Cantoras

You know the question people like to ask: if you were only to read one book for the rest of your life, what would it be? I never had an answer; never, until today. I’d gladly read Cantoras a thousand times over; I’d hug this book to my heart forever if I could.Written in stream of consciousness narrative, Cantoras flows perfectly, weaving between the present and the past, and from person to person. The writing is breathtaking; the five women, connected through their identities, their shared desire for freedom amidst the suffocation in the era, are distinctly beautiful. The ocean sings, the waves unconfined; the cantoras deserve freedom, too.Flaca, Romina, La Venus, Paz, and Malena. They are the very definition of a found family. Over the years, their love for each other shifts and reforms, their dynamics fierce and strong. And their names. Whenever I read their names, my heart jumps as if I were reunited with long-lost friends. Perhaps I am. Over the course of the book, we grew to understand them like close friends, and there is something intimate about that.There are a lot of imageries throughout the story, mainly music (cantora), ocean (Cabo Polonio), and fire (stars). I think everything is about desire, freedom, and love. Cantoras has gutted me yet also made me so happy; I didn’t know it was possible, to be both exhilarated yet pained, to weep in sorrow and joy at the same time.Thinking about Cantoras makes my breath shaky, and when I breathe in, I feel like bawling all over again. The prose is so precise, I am sure De Robertis wrote it in the way words were invented for. I’ll reread it again and again because I cannot stand not having Flaca, Romina, La Venus, Paz, and Malena in my life.

This is another book that deserves many more stars/exposure than it has. Having lived in Uruguay as a child during the early '70's and a younger witness to the Tupa era, this novel paralyzed me with nostalgia, slayed me with its poetry, and left me longing for one more chapter with Flaca, Paz and the gang. Most book clubs I belong to eventually tire of the 'top ten', the books everyone has read, books that barely hold your eye and are quickly consumed and forgotten. This is one that haunts, that hangs with you as you go about your day, that makes you yearn for more. Read it, you'll fall in love with it.

Beginning in the 1970s during the military dictatorship and oppression of Uruguay, five women come together to vacation on a rustic coastal peninsula. It’s so rustic, in fact, that they don’t have accommodations, and when they find a place to rest, it’s an old fishing hut. The women find magic in this place where they can truly be themselves for once.Bonds of friendship are formed, and over the years, they escape the oppression of Montevideo and city life to the peninsula, Cabo Palonio, and their beloved hut that they bought and finished, adding new touches year after year. Over thirty-five years pass in this manner, and during that time friendships are tested, romantic love is tested, as each woman seeks her own identity and happiness in a world where it’s not safe to be a “cantora,” a woman who sings, a woman who loves other women but cannot feel safe in doing so.The characters, Romina, Flaca, La Venus, Paz, and Malena, each so different and well-developed; I could not have loved them more. I learned from them as they learned from each other. Carolina de Robertis weaves a flawlessly, richly, and dare I say, passionately told story, an ode to female friendship, love, and sexual identity, along the backdrop of a beautiful, tiny country whose inhabitants are suffering in turmoil, yet simply trying to live their truths.

This book was so engaging and the prose was so satisfying! A story of five women -- friends and lovers -- trapped in the Uruguayan dictatorship of the 70s/80s, who, despite socio, political, economic and religious barriers, find a way to be their authentic selves. It spanned decades of life for these characters and I was engulfed in their plight. The writing was thoughtful, descriptive and engaging. The themes were difficult but also beautiful - especially the way the author weaves the power of lasting friendship throughout the other conflicts in the narrative. Highly recommend, especially for those interested in LGBTQ literature!

Here we are, at the 50th anniversary of Stonewall in the U.S., time to not only unwind that myth, but to find, and add the stories of, in this book, Uruguay, women, wives, cantoras, LGBTQ community which existed even during a dictatorship. Take five examples, five women, and bring others around, in relationships, in pursuit of sex.

I loved the character development in this book. I got to know the five main characters well, and even got to know some of the less important ones. And the author showed how the characters grew throughout the story without having them do things that would seem out of character. I really liked the book.

One of the best, most moving novels I've read in years. A total, immersive triumph, sensitively written. Marvelous on every level.

This was top of my favorite books I read in 2020. It's well written and really pulls you in.