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Indlæser... The Five Acts of Diego Leon: A Novelaf Alex Espinoza
   Ingen Der er ingen diskussionstråde på Snak om denne bog.  suepk | May 3, 2013 |   At the very beginning of this book there was a lot of village superstition from the young Diego’s great Aunt, and I expected the book to go with that kind of theme. Much to my surprise it did not. Instead the book delves into the personal life of the main character, Diego. How he struggles in his impoverished life in a village in Mexico during the Mexican revolution. The book is divided up into five acts – five main parts of Diego’s life – with the first part dealing with his early life in the village. then he goes to live with his Mother’s parents – Grandparents he never knew – from the age of 12 and they make him lie about who his father is, as they are ashamed to let their well to do friends know that their daughter married a peasant. It is during his time with his grandparents that he discovers he has a talent for singing, dancing and acting. A friend of his Grandmother schools him in the art of singing and dancing and she becomes a confidant of his. His life seems to be set in stone, especially when he leaves school and starts working in his Grandfather’s law firm. He is paired up with the daughter of one of his Grandfather’s business associates and they become engaged. But Diego has had feelings for his male friend for quite some time and he is not entirely sure he wants to get married. On the morning of the wedding he leaves the security of his well to do life in Mexico and heads for America. Once he arrives in america he sets about trying to establish himself as a movie star in the new talking movies. He struggles for a long while until one day he cheats his way into a role and from then on he begins to establish himself with the powers that be in the studio he has signed up to. The story moves along at really steady and progressive stage. It is beautifully written and interesting characters leave you wanting to know what is going to happen next. My only disappointment in the story is at the very end, I thought things were going to turn out differently for Diego and was pretty disappointed they didn’t. Overall I give this book 5 stars ***** Recommended. (  ) suepk | May 3, 2013 | ingen anmeldelser | tilføj en anmeldelse
Hæderspriser
Growing up in a rural village at the height of the Mexican Revolution, Diego León has many first loves: singing, dancing, and hearing the stories of his ancestors, the P'urhépecha. But when tragedy strikes, young Diego is sent to the city to live with his white, aristocratic grandparents, who insist he forget his roots and groom him to take over the family business. Under pressure to enter a profession--and a life--he cares nothing for, and haunted by the violence once again erupting all around him, Diego flees his war-torn country to forge his own destiny. Diego arrives in Hollywood in 1927, when silent films are giving way to talkies, Prohibition is in full swing, and "Latin lover" types are sought out even as they are looked down upon. Working his way up in the movie business with talent and ingenuity, Diego soon figures out that getting one's face on the silver screen has as much to do with what goes on behind the camera as what goes on in front of it. Butthe closer Diego comes to stardom, the more he finds that the past is not so easily escaped, as he is drawn again and again to the painful legacy of history and the wounds of his homeland. A sweeping, sensual novel of love, ambition, and identity, The Five Acts of Diego León bears all the marks of a classic Hollywood story: romance, betrayal, glamour, and an underdog hero to root for till the end. No library descriptions found. |
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 Google Books — Indlæser...GenrerMelvil Decimal System (DDC)813.6Literature English (North America) American fiction 21st CenturyLC-klassificeringVurderingGennemsnit: (5)
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2
At the very beginning of this book there was a lot of village superstition from the young Diego’s great Aunt, and I expected the book to go with that kind of theme. Much to my surprise it did not. Instead the book delves into the personal life of the main character, Diego. How he struggles in his impoverished life in a village in Mexico during the Mexican revolution.
The book is divided up into five acts – five main parts of Diego’s life – with the first part dealing with his early life in the village. then he goes to live with his Mother’s parents – Grandparents he never knew – from the age of 12 and they make him lie about who his father is, as they are ashamed to let their well to do friends know that their daughter married a peasant.
It is during his time with his grandparents that he discovers he has a talent for singing, dancing and acting. A friend of his Grandmother schools him in the art of singing and dancing and she becomes a confidant of his.
His life seems to be set in stone, especially when he leaves school and starts working in his Grandfather’s law firm. He is paired up with the daughter of one of his Grandfather’s business associates and they become engaged. But Diego has had feelings for his male friend for quite some time and he is not entirely sure he wants to get married. On the morning of the wedding he leaves the security of his well to do life in Mexico and heads for America.
Once he arrives in america he sets about trying to establish himself as a movie star in the new talking movies. He struggles for a long while until one day he cheats his way into a role and from then on he begins to establish himself with the powers that be in the studio he has signed up to.
The story moves along at really steady and progressive stage. It is beautifully written and interesting characters leave you wanting to know what is going to happen next. My only disappointment in the story is at the very end, I thought things were going to turn out differently for Diego and was pretty disappointed they didn’t.
Overall I give this book 5 stars *****
Recommended. (