This was a book unlike any other I've read. It weaved magic and ghosts into an otherwise realistic portrayal of the life of a man who longs for his lost love, and embarks on a quest to win her back after many years of separation.

While the story jumps from one time period to another very frequently - a literary technique I know some people despise - I found it didn't take me too long to reorient myself each time it jumped.

I am not a fan of magic systems that sit completely outside of the realm of reality, so I enjoyed the way Mexican folklore gently permeated the story. At its core, this is a biographical account of a man grappling with his demons. It touches on themes of racism, assimilation, loss, religion and ageing and it did so with a gentle, poetic delivery.

I struggled a bit with the length of this book. I felt numerous times the story could have ended and I would have been satisfied with having read a quirky and tenderly written book, but it just.. kept.. going..

I enjoyed watching the characters develop on their journey, but they felt a bit folksy and one-dimensional at times. I kept waiting for Carolina to show some personality and independence but she came across as a weak passenger with no control of her own life and I had difficulty relating to her. On the other hand, Fulgencio - a haunted character with a remarkable gift - was far easier to read about.

The narrator, Johnny Rey Diaz, lent his wonderful accent to this audiobook. I felt like his tone was a bit flat for the story and I would have liked a bit more energy in the delivery, but his pronunciation was perfect.

All in all this was a colourful and interesting bookPerfect for anyone wanting to escape into a heady, enchanting world of young love, revenge, curses and journeys of redemption.

DNF at 35%
I’m not a fan of how this book makes the creepy person into the hero, hoping for the death of a crush’s husband? That’s not something I really want to read

This book has everything, love, passion, hardship, struggle, culture, geography, grit, folklore, revenge, curses, redemption, and much more. A work of magical realism, where the past meets the present in a border town. This a novel that makes you feel good at the end.

Copy was a courtesy of Blackstone Publishing and NetGalley, thank you!

Fulgencio Ramirez falls in love the moment he sees Carolina Mendelssohn, daughter of the local pharmacist. They live in La Frontera during the 1950's, and Fulgencio is sure Carolina will be his. Until, she isn't. They are pulled apart by forces beyond their control, and Carolina marries someone else. Fulgencio becomes a pharmacist, conducting a daily ritual of poring over the local obituaries in the newspaper. One day, decades later, while engaging in his macabre ritual, Fulgencio's heart soars with happiness. Carolina's husband has died, and Fulgencio's second chance has arrived at last! Of course, to capture the heart of the one you love after so many years and such recent tragedy is no easy feat, especially when there is a darkness from the past that has shadowed Fulgencio's every footstep from the moment of his birth, tripping him up and denying him every lasting happiness. It is time for Fulgencio to correct the wrongs of the past, to win Carolina's heart, and to find the love that has always been denied to him.

What a layered and interesting book that spans generations and approaches love, rage, mistakes, and second chances in such an interesting light! Fulgencio is a tragic character, unable to make his relationships last, and that is because of a tragedy that occurred long before he was born! Carolina is the sad victim of Fulgencio's malaise, in that she cared deeply for him, but what plagued him also kept them apart for decades. I listened to the audiobook for this story, and while I enjoyed hearing about the 1950's and Fulgencio's budding feelings for Carolina, the narrator's delivery definitely lacked emotional punch, and I would have preferred a bit more oomph in emotional and tense moments. The Resurrection of Fulgencio Ramirez is an engrossing story about lost love, second chances, and breaking free of negative behaviors and emotions to find peace, and while its characters are flawed, their hearts are in the right place.

I will be honest, the audiobook of this novel, I loved the narrators voice and its what made me listen to two hours of the book but it was not enough to finish listening, I found the story to be all over the place and had a really hard time following along.

This book just was not a good read for me

Having lived in la Frontera (the region, not the fictional town) this was a fun revisit to the both the area and culture I called home for 14 years. I moved to south a Texas about the time this story ends, so it makes for a great imaging of the history before I arrived. The descriptions and the bilingual text Both add to the authenticity of time and place.

Fulgencio is a man, imperfect like the rest of us. His temper causes him problems and I found myself without pity for the consequences it brings him. The story jumps from late in Fulgencio’s life to his youth, filling in the background as we watch the present unfold. The Mexican folklore and magical elements keep the story from being predictable. I thoroughly enjoyed this tale.

I listened to an ARC, and while I found the narrator pleasant overall, it sounded like the final mixing had not yet occurred, bringing my attention to the audio more than usual but not enough to detract from the story.

4.5 stars

Finally, a book from 2020 to add to the canon of Chicano literature!

This is a love story, a Mexican love story. It is the tale of a man who is so in love with a woman that he waits his whole life to be with her, he creates a place for her in his heart and does not fill it with anything or anyone else until he can have the woman of his dreams. It sounds so cliche (a Mexican love story with a big ol' Corazon on the cover) but the tropes work here because they are crafted so masterfully: Ruiz builds his characters (and builds and builds and builds...at times it feels like we are actually watching the character drink milk and grow taller inch by inch). But the lyricism is why you'll read this book a second and third time, so no need to knock it.

I took off a star because I felt that the ending was rushed--this book had "multi-generational family saga" written all over it! and yet it was not because the Fully's previous and subsequent generations were more Cliff Notes and less Dickens. We ended up with very little about Fulgencio's parents, and additionally little about his progeny. The chapters in the middle spanned page after page of very little plot development while the chapters at the end were solely plot-driven (she graduated, moved, got a job, done). Did the author need an extension on his contract? I'm feeling sincere loss here.

