Welcome to Litsy!

August 2024 Book #5 Elena Knows
My first novel by this author. Short but powerful novel. So intense, well written. It was amazing how the illness was described, I almost felt I was inside Elena‘s body, feeling her frustrations to command her body to react, to follow her instructions. Characters were masterly described, so much was said in a short novel. It was so sad the story of Elena. I was just captivated by this stor, by this written style 5⭐️

This was amazing! Tough read, but Piñeiro‘s writing just makes everything worth it. I‘m glad I took my time with this one and I did not expect that twist at the end!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Borrowed this from the library after yet another friend reviewed and loved. 25% in and can‘t put it down.

Piñeiro is fast becoming a fave!

What more to say about this brilliant book that hasn't been already said?
The writing strikes with emotions, the descriptions of Parkinson's disease are torturingly realistic and the twist in the end is so full of meaning.
A mother torn down by Parkinson's disease is striking to prove her daughter didn't commit suicide.

https://youtu.be/3bmSPD2UEVU?si=2_2qkYM8bDGAQvyc

Introduction

Mystery guest

Week in review

Patreon news

Elena Knows by Claudia Piñeiro, Frances Riddle (Translator)

The Misses Mallett by E.H. Young

Off Keck Road by Mona Simpson

The Stone Angel by Margaret Laurence

The writing on this is very similar to Jose Saramago, my author focus of this year. The writing is dense and the story is not really about what it is commonly known to be about, mostly it is about Elena's fight with Parkinson's. What a terrible disease, and Pineiro does an amazing job writing into the vibe of the illness. This is very well done.

This book was so abrupt and had no point to it except for a lot of information about Parkinson's disease.

E for A to Z challenge!

Whoa, this book is so much more than it appears. Like the Tardis! The author‘s descriptions of Elena‘s Parkinsons were harrowing, the anguish of everyday tasks. The dispair of loosing a child. There is so much to say about this book but it‘s too hard without spoilers. I can see why it got so much Litsy love!

Another book chosen for its location, but this was also brought to my attention from the many Litsy reviews. Loved the unusual protagonist and the portrayal of how her illness dictated her days.

#12Booksof2023 @Andrew65

I ran across this today on Netflix - anyone watch it yet? I want to read it again so I won‘t be watching it anytime soon.

Book mail! 😁 I haven‘t been able to get the tagged book out of my mind since I read it earlier this year. I had to have a copy to reread.

The Bowring is for #Europacollective 🎉

That book packs a punch! I'll need some time to recover.

Photo of Las Nereidas by Argentine female sculptor Lola Mora (1866-1936), from Wikipedia

The 1st 1/2 is a build up, and the second 1/2 is excellent. In this short work of fiction, a mother with Parkinson‘s who “knows her daughter” sets out to find her daughter‘s killer- though the death is currently ruled a suicide. Very well written and one that will sit with me for awhile- for a variety of reasons.

Girls' weekend shared read was challenging and made for a great discussion. Experiencing life in Elena's disabled body (she has Parkinson's) is uncomfortable. Her search for help seems futile. And yet, it is also riveting. This is a book about bodies and who has control of them. It makes you think and Pineiro's skill is undeniable. Also points to Charco Press for an aesthetically pleasing book design!

I‘ve stacked this on my tbr wish list after seeing so many positive reviews here. A copy came in the mail today 😃💃🏻. I think this is from you, Cathy? @Cathythoughts Thank you!
#bookmail ❤️

Such a visceral and poignant read on what life looks like living with Parkinson‘s disease. Elena‘s life is dictated by the timings of her pills as she can only move for a few hours after that.. A story of how parent- child relationships evolve over time and the complexities of it. Despite her physical limitations, Elena js a determined and strong character whom I loved .. a wonderful book, highly recommend!

With a recurring theme of what we know (or think we know), this incredibly well crafted book asks the reader to put themselves in Elena‘s unenviable place of infirmity. It results in a slow, painful read but also gripping in how it challenges fixed ideas about disability and abortion and deals with universal, complex issues: i.e., obstacles to a woman‘s right to control her own body, myths and realities of motherhood, challenges of an ill body.

Weekly Report

I've finished The Silence and the Roar and read Elena Knows. The Rainbow and Clarissa continue and I also started A World of Love.

Goodness, that was a different book.
I read it in three chunks, purely as I had time today. Its resonated a fair bit as I supported people with neurological conditions during the pandemic.
I'd say it's a good depiction of the illness, and makes it uncomfortable to read, as it should be.

The boyfriend bought me this for my birthday.
It's a slim book, translated. There are rather mixed reviews so I'm in two minds already!

#TBRtarot - yellow cover
#pop23 - takes place in a single day

This book was painful to read, because it paints such a vivid picture of what it is like to live with advanced Parkinsons' disease. Through the characters Elena, Rita and Isobel, this book confronts topics of religion, reproductive rights, illness and disability, bodily autonomy, and motherhood.

A short, compelling, difficult read that got somewhat under my skin.

⭐⭐⭐⭐

What a fascinating if not very pleasant read. The description of Elena‘s illness were so well done and although both Elena and Rita were unlikeable characters, you really felt for them both - heartbreaking, really.

And then the wonder of why Elena was so desperate to make the difficult trip across town to find Isabel, changing the narrative entirely towards the end.

I‘m going for all of the prompts on this one ⬇️

I don‘t think there‘s much I can say about this book that hasn‘t already been said here. It‘s sort of wrung me out. These 3 women will be circulating in my brain for a while.
Hard hitting, realistic look at three women‘s lives. Not an easy read and I‘m glad it was only short.
Using for #aboutreproductiverights #booked2023

I've read a lot of good Litsy reviews of this already, so I think I'll just mention how interesting it was reading about the deterioration of Elena's body and realizing that I don't think I liked her as a person. Or Rita either. They both seem unpleasant (especially to Isabel!), but you can't help but feel empathy for them.

