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Catalina
A year in the life of the unforgettable Catalina Ituralde, a wickedly wry and heartbreakingly vulnerable student at an elite college, forced to navigate an opaque past, an uncertain future, tragedies on two continents, and the tantalizing possibilities of love and freedom
When Catalina is admitted to Harvard, it feels like the fulfillment of destiny: a miracle child escapes death in Latin America, moves to Queens to be raised by her undocumented grandparents, and becomes one of the chosen. But nothing is simple for Catalina, least of all her complicated, contradictory, ruthlessly probing mind. Now a senior, she faces graduation to a world with no place for the undocumented. Her sense of doom intensifies her curiosities and desires. She infiltrates the school’s elite subcultures—internships and literary journals, posh parties, and secret societies—which she observes with the eye of an anthropologist and an interloper’s skepticism: She is both fascinated and repulsed.
Craving a great romance, Catalina finds herself drawn to a fellow student, an actual budding anthropologist eager to teach her about the Latin American world she was born into but never knew, even as her life back in Queens begins to unravel. And every day, the clock ticks closer to the abyss of life after graduation. Can she save her family? Can she save herself? What does it mean to be saved?
When Catalina is admitted to Harvard, it feels like the fulfillment of destiny: a miracle child escapes death in Latin America, moves to Queens to be raised by her undocumented grandparents, and becomes one of the chosen. But nothing is simple for Catalina, least of all her complicated, contradictory, ruthlessly probing mind. Now a senior, she faces graduation to a world with no place for the undocumented. Her sense of doom intensifies her curiosities and desires. She infiltrates the school’s elite subcultures—internships and literary journals, posh parties, and secret societies—which she observes with the eye of an anthropologist and an interloper’s skepticism: She is both fascinated and repulsed.
Craving a great romance, Catalina finds herself drawn to a fellow student, an actual budding anthropologist eager to teach her about the Latin American world she was born into but never knew, even as her life back in Queens begins to unravel. And every day, the clock ticks closer to the abyss of life after graduation. Can she save her family? Can she save herself? What does it mean to be saved?
224 pages, Hardcover
First published July 23, 2024
About the author
Karla Cornejo Villavicencio
4 books844 followersKarla Cornejo Villavicencio has written about immigration, music, beauty, and mental illness for The New York Times, The Atlantic, The New Republic, Glamour, Elle, Vogue, n+1, and The New Inquiry, among others. She lives in New Haven with her partner and their dog.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 484 reviews
August 31, 2024
4.5 stars
read it during my flight home, it was very fun and i loved the writing. i know the jumping around bothered people but honestly idgaf it was good either way to me! i relate to the main character at certain parts. its very interesting how even with different backgrounds, poc can relate to each other. there’s a part where the main character jumps out the car (for reasons) and she’s like “nooo my beautiful face” very real tbh
read it during my flight home, it was very fun and i loved the writing. i know the jumping around bothered people but honestly idgaf it was good either way to me! i relate to the main character at certain parts. its very interesting how even with different backgrounds, poc can relate to each other. there’s a part where the main character jumps out the car (for reasons) and she’s like “nooo my beautiful face” very real tbh
January 16, 2024
I would read anything from this writer. She doesn’t disappoint with this striking debut novel.
August 4, 2024
How Much Are You Allowed to Dream
Graduate from Harvard and you have it made. The world is your oyster– your future’s so bright you gotta wear shades. You are seen as the cream of the crop, the brightest of the bright.
Catalina Ituralde is in her last year at Harvard. She is not your typical undergraduate, though– there is very little typical about her. She is an orphan from Ecuador, undocumented, and being raised by her undocumented grandparents. Having arrived here at a very young age, she has always felt an outsider, seen as an “other.” Her grades have propelled her into Harvard, but an uncertain future beyond graduation has her overwhelmed at times. From outside it seems she has won life’s lottery; a Cinderella story of a poor immigrant girl who is living the American dream. Inside, she often feels immobilized by the high expectations everyone has set for her.
Catalina does not remain a victim. She understands she is living with the ultra-privileged and refuses to be intimidated. She is attracted to the good-looking Nathaniel Wheeler, the son of a famous film director. She even fantasizes about a life with him, that people will say she found “a good man.” She quickly rejects this trap at their romantic peak. “He fell asleep on top of me. I was too young to have men fall asleep on top of me.” She kisses him and sneaks across to a Denny’s, “desperate to do something I could not take back.”
