The Air You Breathe

The Air You Breathe- Peebles
4.5 stars

So many good things about this book; beautiful writing, an interesting subculture in a new (for me) literary country. The characters were vibrant and complex. Their relationships were realistically messy. When this author wrote of music, I felt the euphoric high. When she wrote of grief, my heart broke.

I think, I’m withholding the final half point because some of this saga cut too close to the bone. I understand the destructive influence of a performer’s narcissism. I’m appalled by the exploitation of the entertainment industry. I detest the casual misuse of drugs. This wasn’t easy reading for me. It left me returning to too many of my own sad memories.

Disappointing audiobook. Got nearly half-way through before finally giving up. The exotic setting of Brazil and the historical time (20s, 30s) were wonderful and kept me attentive at first. There were a few lively scenes. And the political upheaval, with the tyrant who banned all music but folklore -- that was interesting and made me want to learn the history. But by the middle of the story, the long, technical discussion of music types had me almost snoring, and that was it for me.

Well written historical novel based on the life of Carmen Miranda in the popular "BFF frenemies" genre.

Interesting setting -- Brazil in the first half of the 20th century, and tackling an unknown subject, the rise of popular samba music in its heyday. Themes it deals with are female friendship and competition, ambition, poverty and the attempt to climb out of it, the sacrifices one must make for art.

I did not appreciate the too-early mention of Graca's death, nearly from the start of the novel. The novel shifted in time, also, from the narrative of the girls, to the "present day" where Dor is 90-ish, then back to 50s Vegas, to her marriage with Vinicius and back and forth. A little frustrating.

Digital audiobook performed by Rebecca Mozo

The novel begins in 1930s Brazil, where nine-year-old orphan Dores works in the kitchen of a sugar plantation. Graça Pimentel is the spoiled daughter of the plantation’s owner, but despite their vastly different stations in life, the girls become fast friends. As teens, they escape together and make their way to Rio de Janeiro, where they are intent on making their own way as singers.

This is an epic historical novel, covering decades in the lives of these two girls. The story is narrated by Dores, and includes some flashback as she recalls how they came to become friends, then lovers, then singers / songwriters seeking fame and fortune in Hollywood. The writing is atmospheric; this show more reader’s senses enjoyed the sights, sounds, smells and tastes the characters experienced. The novel is full of the culture of Brazil, especially samba music. (I was inspired to dig out my old Sergio Mendes & Brazil ’66 CDs and listen while I enjoyed the book.)

I was sometimes surprised at the direction the story took, though I understood what was happening, and usually the underlying motives for the characters’ actions. Despite the foreshadowing, I found Graça’s ending very sad and moving.

One thing I really appreciated were the song lyrics for the various compositions Dores wrote. They are truly poetic. Full of passion, love, hurt, anguish, joy, triumph and pain.

Rebecca Mozo does a superb job of narrating the audiobook. My ears were not accustomed to the Portuguese pronunciations, so I was glad I had the text handy to verify what I was hearing in some places, especially on a first reference. show less

I read in bed at night and this was one of those books I looked forward to. I know this is going to sound dorky (because at its core, this is a story about music), but it was like a big musical piece with lots of rises and falls to it. I kept thinking that the best parts were behind me, but these girls just kept my interest. I wasn't too keen on the sex parts, because it really didn't add anything to the storyline and felt like it was included because "sex sells" but at least it was not too graphic or overdone. It was really a great story otherwise. I loved "visiting" Brazil and learning about a country I previously knew almost nothing about.

This novel had so much that I love about historical fiction - a setting I don't quite know (Brazil in the 1920s-1940s in this case), ups and downs of fortune for the characters, and vivid passions. This is a story of friendship - an unlikely friendship between two women who grow up together on a Brazilian sugar plantation. Gracia is the daughter of the plantation owner and heiress to what is left of her father's fortune. Dores is an orphaned servant girl. Despite their differences in social class, the two become lifelong friends and their relationship defines both of their lives. Both wish to escape the plantation and they eventually do - Gracia becomes a legendary samba singer and even stars in Hollywood movies while Dores becomes her show more manager, even through she wants to take to the stage herself. A well-written and vivid novel, highly recommended for historical fiction fans. show less

"There is a gap between our reality and our desires. If we are lucky, we live safely on one side and spy the other. Sometimes, we are able to bridge the gap, to cross the void, but only for a short while."

I wanted to love this one. I really did. I hate it....but I was just...bored. Story of two girls who are growing up very different - little miss and hired help. But through the two girls growing up, surrounded by (at first) fields and crops and only each other to play with - the lower status girl is raised up and gets to see some of the other side and get educated. Fast forward years, and they are going to school together and working together and running away together. They are discovering boys and girls and singing and working show more and....life. It was fascinating but long, drawn out and wordy. It gets very in depth into the semantics of music, singing and the different sounds at the times. I understand it's a story about a singer but it's not for a long time.....all the details just seemed to bog down the story.

But I've also been short on reading time and bogged down by life so I think this one may have also suffered from bad timing. show less