Rating: 
Summary: Erk...choking on underdone tortillas & badly chopped guac...
Review: I can safely say I did not dispose of this as I did Amy Tan's pantheon to mediocrity, "The Kitchen God's Wife" - that is, as fireplace fodder for my midwinter snuggle with two teenaged bottles of cabernet. Mother and daughters this is not, but more along the lines of "Sex in the City" meets "Tortilla Soup" meets...oh hells, let's just say it - the book [wasnt good]. The language, far from being lyrical or sweet, was stilted, as if someone listened to the language of young women in a Mexican restaraunt and decided that was the way of all female Hispanic vocabulary. The plotlines weaved to and fro in a quite predictable manner (shock! People toss you out on your [rear-end]! Musical greatness is fleeting! Ambition steals your soul! And gosh, all of these are so much harder as a Latina!) I am curious as to why the Dirty Girls seemed so vital to the others. Sorry, but Ms. Valdes-Rodriguez is apparently a much better columnist than a novelist - at least with the column you KNOW the end is coming near before you get so disgusted with the characters that you stop reading.
Rating: 
Summary: Que Vivan Las Sucias!
Review: I loved it! Alisa is a local girl who has done extremely well in this effort! I loved the book and have all my girlfriends reading it. It is a great representation of how girls are there to support each other, regardless of their race or ethnicity. Because it wasn't "beat-you-over-the-head" Latin, it made the cultural references all the richer! This story of friendship and love for your girls is great!
Rating: 
Summary: The Sucias Have Arrived!
Review: I loved every minute of this book! Witty and intelligent, The Dirty Girls Social Club is a standout in its genre. Alisa Valdes-Rodriguez has created a wholly unique and unforgettable cast of characters that will have even the most jaded "chick lit" reader laughing with, weeping for, and cheering on the "Buena Sucia Social Club".
Rating:
Summary: Shallow
Review: I was so looking forward to this book after reading about the bidding war and the movie rights, but unfortunately it doesn't live up to the hype.The characters, six Hispanic girl friends in their late 20s, don't have any depth to them. The dialogue sounds forced. They read as representatives of whatever ethnic group they happen to be from, and not as characters unto themselves. In good books, the characters take on a life of their own, but that just doesn't happen here. One character is so out there (Amber), it's just silly. Overall, I just wasn't convinced.
Rating:
Summary: Juvenile and Whiny
Review: The "Dirty Girls Social Club" is about a group of Hispanic women who meet as college undergraduates and continue to meet a few times a year to catch up. Each chapter is written through the perspective of one character, but they are all filtered through the main character, Lauren, a somewhat bitter, whiny Cuban-American journalist, with more than a few identity issues. The other characters serve as foils for Lauren. Some are totally unbelievable and obviously lampoons of certain groups. It's as if the author had to include a range of demographic groups that she really wasn't interested in, which is why her characterizations come off as unrealistic and insincere. The overall tone of the book, and its silly, over the top dialogue, makes it difficult to believe that you're reading about college educated professional women. They seem like high school girls. Plus there are more than a few stereotypes here passed along as "fact." Considering all the hype, I thought this book would be great. Fooled again! This book is about as intelligent as the movie "Chasing Papi."
Rating:
Summary: The best beach book of 2003--and it's only May!!
Review: I bought this book after reading a profile of the author in the New York Times and can say, without question, this one lives up to the hype. I read it in a night. Trust me, it blows Terry McMillan away. It's hipper, younger and much, much funnier. Rodriguez nails the minority woman experience without assuming that every minority woman HAS the same experience. (Terry, are you listening?) I told six friends to run out and buy it and I'm already dying to see the movie, which I understand J.Lo is producing. It's about time Hollywood woke up to us!! To the reader who complained that the book is sometimes melodramatic" you're missing the point. Watch a telenovela and get back to me!!
Rating:
Summary: Well, I just flat-out loved it
Review: Yeah, it's not deep, it's not great literature, but no one is pretending it is. It's sharp, sassy, irreverent, funny, and just made for women to enjoy like tortilla chips with salsa and a cold Dos Equis straight out of the bottle.
This debut novel by a skilled and experienced writer with Attitude with a capital A delivers on its promise. Six friends since college days meet twice a year to catch up on all of each other's dirt, and there's a lot of dirt being dished around.
Read it and enjoy it. Don't expect to be educated or transformed; just expect to be wildly entertained.
Rating:
Summary: Loved It!
Review: I felt the characters in the book were very compelling. The women in her story came from different Latina backgrounds and still had an incredible bond. I cried when reading about Sara and her abusive husband, and also laughed out loud with all of Usnavys hysterical comments. Amber the Mexica Princess, was amazing, and even uptight Rebecca was fascinating. I actually indetified with each of these characters in some way or another. I would love to see this made into a movie. Thanks Alisa. Looking forward to your next book!
Rating:
Summary: The Sucias Rock
Review: Alisa Valdes-Rodriguez finally gets the chance to say everything she ever wanted to say and couldn't, through these six wonderful women. Not that she couldn't say it before, but she finally gets to talk about things that people in her past tried to silence. And the best part about it is she got PAID!! Thank you Alisa for a wonderful, thought provoking novel that I and many other Hispanic/Latina women can relate to. You wove a wonderful charming story and you kept me in its grip until the very last page. You go girl! I recommend this book to everyone. Open your eyes! Open your ears! And enjoy every wonderful word.
Rating: 
Summary: not hardcover material
Review: This just isn't that good, and not worth shelling out the money for a hardcover. I liked the premise, and thought I was settling in for a Terry McMillan type of tale, since that is the hype they are going for with this. But, unfortunately, Terry has nothing to worry about! While her books pull you in and carry you along, this one just dragged. I just couldn't care about these characters, and she just goes on and on without getting to the point. Overall, a disappointment.
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