The sudden threat of the deportation of her grandparents abruptly brings Catalina’s focus beyond campus walls. Even as she makes a stand to save her family, she finds herself being used as a liberal cause, a curiosity. This will not stand.
Karla Cornejo Villavicencio is one of Harvard’s first undocumented graduates. This is her first novel, following the success of her nonfiction “The Undocumented Americans.” There is obviously a lot drawn from her life experiences, but she has succeeded in creating a bold, fearless woman who refuses to be confined by the expectations of others.
Thank you to Random House / One World and NetGalley for providing an advance reader copy in exchange for an honest review. #Catalina #NetGalley
Graduate from Harvard and you have it made. The world is your oyster– your future’s so bright you gotta wear shades. You are seen as the cream of the crop, the brightest of the bright.
Catalina Ituralde is in her last year at Harvard. She is not your typical undergraduate, though– there is very little typical about her. She is an orphan from Ecuador, undocumented, and being raised by her undocumented grandparents. Having arrived here at a very young age, she has always felt an outsider, seen as an “other.” Her grades have propelled her into Harvard, but an uncertain future beyond graduation has her overwhelmed at times. From outside it seems she has won life’s lottery; a Cinderella story of a poor immigrant girl who is living the American dream. Inside, she often feels immobilized by the high expectations everyone has set for her.
Catalina does not remain a victim. She understands she is living with the ultra-privileged and refuses to be intimidated. She is attracted to the good-looking Nathaniel Wheeler, the son of a famous film director. She even fantasizes about a life with him, that people will say she found “a good man.” She quickly rejects this trap at their romantic peak. “He fell asleep on top of me. I was too young to have men fall asleep on top of me.” She kisses him and sneaks across to a Denny’s, “desperate to do something I could not take back.”
The sudden threat of the deportation of her grandparents abruptly brings Catalina’s focus beyond campus walls. Even as she makes a stand to save her family, she finds herself being used as a liberal cause, a curiosity. This will not stand.
Karla Cornejo Villavicencio is one of Harvard’s first undocumented graduates. This is her first novel, following the success of her nonfiction “The Undocumented Americans.” There is obviously a lot drawn from her life experiences, but she has succeeded in creating a bold, fearless woman who refuses to be confined by the expectations of others.
Thank you to Random House / One World and NetGalley for providing an advance reader copy in exchange for an honest review. #Catalina #NetGalley
February 19, 2024
I don't throw around this phrase lightly, but this was "pure vibes."
It will undoubtedly get compared to The Idiot, even though they are two completely different stories, voices, and ideas. Such a comparison would do this story and the writing justice, though. It is frenetic and scattered in a brilliant a way that I don't think I've seen achieved before.
Circling back to vibes, some of them were insufficient for me, and it was hard to stay motivated to read this thing when I knew it was going to meander at any second. As much as I enjoyed Villavicencio's characterizations (funny and short!) I felt the descriptions of places and events was much less concrete or helpful. Part of the campus novel/bildungsroman's appeal is seeing the world through naive eyes, and this vision seemed incomplete. Catalina is clearly very smart, so why doesn't she have a bit more commentary about things?
On the whole, the vibes were wide-roving and cool. I look forward to reading more of Villavicencio's badass writing!
Huge thanks to NetGalley for the ARC<3
It will undoubtedly get compared to The Idiot, even though they are two completely different stories, voices, and ideas. Such a comparison would do this story and the writing justice, though. It is frenetic and scattered in a brilliant a way that I don't think I've seen achieved before.
Circling back to vibes, some of them were insufficient for me, and it was hard to stay motivated to read this thing when I knew it was going to meander at any second. As much as I enjoyed Villavicencio's characterizations (funny and short!) I felt the descriptions of places and events was much less concrete or helpful. Part of the campus novel/bildungsroman's appeal is seeing the world through naive eyes, and this vision seemed incomplete. Catalina is clearly very smart, so why doesn't she have a bit more commentary about things?
On the whole, the vibes were wide-roving and cool. I look forward to reading more of Villavicencio's badass writing!