Nevertheless, this book about la frontera is more than a book about the immigrant experience, more than about love in a time of border towns. This is a book of lyrical writing and character development that will make your heart flutter and help you hold fast to your belief that love will, indeed, save the day.

Recommended.

This story, although very much its own, also brought to my mind in a very general way the story of Love in the Time of Cholera, in a good way. It is filled with beautiful and touching imagery, intriguing characters, and believable emotions that can damage a relationship, all with a smattering of magical realism to add a special element to a deeply moving story of young love thwarted and the distance a person will go to right a wrong.

The narrator sounded like he was bored. There was not an iota of passion or emotion in his voice. My musings on how long the grass was getting was more interesting than listening to this book.

I really loved this book. I listened to it on audio courtesy of NetGalley and Blackstone Publishing in exchange of an honest review.

The audio and narrator were perfect. I enjoyed the Spanish and English mix and the accent was so authentic feeling which really added to the story.

We meet Fulgencio and Carolina. The story is told between the past and present as we see glimpses of Fulgencio’s life and Carolina’s life. It’s a romance story that is both heartbreaking and sweet and trying. As Fulgencio and Carolina navigate their young love in the 50s while battling adversity, racial issues, status differences, cultural differences, and a “curse” on Fulgencio’s family. This is a story full of magic, love and trials.

I loved how there were such great details and imagery that I felt I was in the story with them. Fulgencio is driven to be better than where he’s from, be successful, and give Carolina everything she deserves. But how much will his family curse control his life and decisions?

I like how Carolina and Fulgencio experience trials that are realistic. Their love feels so intense and that’s what makes the story heartbreaking and beautiful at the same time. The only part I found a little confusing was the scene where Fulgencio is bringing the land back together and there is a lot of fighting and so many characters involved. The whole scene moved so quickly and was full of so many moving parts. I kind of got lost. However it did not take away from the story at all.

One of my favorite books of 2020 and makes my top ten list of all time. Now I just need to go get me a physical copy!

Thank you to NetGalley and Blackstone Audiobooks for this audiobook of The Resurrection of Fulgencio Ramirez by Rudy Ruiz Narrated by Johnny Rey Diaz. It publishes September 22, 2020.
I read this for Latinx Heritage Month and it did not disappoint! The magical realism in this book was threaded through so masterfully, sometimes I forgot what was real and what was fantasy! I loved the portrayal of Mexican culture and folklore. I learned a lot!
I absolutely loved Fulgencio and rooted for him every step of the way, I wish it wasn’t over yet!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this audiobook.. Enjoyed the narrator. Great job narrating this story. The characters very likable.

Loved it!!

Here's why:
Mexican culture + magical realism + slow burn, star-crossed love story + no clichés

I know how infuriating it is when any Mexican/Latin American writer is straight away compared to Gabriel Garcia Marquez. I won't do that But the beginning of the novel reminded me straight away with Love in the Time of Cholera because at the very beginning Fulgencio (I love that name), a son of mexican immigrants, is scanning the obituaries in the newspaper wishing to see the man who married the woman he loved dead (There are other spoilers to confirm my impression but I'm not going to share those). And when Fulgencio realizes that the source of all his sorrows is a "maldición" or a curse that has befallen his family long ago and made love impossible to sustain. Then we are whisked on an adventure with Fulgencio and some amiable ghosts to lift the curse.

But Ruiz is a talent of his own.. He spins the magic throughout the story in a firm way without any conveniences masquerading as part of that magic. The story holds firm and is quite enjoyable throughout.

The audiobook, however, has one great flaw. It was too slow. I started playing it at 1.25x the speed half way through. While galley audiobooks are played solely on the NetGalley app, the app still wants for much though to facilitate the listening experience. And although I liked the narrator, Johnny Rey Diaz, and despite the fact that the narrative parts are supposed to be neutral to allow the characterization to come to life, it was flat at times. It came to life only on the tongues of characters.

I'm very curious about what Rudy Ruiz might write next. I'm hoping to see a Mexican/Latin American story outside the canon of migrancy.

Thank you so much NetGalley and Blackstone Audiobooks for this experience.

I enjoy magical realism, and this book was a joy! I loved the rollercoaster ride that was Fulgencio and Carolina's love story. It was full of ups and downs and really made for a dramatic romance. The characters had strong personalities that sometimes help and sometimes hinder themselves and each other, but it made the reader root for them all the more!

I was excited to reach for this audiobook as a highlighted new Latinx release. What a beautiful tale of love, rejection, class and passage of time in Mexico and the US.

While I don't usually reach for books with ANY kind of fantasy or magical realism elements, this one hit it out of the park. In this novel, our main character Fulgencio Ramirez attempts to win back the love of Carolina Mendelssohn - the love of his life from thirty years ago whose husband has just died. Fulgencio and Carolina come from very different social classes and are separated by a border, literal and metaphorical, which is another theme thoroughly examined in this novel. The writing is vivid and imaginative in a way that managed to transport me straight to La Frontera.

In addition to the fascinatic magical tale, narration in the audiobook version is truly brilliant. I loved how the narrator was able to accentuate the right moments and bring raw emotions to life.

*Thank you to the Publisher for a free advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.