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Karna B. (Long Beach, CA)
Historical fiction at its best
This historical fiction follows the life of an Argentinian family during dual periods. Chapters move between the turbulent 1970s, the military dictatorships and the protestor abductions and a more recent period of the 1990s as the Larrea's daughter, Paloma, searches for her true identity. The story is fast-paced yet gives the reader a very vivid picture of the atrocities that took place during the 1970s and the difficulties that children later had in discovering their true identity and mothers had in finding the truth about their missing family members.
Themes of human rights, morality, love, identity makes this
…more well-written novel a compelling read. (less)I enjoyed reading this book once I adjusted to the writing style. All of the conversations are written in short choppy sentences with repetitive simple sentence structures interrupting the flow of the story. "I know. My apologies. My class ran late." Despite this, the story was very compelling because of both the setting and the plot. The political climate of Argentina, past and present, informed was the third story in the book. In the present, Paloma senses that her parents, especially her father, are hiding something. This story follows Paloma's search for the truth parallel with the story of her parent's past
…more during the military takeover of Argentina. Connecting the two is Paloma's relationship with Franco who is searching for his family that was made to disappear during the "Dirty War" when a military dictatorship hunted down all dissidents. I couldn't put the book down once I got caught up in the stories. (less)I've always been interested in Argentina's recent dark history. This book does a very good job of fleshing out that history in a way that is well integrated into the plot and not just research clamoring to be gotten out there. The story is consistently engrossing and immensely readable. The writing is only competently written, some parts more fluid than others. But I would heartily recommend this book as, not only did I gain understanding of the political climate of Argentina, I also found it to be a good read.
Christine P. (Essex Junction, VT)
On A Night of a Thousand Stars
Andrea Yaryura Clark has written a compelling and informative novel about Argentina's Dirty War and its continuing aftermath. The story caught my attention from the beginning, and I had a hard time putting it down, although I found myself less and less interested in Paloma"s plight and more and more interested in the history behind the stories. I felt the author was at her best when explaining the climate during this period and not nearly as compelling when pursuing the various love stories. But I would still highly recommend the book to anyone interested in Argentina and its tumultuous history. The book is also,
…more perhaps, a cautionary tale of our need to pay attention to and protect our freedoms and rights lest we lose them. (less)On a Night of a Thousand Stars is enlightening historical fiction, illuminating a part of history not commonly known. The story is told in segments that alternate between the 1970's and 1998, which is especially effective because the reader learns about the past in parallel with the young protagonist of 1998. What begins as curiosity about a family member grows into a larger mystery about Argentina's "Dirty War." The reader experiences adventure and romance, as well as fear and suspense. As the story unfolds, the book gains momentum, propelling the reader along as the truth is discovered and revealed. This book
…more is satisfying in every way historical fiction should be, educating while simultaneously engaging and entertaining the reader. (less)On a Night of a Thousand Stars starts off extraordinarily strong. The equanimity of a wealthy family from Argentina, currently living a life of privilege in the United States, is disrupted when an old family friend suggests that the family's past contains a secret. Andrea Yaryura Clark successfully uses this mystery to create an interesting story with great narrative drive. Unfortunately, the overall novel is uneven in spots, and a love triangle makes the middle a bit soggy. Nevertheless, it is, overall, an interesting look at both Argentina's Dirty War of the 1970s and its aftermath.
Irene H. (Saugerties, NY)
On a Night of a Thousand Stars
Andrea Yayura Clark has written a book full of important and interesting information about Argentina's so called Dirty War. She includes multiple sympathetic characters caught up in the violent changes in government and abuses of Argentine citizens centered around fears of communism and socialism.
The book is weakened by the extensive explanations of the various key incidents within this twenty year period. Instead of the history being told through the eyes of central characters, the history becomes a character itself. This doesn't allow sufficient time to develop more deeply the emotions and choices of the human
…more beings on both sides of the mini-wars. Paloma, a main character who ends up discovering that her mother is one of Argentina's desapararecidos or disappeared could have been a more fully developed narrator of the story through whose eyes the secondary characters could have been more than mentioned in passing. In addition, the relationship between Paloma, her father, and her birth mother who is disappeared, needs more dramatic emphasis and clarity in the context of a book which shifts back and forth in a twenty year time period. The history of this period in Argentine history is largely unknown and needs to be told. It could have been told with less detail and more clarity in order to inform and engage the reader. (less)With thanks to BookBrowse for the opportunity to preview "On A Night Of A Thousand Stars" written by Andrea Yaryura Clark. She grew up in Buenos Aires amid the political violence of the 1970's before moving to Canada and then the United States. After graduating college she returned to Argentina where she began to be interested in the stories of the children of the Disappeared. Those stories gave birth to this amazing book.
The book was well written and researched, telling the story in two different time periods. First the late 1970's during Argentina's "Dirty War" and 1998 as the children reach adulthood. Not
…more knowing much about these years in Argentina,I found it a sad, yet fascinating story. Well done! (less)
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