Huge thanks to NetGalley for the ARC<3
September 26, 2024
4.5 // This book felt like a kindred spirit to THE IDIOT by Elif Batuman. Both books feature young women during their freshman year at Harvard; both voiced with essayist observations that detail everything in their day to day, from the monumental to the banal.. We hear everything in minutiae: their classes, their essays, what books they’ve read, which authors they worship, what music they like, which boys they crush on, and how out of place they feel in the intimidating setting of the Harvard halls.
Although one reminded me of the other, they’re still apples and oranges. CATALINA had an added weight to the campus story: Catalina (the character) is undocumented. And this factor contributes to her inability to be able to entirely fit in. We learn about how someone in this situation has to always be on their guard; how there’s mistrust and secrecy, and an unwillingness to let someone completely in. Catalina has dreams, hopes, and desires just like any other young woman, but has to tweak and reshape them due to her status.
Themes of displacement, family, ambition, perseverance, immigration, home. The inclusion of Catalina’s grandparents (her guardians) also being undocumented, and how their status is even more precarious than hers gives the story an added urgency.
There’s just something so addictive about the writing style of this book. This constant detailing of the day to day felt rhythmic. It’s just a mishmash of everything Catalina is going through all at once. And in ways I feel like it shouldn’t work, but it did. It kept me turning the pages. I didn’t want to stop. It was trance-like.
Although one reminded me of the other, they’re still apples and oranges. CATALINA had an added weight to the campus story: Catalina (the character) is undocumented. And this factor contributes to her inability to be able to entirely fit in. We learn about how someone in this situation has to always be on their guard; how there’s mistrust and secrecy, and an unwillingness to let someone completely in. Catalina has dreams, hopes, and desires just like any other young woman, but has to tweak and reshape them due to her status.
Themes of displacement, family, ambition, perseverance, immigration, home. The inclusion of Catalina’s grandparents (her guardians) also being undocumented, and how their status is even more precarious than hers gives the story an added urgency.
There’s just something so addictive about the writing style of this book. This constant detailing of the day to day felt rhythmic. It’s just a mishmash of everything Catalina is going through all at once. And in ways I feel like it shouldn’t work, but it did. It kept me turning the pages. I didn’t want to stop. It was trance-like.
May 14, 2024
Catalina is an undocumented immigrant who came to America from Ecuador as a child to live with her grandparents after her parents were killed in an accident. Her grandparents are also undocumented. Accepted at Harvard, this fictional memoir recounts her experiences there. Pre DACA, a major obstacle for this Ivy League educated young woman is that she will not be able to secure a job upon graduation.
This short book (224 pages) exposes the insecurities, fears, and emotional toll experienced by undocumented individuals and families. It is written mostly as stream of consciousness with quite a bit of fantasizing which for me took away from the importance of the topics explored. This style will not be for everyone; others may find it a vibrant, contemporary read. I did enjoy the references to Latin American history and culture.
Thanks to #netgalley and #randomhouse for the DRC.
This short book (224 pages) exposes the insecurities, fears, and emotional toll experienced by undocumented individuals and families. It is written mostly as stream of consciousness with quite a bit of fantasizing which for me took away from the importance of the topics explored. This style will not be for everyone; others may find it a vibrant, contemporary read. I did enjoy the references to Latin American history and culture.
Thanks to #netgalley and #randomhouse for the DRC.
Read
August 14, 2024FINALLY! A book about an undocumented person that doesn't focus on their status. Catalina's VOICE is UNMATCHED! Full review on TIK TOK.
Shelved as 'dnf'
August 15, 2024I sort of assumed that once the author got through catching us up on the background and circumstances of the MC, the "telling" would give way to "showing" - but 30% of the way through the book we were still deep in "telling" mode and I had zero interest in slogging through any more...
March 30, 2024
I really wanted to like this book more than I did. Catalina is born in Ecuador and goes to live with her grandparents in the U.S. when her parents are killed in a car crash. She's very bright and gets into Harvard but doesn't seem to fit in everywhere and worries that because she's still an immigrant she won't have the same opportunities. She has many experiences--both good and bad--but I got bogged down by all the details and didn't enjoy it as much as I'd hoped.
Thanks to NetGalley for this ARC!
February 1, 2024
When Catalina begins at Harvard, she isn't sure what to expect - I wasn't either, being unfamiliar with Cornejo Villavicencio. A semi-autobiographical story enfolds as we follow the funniest, wittiest and most real college student I ever met! Catalina is undocumented. Her college is aware, but she keeps the secret close. It defines her as she thinks about almost every moment in every interaction of her life. Wouldn't you? She could be deported at any moment.
