Velvet Was the Night

De: Silvia Moreno-Garcia

Narrado por: Gisela Chípe

Duración: 9 h y 52 m

Resumen del Editor

GOOD MORNING AMERICA BUZZ PICK • From the New York Times bestselling author of Mexican Gothic comes a simmering historical noir about a daydreaming secretary, a lonesome enforcer, and the mystery of the missing woman they’re both desperate to find.

ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR: The New York Times Book Review, NPR, The Washington Post, The Boston Globe, New York Public Library, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, BookPage, She Reads, Library Journal • “An adrenalized, darkly romantic journey.”—The Washington Post

Mexico in the 1970s is a dangerous country, even for Maite, a secretary who spends her life seeking the romance found in cheap comic books and ignoring the activists protesting around the city. When her next-door neighbor, the beautiful art student Leonora, disappears under suspicious circumstances, Maite finds herself searching for the missing woman—and journeying deeper into Leonora’s secret life of student radicals and dissidents.

Mexico in the 1970s is a politically fraught land, even for Elvis, a goon with a passion for rock ’n’ roll who knows more about kidney-smashing than intrigue. When Elvis is assigned to find Leonora, he begins a blood-soaked search for the woman—and his soul.

Swirling in parallel trajectories, Maite and Elvis attempt to discover the truth behind Leonora’s disappearance, encountering hitmen, government agents, and Russian spies. Because Mexico in the 1970s is a noir, where life is cheap and the price of truth is high.

©2021 Silvia Moreno-Garcia (P)2021 Random House Audio

Reseñas de la Crítica

“[Velvet Was the Night] is a noir with a heart of gold, and it’s a narrative in which the empathy we feel for its characters ultimately reveals an important truth: That Moreno-Garcia is not only a talented storyteller but also an incredibly versatile one.” (NPR)

“An absolute flex...[Velvet Was the Night] left me marveling at what kind of sorceress Moreno-Garcia must be as she reworks genre after genre, weaving in Mexican history and culture, satisfying familiar cravings without resorting to mere pastiche. The most tantalizing suspense of all comes with wondering what she’ll do next.” (Slate)

“Immensely satisfying, refreshingly new and gloriously written.... Moreno-Garcia mashes up Anglocentric genres with midcentury Mexican history, resulting in a brew flavored with love, heartbreak, violence, music and unsettling dread.... The gift of this book, and Moreno-Garcia’s storytelling, is how it imbues this well-worn genre with added strength, grace and even musicality.” (The New York Times Book Review)

My favorite narrator

Gisele Chipe did an excellent job portraying all the characters. I hope to hear more from her.

Great Noir

This novel is great if you like noir. Organized crime story involving the government and students wanting a revolution.

Amazing, entertaining, and insightful

My biggest critique is that I finished it so quickly. Amazing book I enjoyed the political / historical environment weaved by Silvia Moreno-Garcia. This is the 3rd book I've listened to from her, in the last year, and probably my favorite. Wonderful characters, rich musical references that I often found myself listening to in between chapters, and really utilizes the landscape of Mexico City. It has a bit of a Pulp Fiction vibe at times, I'd love to see this as a movie.

Excellent storyline

I loved the story didn’t really like the main character but despite that I couldn’t stop listening to it

Save your credit

I had high hopes as I live historical fiction. Unfortunately the needless explanations and rambling just diluted the plot making me waste time to try and get through it. A disappointment for sure.

Obama's Summer Read

Thanks for adding this book to your list Obama. I loved it. Good read.

skip it

listened to at 2 times speed
clear writing, story too slow, unexciting. disappointed by the plot. what happened to the cat

Interesting Story

I love Silvia Moreno-Garcia and everything she produces. Of all her books I’ve read, this is okay and compared to most others.

The story was interesting which is why I stuck with it but it took me a long time to get through it. I just wasn’t as drawn in as I usually am. This was mostly because of the character, Maite. For more than half the book, I could not find a bone in my body to sympathize or empathize with her. That was disappointing since she was supposed to be the female Lead in all this and it made the story drag on. I was more invested in Elvis and what was happening with him. I wanted more for him and was rooting for him in the end because he grew and evolved, even if he was unsure if this growing would be for better or worse. Maite didn’t seem to evolve and neither did her attitude even after all that she had gone through. That was disappointing. Maybe I’ll revisit this in the future and find things I missed that would have elevated the story my first go around.

Again, the story was interesting and I love that it was Noir created based off events that actually happened in Mexico. Gisela Chipe is a great narrator and always makes it easy to distinguish which character is who.

Narrator was Amazing!

I really enjoyed the narration of this story. There were a few parts that dragged as far as story but the narration kept me interested. I do love how the author always puts the reader in the story with great setting details. Worth the listen, especially since it is based on a very chaotic time In Mexico's history.

Good find

I love Elvis, relate to Maite. Well told story, characters were genuinely interesting and not forced. Will recommend!