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There are currently 22 member reviews
for The Affairs of the Falcóns
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Amy W. (Annapolis, MD)
Insight into the Undocumented Experience
This was a very well written book. I can't say that I loved it or it was a page turner, as it wasn't really a plot driven book and I prefer plot driven books. However, the author kept me engaged as she slowly painted a picture of the Falcon's struggle to make it in America. Something that I found very interesting was the authors description of the racism within the Peruvian culture to explain the family dynamic between Ana and her cousin in law.
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Teresa H. (Mechanicsville, VA)
A New World
This book is straight out of today's headlines. What is it like to live as an undocumented in the United States? How does a family manage to hide in plain sight while still earning a living and building a new existence? Ana and Lucho immigrated to the United States from Puru to seek out a safer and better life for their family. While they are not afraid of hard work the obstacles placed in the way put strains on their personal relationships. Ana's struggles are the struggles of people living in extreme poverty with no protections. Ana more than anything wants to protect her family. Again and again Ana has to choose the path for moving forward and sometimes that involves choices that are difficult. I was pulled into the story and wanted this family to succeed. It did take me a bit longer to read because I looked up the Spanish phrases to be sure I had a full understanding of the story.
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Kendra M. (Charlotte, NC)
The Affairs of the Falcons
I liked this book and appreciated the quite current topic of immigration as an important theme in the novel. I would recommend this to adult book clubs. My impression is that women would like it more than men. I have not read anything like this, so enjoyed the fresh approach. Brush up on your Spanish as it is used readily throughout the book!
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Judith G. (Ewa Beach, HI)
The story of our times
I followed the path of the undocumented families with trepidation knowing that this story is being written daily in the USA. I found love, lies, fear, dreams denied and the constant tug between here and 'there'....wherever there might be for those who strive for a better life in a sometimes unfriendly place. This was a page-turner for me because I felt the veracity of the problems the entwined families suffered.
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Rose N. (Saginaw, MI)
Is life always better in a new land?
Ana and Lucho, together with their children, have left their home country of Peru and are desperately trying to make a better life for themselves in New York City. As illegal immigrants, they are forced to take menial jobs with meager pay. The daily hardships they face...keeping their children in a decent school, having sufficient money to pay their bills, continued dependence on friends and acquaintances for everything from shelter to basic living expenses, constant fear of being discovered and deported...are causing their relationships to one another and to others to unravel. Is it all worth it? Should they return to Peru? Would it be better if they had never left Peru in the first place?
This sad story is definitely one to ponder today when hundreds of Latinos have gathered at the gates of the United States begging for asylum. If their wishes are granted, will their dreams of a better life be realized?
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Ann W. (New York, NY)
Struggle to succeed.
What a timely novel as Central Americas make their way to the US border! Ana Falcon and her family are undocumented, living in Brooklyn. The falcon is a bird of prey who soars above all the obstacles in her path. Ana’s struggles with her own personal history, that of her compatriots that included her husband and family. The color line and prejudices disappear as she fights for her children. At times, she was not a sympathetic figure. Her husband’s loss of status was acknowledged. The end was real. I recommend this novel. I just finished trying to help other undocumented persons gave asylum, citizenship. Rivera’s novel helped me realize what Americans take for granted.
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Viqui G. (State College, PA)
Affairs of the Undocumented Mestizo
I liked the realistic portrayal of Ana as a poor undocumented worker. The author shows that she is undesirable in both Peru's society because she is a "chola" or mestizo as well as in the United States because she is an undocumented Hispanic. Rivero describes multiple layers of racism in these two societies. Ana has to constantly struggle to keep her family together and to pay bills and debtors. She does everything she can to reach these goals. She feels that the ends justify the means. However, one of the major dilemmas in the novel is that Ana's goals and those of her husband, Lucho, are not always the same, and their relationship suffers because of this.
Although the author did a good job of describing these conflicts, the result is that Ana is often not a very sympathetic character. It would be interesting for the reader to learn Lucho's point of view.
My major criticism of the novel was that Ana's story proceeded from one disaster to another disaster. Her situation became increasingly hopeless. Thus, the novel became increasingly difficult for me to read because it was so depressing. I realize that the plight of the undocumented in this country is not easy, but reading about an unsympathetic character that struggles unendingly is not my preference.