Living through Catalina's four years at Harvard were a breath of fresh air that I didn't know I needed. I loved her story, her realness and her sometimes crazy interactions. This story is not just about an undocumented and brilliant young woman - this story in many ways is about all undocumented young people as well as all young women! Grab this story, you won't be disappointed. Now to grad the UNAMERICANS next!
#KarlaCornejoVillavicencio #Randomhouse #catalina
Living through Catalina's four years at Harvard were a breath of fresh air that I didn't know I needed. I loved her story, her realness and her sometimes crazy interactions. This story is not just about an undocumented and brilliant young woman - this story in many ways is about all undocumented young people as well as all young women! Grab this story, you won't be disappointed. Now to grad the UNAMERICANS next!
#KarlaCornejoVillavicencio #Randomhouse #catalina
May 23, 2024
This is a story about an undocumented immigrant from Ecuador who worked her way to Harvard. She shares her experiences with living there feeling like an outsider and keeping her status from most people. Some important issues were discussed (like femicide, the harrowing experiences of people living undocumented in the US, fetishized love interests) but I overall found this book too hard to follow. The content was interesting but the style was not for me.
It was too stream of consciousness and very chaotic. The lack of transitions left me feeling whiplashed. Was that the intent? It reminded me of talking to someone altered who is just rambling in and out of different stories and I’m just politely nodding my head until I can make my exit.
I received this ARC from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own.
It was too stream of consciousness and very chaotic. The lack of transitions left me feeling whiplashed. Was that the intent? It reminded me of talking to someone altered who is just rambling in and out of different stories and I’m just politely nodding my head until I can make my exit.
I received this ARC from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own.
September 6, 2024
I was excited to love Catalina, and while I connected with parts of the story, it just didn’t hit as hard as I expected. There were relatable moments, but overall, it didn’t quite pull me in.
September 13, 2024
I would die for Catalina.
September 4, 2024
Ugh, I wanted to like this but fifty pages in a and it's one long rambling mess of a girl that I tried to find interesting but I just don't think this will be for me.
January 15, 2024
There’s a gripping vulnerability to this book that isn’t lost amidst how funny the storytelling frequently is. The main character in this is absolutely chaotic in a way that is incredibly amusing, adds to the plot, but doesn’t distract from the commentary being made. This book felt nostalgic, frequently an amalgam of love, grief, longing, and humor. I don’t share any of the defining experiences that the main character goes through, but reading this book felt like a glimpse into the complicated emotions that such experiences might have brought about. I appreciated how plain the writing makes it that there is nuance to every feeling that Catalina has towards the circumstances of her existence. Every line of this book made me feel something, be it shock, outrage, sadness, amusement, or bewilderment. There were many topics addressed and parts of this book that were very heavy and emotional, and the author did a wonderful job of writing them so that they weren’t jarring or a screeching halt to the tone of the book, but rather simply another part of Catalina and her life for the reader to embrace.
None of the characters were definable by any one thing. They didn’t feel like archetypes and they evoked a multitude of emotions throughout the book. Even characters that I thought would act or respond to a situation in a certain way consistently surprised me. This book’s characters felt like real, unpredictable people, who were at times harsher, less shallow, or more easygoing than expected.
There were times when I felt that the timeline of the story was a bit confusing. Especially at the beginning of the book, things jump around a lot throughout the course of Catalina’s life, and I had a hard time pinning down what year it was when the story being told took place and determining if the story was being told by Catalina while was in her senior year or in retrospect by an older version of herself.
The story told was impressively complex and poignant; the fairly short number of pages it was written in do nothing to lessen its impact. The shifts in the narration take only as much time as necessary for clarity—it is a fast-paced story that I found impossible to be bored with. This is definitely outside of the genres and types of books that I normally read, but I’m genuinely so glad that I read it.
None of the characters were definable by any one thing. They didn’t feel like archetypes and they evoked a multitude of emotions throughout the book. Even characters that I thought would act or respond to a situation in a certain way consistently surprised me. This book’s characters felt like real, unpredictable people, who were at times harsher, less shallow, or more easygoing than expected.
