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Title: Vida

Author: Patricia Engel

Narrator: Heather Margaret

Format: Unabridged

Length: 3 hrs and 25 mins

Language: English

Release date: 11-19-13

Publisher: Audible Studios

Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 6 votes

Genres: Fiction, Contemporary

Publisher's Summary:

Fresh, accomplished, and fearless, Vida marks the debut of Patricia Engel, a young author of immense talent and promise.

Vida follows a single narrator, Sabina, as she navigates her shifting identity as a daughter of the Colombian diaspora and struggles to find her place within and beyond the net of her strong, protective, but embattled family. In Lucho, Sabina's family already foreigners in a town of blancos is shunned by the community when a relative commits an unspeakable act of violence, but she is in turn befriended by the town bad boy who has a secret of his own; in Desaliento, Sabina surrounds herself with other young drifters who spend their time looking for love and then fleeing from it until reality catches up with one of them; and in Vida, the urgency of Sabina's self-imposed exile in Miami fades when she meets an enigmatic Colombian woman with a tragic past.

Patricia Engel maps landscapes both actual and interior in this stunning debut, and the constant throughout is Sabina serious, witty, alternately cautious and reckless, open to transformation yet skeptical of its lasting power. Infused by a hard-won, edgy wisdom, Vida introduces a sensational new literary voice.

Members Reviews:

Reviews by a Latina Book Club

Reviewed by: Sandra

Livin' la vida Latina

Review: Patricia Engelâs debut book was wonderful. Her main character, Sabina, was smart, witty, and real; she often referred to herself as a âlate bloomer.â

These are stories of a girlâs coming-of-age from childhood to adulthood (although not necessarily in that order) that trek through the hurdles revolving her family, friends, neighbors, and her ethnic identity.

Living in a community shunned by âblancosâ makes life a little lonely for Sabina in âLucho.â In âRefuge,â Sabina must hide from the wreckage of the 9/11 aftermath while pondering the fact that she âcheated,â that she shouldâve been in that building with all those victims if she had only gone to work that day. And, in âVida,â Sabina befriends a prostitute that she canât help but be fascinated by.

Full of vivid and lively descriptions like âyour skin looks like diarrhea.â (47) I couldnât help but laugh at that one. âDeath is a huge aphrodisiac.â (35) Interesting how you always want people when theyâre dead âthey are the âungettableâ get.

Engel has a way of engaging the reader with her candid humor and elegant prose. Her unique writing style of broken sentences was so oddly poetic âyet it all seemed to work.

A satisfying treat

For me, reading Vida was a wonderful experience, such a treat. The stories are beautifully written, obviously written by a gifted and sensitive author. The stories flow effortlessly, like beautiful music moving the reader along a wonderful journey. Ms. Engel uses the English language like a gifted musician uses his instrument.

I read the book in one weekend. The book kept pulling me back to it, it kept me yearning for more and more. Each story is a little treasure, a little slice of life, an opportunity to experience life through someone else's eyes. It was thought provoking.

It had been a long time since I had read fiction. I had forgotten how satisfying good fiction can be. The book opened up a whole new world of reading for me.

Beautiful

This year is the first time I've really given short stories a chance.