Mambo Peligroso: A Novel | Patricia Chao | True to the spirit of the dance

Mambo Peligroso: A Novel | Patricia Chao | I loved this book!

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Mambo Peligroso: A...

	Mambo Peligroso: A Novel Patricia Chao HarperCollins, 2005 - 320 pages average customer review:based on 9 reviews view larger image
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highly recommended

True to the spirit of the dance

As a member of the NYC mambo scene, I found this book mesmerizing and disarming in its ability to describe the emotional life of a salsa dancer in New York. Although my own experiences have not been quite as dramatic as Chao's characters (which is probably a good thing!!), I found that her writing beautifully captured the intensity of the salsa scene, as well as all the beauty, sensuality, and pride that distinguishes this dance from others. Chao's details about New York are accurate and fun to read, and the structure she uses to introduce each chapter is heartbreakingly beautiful. The plot is a page turner, but more importantly the characters are wonderfully drawn - in the end I was reading because I cared what happened to each one of them. I would recommend this book to anyone who has ever danced in New York, anyone who would ever aspire to, or simply to those who are looking for a window into this passionate and "peligroso" world.

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I loved this book!

I just finished reading this book and had to share my thoughts. The experience was so vivid, I feel as if I just watched a really great movie. The characters, descriptions and world that it creates are so incredibly energetic and alive, I feel as though I know what each person looks like, feels like-how they smell, and taste. I feel like I know what it's like to make love to the passionate, sexy women of Mambo Pelligroso (and couldn't help fantasizing about Ms Chao while I was reading). The structure is unusual and risk-taking. Part screenplay, part character study, part political thriller. The amazing thing is that it all works. I was engaged from start to finish. It is obvious Ms Chao has not only done her homework on the world of Latin dance, but also lives and breathes it. I can only be grateful that she did all the heavy lifting so that I could enjoy the genius of a writer who has the capacity to immerse the reader in this fascinating world.

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beautifully written, thrilling to read

As mesmerizing in its language as it is in its breathless plot, Mambo Peligroso felt like something of a dangerous dance itself, refusing to let you off the floor to catch your breath (or make dinner, or what have you; I devoted an entire day to the book, unable to put it down.) Others have done a fine job of outlining the plot, so I'll just second their advice: read this book. You'll be glad you did.

Amazing Ride

Patricia Chao accomplishes something amazing,conveying, in great detail, one art form -- dance -- using another.Depicting dance in any medium save live performance and film (and this would make a great movie!)doesn't seem plausible, but this novel rocks. It's both steamy and deep;the author does a wonderful job getting into four different characters'heads.

For someone like me who knows the absolute minimum about salsa dance, this book was an intriguing introduction to an artform which for so many becomes a lifestyle, even an obsession. It also offers some history of Cuba since Castro, and the U.S.'s complicated relationship with its ex-patriate community.

In short -- a very rich, entertaining read -- a thinking person's beach book. I didn't want it to end!

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Interesting, but...

At first I thought this book had me written all over it - I'm a flamenco guitarist learning salsa dancing.

Now that I'm learning dancing, I'm becoming aware of the dance class cliques where you go with your group to the club, and it's an important self-esteem builder to spend time with your cohorts ridiculing people from the other dance classes. Your dance class and dance clubs become your social life. There's a strong element of this in the book, and fans of that lifestyle will be intrigued. That definitely excludes me. I just dance to have fun and express myself, it's not life and death. I will say that it conveys that lifestyle very well, right down to minutiae.

As a reasonably proficient speaker and reader of Spanish, I cringed when the very first Spanish sentence in the book was obviously wrong. Since everything is done fast and on the cheap these days, I wonder if instead of getting a Spanish writing expert to proof the book, she just had a friend read through it. Many of my fluent Spanish-speaking friends can't spell Spanish at all because they simply learned by ear and never wrote it. Maybe that's what happened.

Essentially, I suppose you could say that it's a pretty good telenovela, and it's great for latin dance geeks. I had just hoped for more.

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reviews: page 1, 2

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