There were times when I felt that the timeline of the story was a bit confusing. Especially at the beginning of the book, things jump around a lot throughout the course of Catalina’s life, and I had a hard time pinning down what year it was when the story being told took place and determining if the story was being told by Catalina while was in her senior year or in retrospect by an older version of herself.
The story told was impressively complex and poignant; the fairly short number of pages it was written in do nothing to lessen its impact. The shifts in the narration take only as much time as necessary for clarity—it is a fast-paced story that I found impossible to be bored with. This is definitely outside of the genres and types of books that I normally read, but I’m genuinely so glad that I read it.
July 10, 2024
This is quite frankly the most deranged, ridiculous and offensive piece of "literature" I've ever suffered through reading. Getting the ARC for free was still too much to pay. Zero stars.
August 25, 2024
Despite the sporadic storytelling which made this read like a memoir, I was moved to tears repeatedly due to my similar life experiences. If I hadn’t related so closely to the main character, I may have reviewed this differently based on the writing, but absolutely believe it’s worth a read for any immigrants or those who love an immigrant.
September 23, 2024
Catalina is a look into the injustices of undocumented immigrants through one young woman's perspective. Catalina is a Harvard student who grew up in America with her undocumented grandparents. We follow her through college and her experience in America, delving into the racism and prejudices she faces daily.
The book is basically Catalina’s inner monologue, so it can be hard to follow, and some parts might not hold your interest. But Catalina herself is such a fascinating character. This format presented the struggles and exploitation, big and small, of living undocumented. The stylistic narration style allowed Catalina to showcase every part of her identity and interactions, the good and the bad.
Overall, Catalina is a thought-provoking read that forces the reader to confront uncomfortable interactions and subjects in a very personal way. It sticks with you and makes you think and learn. Due to the odd narration style, this won’t be for everyone, but if you love thorough character development that’s blended with great social commentary I highly recommend this!
Thank you NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group-Random House for the advance copy. All thoughts and opinions expressed are my own.
The book is basically Catalina’s inner monologue, so it can be hard to follow, and some parts might not hold your interest. But Catalina herself is such a fascinating character. This format presented the struggles and exploitation, big and small, of living undocumented. The stylistic narration style allowed Catalina to showcase every part of her identity and interactions, the good and the bad.
Overall, Catalina is a thought-provoking read that forces the reader to confront uncomfortable interactions and subjects in a very personal way. It sticks with you and makes you think and learn. Due to the odd narration style, this won’t be for everyone, but if you love thorough character development that’s blended with great social commentary I highly recommend this!
Thank you NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group-Random House for the advance copy. All thoughts and opinions expressed are my own.
July 11, 2024
catalina is a campus novel that follows our titular character throughout her journey at harvard. reminiscent of selin from elif batuman’s the idiot, catalina navigates her college experience with both humor and skepticism. failed romances and awkward situations ensue (her jumping out of the car, hello?!) my favorite thing about the book was catalina’s narrative voice and her descriptions of the people and situations around her. some of the situations she found herself in verged on bizarre, and her commentary felt very vulnerable and real. also, the thread of the story with her undocumented grandparents was quite compelling, and it’s not a perspective that i’ve read from before. seeing her do everything in her power to change the situation they were in was really touching. i think the author did a great job of incorporating historical and cultural information into the story, which i’m sure isn’t easy to do.
writing this review a bit over a week out from finishing the book, i’m finding that not many specifics stuck with me. part of that’s on me as i was traveling when i read most of it, on top of dealing with not-fun life stuff. i do, however, remember that it was an entertaining distraction! easy to sink into and get carried along with catalina’s antics.
3.5 rounded up - thank you to one world and netgalley for allowing me to read this early!
writing this review a bit over a week out from finishing the book, i’m finding that not many specifics stuck with me. part of that’s on me as i was traveling when i read most of it, on top of dealing with not-fun life stuff. i do, however, remember that it was an entertaining distraction! easy to sink into and get carried along with catalina’s antics.
3.5 rounded up - thank you to one world and netgalley for allowing me to read this early!
August 21, 2024
This book included a lot of interesting commentary on a number of topics, but there was more telling than showing.
July 23, 2024
Catalina is the golden child, a powerhouse, and a force of nature when it comes to just about anything. Her grandparents raised her after a terrible accident in Ecuador that took her parents' life. Growing up with them in Queens, all she can focus on are the constant immigrant phantom hands pushing her to be more, more and more. She is undocumented and deportation can happen at any second. But she might as well make the most of what she can.