A lot to think about here and none of it comfortable. Highly recommend!

One striking aspect I noted is Elena refers to her Parkinson‘s in derogatory feminine terms. Weakness of mind & body and lack of control is the condition imposed on women in Elena‘s world.

Only a third into this slim novel and it‘s quite thought provoking. The pace suits the main character!

It‘s been 2 weeks in 1 here. Plus I caught my first cold since before Covid. 😩 Whine & wine.

#BookReport
I am happy to report that I read - Elena Knows - 👍🏻♥️
- Magpie Lane - very good !

And I‘ve only a half hour left on the audio of - Dinosaurs - ( which I‘ll wrap up on my morning walk ) really enjoying it too.

Hi Cindy ! ♥️

I couldn‘t put this down. The impact this novel had on me shocked me. So brilliantly done. It‘s like she squeezes these three womens lives into a ball and rolls it to us ( towards some ‘overwhelming question‘ , Eliots words came back to me ).
It‘s like she rolls the ball to us and leaves us with a bang, asking .. ‘ so what do you make of all that ? ‘
Which is a question I will be thinking about.
Powerful book.
All the stars ⭐️ ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Wow - this book is simple in construction and super intense with emotion. It‘s amazing! I felt I was experiencing the world anew through the pained eyes of a mother suffering from advanced Parkinson‘s. It‘s the tiny details of how she sees the world, navigates some independence and manages her body and the illness. Along side that there is a strong thread around abortion and a woman‘s right to choose - echoing the authors political activism.

Starting this tonight #2 of my #auldlangspine list from @rockpools Excited to discover a new author, a new imprint and I think it‘s also my first Brazilian read. 👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼

#12booksof2022

My April favorite was undoubtedly this one. A unique book about the relationship between a mother and daughter, navigating between dependence, hate and love, but also about aging and Parkinson‘s disease. A very sad and beautiful story.

Starting off my #auldlangspine stack ready for January 1! Still have three more books to add to the stack - but a fab reading month is starting to take shape! You‘ve picked me so FAB ones @rockpools

5 🌟 Exquisite writing. A story of mothers and daughters, and how we deal with what life hands us. Highly recommend!

a sandwich with mayonnaise. this is not pure story. tied up with advocacy. doesn‘t completely ruin it. bleak faux mystery.

10:30 on a Summer Night
Happening
Swallow

3.5 stars

A wonderful gift from Jess! @jhod 😘

I‘ve been wanting to read this book for ages, as so many of my favourite people here on Litsy have read it and loved it. And isn‘t the Charco Press tote bag lovely?!

This was a tough read because, as the primary caretaker of a disabled parent, I‘ve often wondered what would happen if I died. I ached at the loneliness and frustration Elena felt, and I feared for her future.

Elena has Parkinson‘s. Her daughter was found dead in the church belfry of an apparent suicide, but Elena knows that couldn‘t be the case. She heads on a perilous journey across Buenos Aries to the one woman who can help.

Read for Women in Translation month. Wow. So much is achieved in this short novel. Wonderfully crafted and rich in it's messaging and thought provoking observation. I certainly want to read more of Pineiro's work and from Charco Press if this is the caliber of work produced.

#alphabetgame #letterE
Two of the 5-star books that I‘ve read in 2022 start with the letter E.
Debbie, thanks for tagging me. 🤗

Dammit Amazon. Get your sh!t together! I only ordered two books on Prime Day and there‘s an issue. 🤦🏻‍♀️🤦🏻‍♀️🤦🏻‍♀️

So much of this book sneaks up on you. So short and yet so impactful. You start off introduced to Elena, a mother trying to determine who killed her daughter, even though it was clearly a suicide. You then begin to feel you‘re living in Elena‘s body as she navigates the world with Parkinson‘s. The writing puts you squarely in her body. And then … you learn the rest. A five-star read for me.

🌿 Harvard (The Idiot by Elif Batuman)
🌿🌿 Tagged. So good and a perfect book club choice. Mine met last night and we had such a great discussion.
🌿🌿🌿 Upgrade by Blake Crouch

#wondrouswednesday
@Eggs

Phenomenal. Incredibly poignant. A powerful examination of women‘s autonomy and one of the most effective portraits of living with a debilitating disease (Parkinson‘s in this case) that I‘ve ever read.

I‘ll be discussing this one with my IRL book club this week. Our first meeting since the pandemic! Should be a good one. Lots to unpack.

Don‘t let the sparse page count fool you. This is a powerful story expertly written & translated. Elena, a middle age woman suffering from advanced Parkinson‘s Disease is barely able to move without her daily pills. When her only child is found dead in the church belfry, Elena knows it had to be foul play and not suicide like the police ruled. Determined to solve the murder, Elena sets out across the city to visit a woman whom she 👇🏽

#SaturdayStats I think I‘ll pick this one up today, it under 150 pages and then I plan on starting #CampLitsy #TrueBiz
What are your reading plans for today??

Books read this month. Favorite is tagged.

Look at this wonderful #BookMail 😍Thank you so much for all the goodies and the surprise book @BarbaraBB ❣️❣️❣️Excited to read BOTH books. I really appreciate your friendship & generosity xx

A brilliant and compassionate book about women‘s bodies,women‘s complicity in the ceding of control over those bodies, but also about how we do lose control through ageing and disease. Bodies prevail. I loved how the novel plays with knowledge and perspective through a very simple well told story. And Elena is a remarkable character. I loved it!