Reading for my book club but I gave up at page 50. Too much rambling irrelevancy and impossible to figure out all the relationships or even who was talking when the nicknames keep changing. Read enough other reviews to confirm the remaining chapters would not improve my view. Life is too short to continue reading a book from which I get no pleasure.

Checked in with my book club later. Everyone of them hated it, too. ( )

I picked this up because it is this year's selection for my local public library's "one city one book" event. It is in my wheelhouse so I figured, Why not? even though I tend to resist any efforts to structure my reading (never been good with the book club concept). This is the tale of Angel de a Cruz as he approaches his final days on earth, and his complicated, boisterous family. His mother's funeral immediately precedes his own planned 70th birthday party, which he is certain will be his last -- indeed, he is confident he will barely live out the day (this is not a spoiler by the way, it's all there in the flap copy). This is, in fact, such a complex clan of people that I spent most of the book wondering Who is that now? There is a plethora of siblings, stepchildren, cousins, and aunties to keep straight, but I sort of let it go near the end because really, in this family, it doesn't really matter how you are related, only that you are, and you will be fiercely loyal, though not afraid to call out your relations for their various failings and misdeeds. This is how families should be -- and indeed, how many of our families are. Over the course of a funeral and a birthday party, we get glimpses and long looks into many of these folks, and they live the remarkable and ordinary lives we all do. I love these family stories, and this one brought me to tears, in the end. ( )

Interesting in some respects, the copious details coupled with the sheer number of family and friends cause the story to drag. Due to the ethnic origin, many of the Mexican phrases used added to the slow burn. Simply put, it just wasn't the kind of storytelling I prefer. ( )

“We don’t talk about Braulio.”

I liked this book right from the beginning! Big Angel, and his family, are getting ready for his mother’s funeral. And his big birthday party is the following day. As the preparations of each person are described, we get to meet an interesting cast of characters. And as the weekend goes along, we learn all about everyone - their lives, secrets, strengths, loves, weaknesses - everything! Mostly, we learn about family. And death. I grew attached to this family and was sad when the book ended. And, I wish that I had known about "Little Angel's Custom Family Tree!" at the end (on page 322). It definitely would have helped when I got confused about who-was-who, especially at the birthday party!

“How could you end a whole era and bury a century of life and be home before suppertime?” ( )

Contemporary fiction about a Mexican American extended family set primarily in San Diego and Tijuana. The family patriarch, Big Angel de la Cruz, is dying of cancer. Facing death, he has requested a final birthday celebration, which takes place on the day after his mother’s funeral.

Themes include mortality, the passage of time, the transience of memory, the complexity of family relationships, reflections on a life nearing its end, and the interconnectedness of humanity. It is also a cultural statement about the current sensitivities in the U.S. toward those of Mexican descent, and these sentiments are built into the plot. This book contains elements of both tragedy and comedy, relayed in a series of vignettes and seamlessly woven into the storyline. It contains all the complexities one might expect from a family drama, such as secrets, grudges, personality clashes, insults, and abuses. Contains profanity and gang-related violence. I wish it had been a bit easier to keep track of the all the characters, their multiple nicknames, and family relationships.

One may think a novel about a dying man would be morose, but the protagonist never falls into self-pity. He reminisces about the dark days as well as the happy times. He keeps his sense of humor. He analyzes his life, takes responsibility for his mistakes, acknowledges his regrets, and apologizes where he can. In this manner, the book rises above sadness and offers hope. Filled with poignant scenes, raucous family gatherings, humorous vignettes, and dramatic confrontations, Urrea has created a memorable cast of characters focused on what brings humanity together rather than what keeps us apart. ( )