I picked up the book even though it is not my typical genre and I am so glad that I did. Villavicencio's writing style is so rich, decadent, and visceral. It did take me a bit to get used to the staccato of emotions depicted by Catalina in the beginning, but once I was familiar with her stream of consciousness it was impossible to put the book down. Her commentary throughout her experience at Harvard, her love life, and her Latina identity is utterly snarky and hilarious. I also adore the characterizations Villavicencio has created for the characters. Reading their caricatures makes me feel as if I know them in real life.
I would say that the synopsis didn't do the book justice. Romance isn't really the focus of the book. It's much more about the interstitial feelings, the bottomless pit of pursuance, and what it means to love in a foreign language. The book is a shorter read (just under 230 pages) but it did not feel like it's missing anything. And surely I won't be forgetting about Catalina Ituralde.
Thank you NetGalley for the vibrant contemporary ARC!
I picked up the book even though it is not my typical genre and I am so glad that I did. Villavicencio's writing style is so rich, decadent, and visceral. It did take me a bit to get used to the staccato of emotions depicted by Catalina in the beginning, but once I was familiar with her stream of consciousness it was impossible to put the book down. Her commentary throughout her experience at Harvard, her love life, and her Latina identity is utterly snarky and hilarious. I also adore the characterizations Villavicencio has created for the characters. Reading their caricatures makes me feel as if I know them in real life.
I would say that the synopsis didn't do the book justice. Romance isn't really the focus of the book. It's much more about the interstitial feelings, the bottomless pit of pursuance, and what it means to love in a foreign language. The book is a shorter read (just under 230 pages) but it did not feel like it's missing anything. And surely I won't be forgetting about Catalina Ituralde.
Thank you NetGalley for the vibrant contemporary ARC!
August 9, 2024
A moving #ownvoices debut novel about a Latin American undocumented young girl attending Harvard and her struggles to become a documented citizen. Perfect for fans of authors like Patricia Engel and good on audio too. Highly recommended! Many thanks to @prhaudio for a complimentary ALC in exchange for my honest review!
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August 28, 20243.5
Read
September 17, 2024I'm confused by this book
September 18, 2024
3.5 stars
I really enjoyed this one, my only issue was the format of the book and that is all on personal preference. (I'm not the biggest fan of stream of consciousness in books) I definitely want to read more from this author in the future though.
I really enjoyed this one, my only issue was the format of the book and that is all on personal preference. (I'm not the biggest fan of stream of consciousness in books) I definitely want to read more from this author in the future though.
August 29, 2024
⭐️2.5⭐️
This had the potential to be really good but it all felt very disorganized and surface level
This had the potential to be really good but it all felt very disorganized and surface level
August 3, 2024
Karla Cornejo Villavicencio began her first book, The Undocumented Americans a work of nonfiction, "A memoir? I was twenty-one. I wasn't fucking Barbara Streisand. I had been writing professionally since I was fifteen, but only about music--I wanted to be the guy in High Fidelity--and I didn't want my first book to be a rueful tale about being a sickly Victorian orphan with tuberculosis who didn't have a Social Security number, which is what the agents all wanted." My review of that book was that memoir aspects were well written and multidimensional while the journalism and political commentary was more flat and predictable.
Now Cornejo Villavicencio's second book is an autobiographical novel set largely at Harvard and New York City during her college years. It is even better written, has some of the aspects of the guy from "High Fidelity" in a typical-ish coming of age stories with new ideas, new authors, various types of professors, boys, and the like. But it also has the ways in which those are the same and different for a student that is undocumented and comes from a very different family from many of her peers. Altogether it did a great job capturing coming of age and college (and as an aside, just about every detail of its portrayal of Harvard seemed correct--with the minor exception of getting the name of my class wrong). I did not fully love the nonlinear jumping back and forth in time but I could be wrong in my judgment of that.
The ratio of multidimensional to single dimensional went up a lot from Cornejo Villavicencio's first book to her second, I can't wait to read her third.
