffy romance novel.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book! I read it with my book club and we all enjoyed it - even the non-crafters! Great character development - we all wanted to hate Chloe but just couldn't. LOL

And...Kathy will call your book club if you ask her to. She called in to mine and it was awesome!

Loved the book!!! When I started reading the book I was not expecting it to be so hilarious and heart-warming. I couldn't believe that I could relate to some of the things that happened in the book, and totally understood the reasoning behind it. I can't wait for the next book, I've become a fan of the "Crafty-Chica" and recommend her book "Waking up in the Land of Glitter", it is a great read. Loved it!!!

Good plot, refreshing perspective! I found this book to be very refreshing and a good example of the "wake-up call" that the main character had to go through to gain a new perspective on herself and the people around her ...don't we all have to step back once in a while and view ourselves... or shouldn't we all? Funny, dramatic and COOL! Pat

Waking Up in the Land of Glitter: A Crafty Chica Novel is partly about crafting and largely about friendship, love, and finding your purpose. Its the story of Chloe Chavez, the glamorous and ruthless TV reporter that covers crafting segments, even though she can't stand crafting. It's equally about the frustrated housewife and avid crafter Ofelia. Ofelia turns to crafting to bring beauty and order in her life, but her enthusiasm overtakes her talent. The third and key character is Star or Estella who started out wanting to be an artist but somehow ended up running the marketing end of her family's business.

The story opens with Chloe interviewing Star about the recent vandalism to an important mural on Star's family's business. While Chloe and Star immediately dislike each other, they both live and work in Phoenix and keep running into each other. The CraftOlympics bring Chloe, Star, and Ofelia together, and they make a few more solid friends along the way. Together and individually, these characters find their way and give us a story of friendship, love, and being true to yourself.

Waking Up in the Land of Glitter is a heartwarming, fun read.
ISBN-10: 0446509248 - Paperback
Publisher: Grand Central Publishing; 1 edition (March 1, 2010), 336 pages.
Review copy provided by the publisher.

Kathy wrote a good book! I loved how it was set in Arizona, had likable characters (Ofie was my fav), and lots of craft references. I also liked how there was a mini Spanish-English glossary in the back for us who know little or no Spanish! The story was a little bit predictable and overly optimistic for some of us more cynical types. I still highly recommend it! I hope Kathy continues to write. If I had half of her talent in crafts and writing I would be happy! I know her novel was fictional but it clearly had Kathy written all over it- glitter, reggae, chihuahuas, shrines crafts, etc. Maybe she should write an autobiography someday! Be sure to check out her website.

I was pleasantly surprised by this light offering, which started out a little to frothy for my taste, but then developed into a truly interesting story. I was initially interested because I love crafts, and found the idea of a craft-related novel appealing. The characters as initially introduced are typical quirky chick-lit characters whose problems are entirely of their own making. Fortunately, as the novel progresses, these women become more like characters and less like caricatures, and I found myself truly invested in their adventures. They each achieve some believeable personal growth, and I was definitely rooting for them as the big craft competition approached. This would be a great book club offering, or a wonderful spring break beach read.