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The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao
by: Junot Díaz

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Binding: Hardcover
Dewey Decimal Number: 813.54
EAN: 9781594489587
ISBN: 1594489580
Label: Riverhead Hardcover
Manufacturer: Riverhead Hardcover
Number Of Items: 1
Number Of Pages: 352
Publication Date: September 06, 2007
Publisher: Riverhead Hardcover
Sales Rank: 281
Studio: Riverhead Hardcover

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Editorial Review:

Product Description:
This is the long-awaited first novel from one of the most original and memorable writers working today.

Things have never been easy for Oscar, a sweet but disastrously overweight, lovesick Dominican ghetto nerd. From his home in New Jersey, where he lives with his old-world mother and rebellious sister, Oscar dreams of becoming the Dominican J. R. R. Tolkien and, most of all, of finding love. But he may never get what he wants, thanks to the Fukœ-the curse that has haunted the Oscar's family for generations, dooming them to prison, torture, tragic accidents, and, above all, ill-starred love. Oscar, still waiting for his first kiss, is just its most recent victim.

D’az immerses us in the tumultuous life of Oscar and the history of the family at large, rendering with genuine warmth and dazzling energy, humor, and insight the Dominican-American experience, and, ultimately, the endless human capacity to persevere in the face of heartbreak and loss. A true literary triumph, The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao confirms Junot D’az as one of the best and most exciting voices of our time.

Amazon.com:
Amazon Best of the Month, September 2007: It's been 11 years since Junot Díaz's critically acclaimed story collection, Drown, landed on bookshelves and from page one of his debut novel, The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao, any worries of a sophomore jinx disappear. The titular Oscar is a 300-pound-plus 'lovesick ghetto nerd' with zero game (except for Dungeons & Dragons) who cranks out pages of fantasy fiction with the hopes of becoming a Dominican J.R.R. Tolkien. The book is also the story of a multi-generational family curse that courses through the book, leaving troubles and tragedy in its wake. This was the most dynamic, entertaining, and achingly heartfelt novel I've read in a long time. My head is still buzzing with the memory of dozens of killer passages that I dog-eared throughout the book. The rope-a-dope narrative is funny, hip, tragic, soulful, and bursting with desire. Make some room for Oscar Wao on your bookshelf--you won't be disappointed. --Brad Thomas Parsons

Customer Reviews

Average Rating: out of 5 stars

Rating:

- Well-deserving of the Pulitzer!
After Junot Diaz's collection of short stories was released some years ago, the eyes of the literary world waited, with much anticipation, for the results of his first full-length attempt. By all accounts, The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao did not disappoint and went on to win the 2008 Pulitzer Prize for long fiction.

This story of a 300-lb, D&D loving, fantasy-adventure writing, Dominican nerdboy is funny, tragic, pitiful and sweet all at the same time. Told through the voices of those who know him best, it is a wonderfully fleshed-out account of a young man's life viewed from the many different angles and points that give us all our form, and never is it clearer than when driving home the point that no one of us is an island, and that no matter how we fight it, we are to some extent - more than most of us would probably like - products of our heritage, our upbringing, and the actions and ... Read More

Rating:

- a blend of two worlds
Reading The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao feels a bit like a Spanish lesson. That is, if you are learning Spanish from an average teenager in the DR, as Diaz likes to call it. Junot Diaz's brilliant integration of English and Spanish throughout the book not only creates a style that is rich in culture, but also reflects on the journey of our protagonist, Oscar, who struggles to find the balance between his American and Dominican identities. This tug-of-war between the cultures, standards, and stereotypes in America versus those in the Dominican Republic is a recurring theme throughout the book as Oscar, after returning to the DR for the first time in many years, decides where he fits in the most. Fitting in has never been easy for Oscar; he is our typical overweight, awkward, Sci-Fi-obsessed, Dungeons & Dragons-addicted, but still very lovable, nerd. For obvious reasons he has always had trouble fitting ... Read More

Rating:

- A delectable Dominican dish of (mostly) unsavory, (oft cursed) characters
What is so great about this book? First of all, the characters: a heavy-set, hopeless romantic, computer geek, word nerd, and aspiring writer Huáscar de León; his lovely, loving sister Lola; their orphaned, abused, hard-working, (abusive) mother Belicia; and, surprisingly, the (story of the) siblings' maternal grandparents, Dr. Abelard Luis Cabral and his wife, a nurse, Socorro; as well as Yunior, the sometimes narrator sometimes love of Lola, who is Oscar's friend and roommate (not necessarily in that order. Second, the subjects: infatuation (Oscar's almost constant state of mind), love, sex, abuse, torture and murder. If that doesn't sound thrilling enough, the most wondrous thing about it is Diaz' crazy, fast-paced, in-your-face (p 19) "You didn't know we were occupied twice in the twentieth century? Don't worry, when you have kids they won't know the U.S. occupied Iraq either," writing style (filled with political ... Read More

Rating:

- Wow for Wao
This book had the potential to be five stars and came up just short for me, which is a bit of a disappointment for me. It is one of the most original and refreshing novels that I've read in recent memory. Diaz's voice is distinctive, he takes risks and creates wonderfully entertaining and vivid characters.

The reasons I felt this didn't merit five stars and "classic" status are:

(1) I thought the last 10% of the book was disappointing and paled in comparison with the brilliance of the other 90% of the book. Diaz could have done a lot better with Oscar's demise and for me the plot line he took didn't resonate.

(2) More Oscar. The title and the opening of the book create a sense of desire and expectation for more of Oscar. I don't want to suggest that the other parts of the novel that focused on Oscar's sister Lola, and her boyfriend Yunior, his mother and other characters ... Read More

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