Now Cornejo Villavicencio's second book is an autobiographical novel set largely at Harvard and New York City during her college years. It is even better written, has some of the aspects of the guy from "High Fidelity" in a typical-ish coming of age stories with new ideas, new authors, various types of professors, boys, and the like. But it also has the ways in which those are the same and different for a student that is undocumented and comes from a very different family from many of her peers. Altogether it did a great job capturing coming of age and college (and as an aside, just about every detail of its portrayal of Harvard seemed correct--with the minor exception of getting the name of my class wrong). I did not fully love the nonlinear jumping back and forth in time but I could be wrong in my judgment of that.
The ratio of multidimensional to single dimensional went up a lot from Cornejo Villavicencio's first book to her second, I can't wait to read her third.
September 2, 2024
Whoever advertised it as dark academia - you're on my watchlist.
June 16, 2024
e-ARC provided by NetGalley and Random House/One World in exchange for an honest review
Perhaps it was a mistake to try to read The Undocumented Americans (Villavicencio's debut) and this one back-to-back, because comparisons inevitably abound. Unfortunately, the main conclusion I can draw is that Villavicencio is still uncomfortable with pushing the boundaries of her writing beyond her familiar subject: herself.
Because Catalina Ituralde is is the author, whom we as readers have already met in TUA. That is why the vast majority of CATALINA read like something I'd already read before... because I already did. Catalina/Karla, undocumented girl from Ecuador living in Queens, admitted into Harvard, coded as bipolar and way too intelligent for her own good. Much like TUA, CATALINA jumps between themes, subjects, settings, and timelines and operates under the assumption that putting together 200 pages of pithy observations and two-sentence characterizations makes for a cohesive story.
CATALINA falls into the "no plot, just vibes" and "messy 20-something girl" subgenres of fiction that are extremely popular on Bookstagram and BookTok. If Sally Rooney, Genevieve Wheeler, J.D. Salinger, and Dolly Alderton (yes, I know they're all white, and KCV is not; I still stand by the fact that she falls within this writerly category) are some of your favorite authors, then give this one a go.
Perhaps it was a mistake to try to read The Undocumented Americans (Villavicencio's debut) and this one back-to-back, because comparisons inevitably abound. Unfortunately, the main conclusion I can draw is that Villavicencio is still uncomfortable with pushing the boundaries of her writing beyond her familiar subject: herself.
Because Catalina Ituralde is is the author, whom we as readers have already met in TUA. That is why the vast majority of CATALINA read like something I'd already read before... because I already did. Catalina/Karla, undocumented girl from Ecuador living in Queens, admitted into Harvard, coded as bipolar and way too intelligent for her own good. Much like TUA, CATALINA jumps between themes, subjects, settings, and timelines and operates under the assumption that putting together 200 pages of pithy observations and two-sentence characterizations makes for a cohesive story.
CATALINA falls into the "no plot, just vibes" and "messy 20-something girl" subgenres of fiction that are extremely popular on Bookstagram and BookTok. If Sally Rooney, Genevieve Wheeler, J.D. Salinger, and Dolly Alderton (yes, I know they're all white, and KCV is not; I still stand by the fact that she falls within this writerly category) are some of your favorite authors, then give this one a go.
March 22, 2024
Thank you to Netgalley and Random House Publishing for sending me the ARC.
Catalina is a chaotic look into an Ecuadorian immigrant, her experience at Harvard and largely America. She has a rocky up bringing and it largely affects her life down the line. Catalina’s story is told in a stream of consciousness way that makes it hard to follow at times. One moment she’ll be in her dorm in a depressive fugue over her lack of motivation and the next she talks about her dead parents. The romance b plot didn’t quite work for me, but one of the best parts was when Catalina jumps out of the moving car.
Some moments, I found the prose lyrical and effective. For most of the book, it felt longwinded and meandering. The book was less than 200 pages, but it took me a long while to actually finish. I was drawn in by the cover and was ultimately let down.
Catalina is a chaotic look into an Ecuadorian immigrant, her experience at Harvard and largely America. She has a rocky up bringing and it largely affects her life down the line. Catalina’s story is told in a stream of consciousness way that makes it hard to follow at times. One moment she’ll be in her dorm in a depressive fugue over her lack of motivation and the next she talks about her dead parents. The romance b plot didn’t quite work for me, but one of the best parts was when Catalina jumps out of the moving car.
Some moments, I found the prose lyrical and effective. For most of the book, it felt longwinded and meandering. The book was less than 200 pages, but it took me a long while to actually finish. I was drawn in by the cover and was ultimately let down.
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