Marne - Reader By the Water's Reviews > The Bullet Swallower

The Bullet Swallower by Elizabeth Gonzalez James
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I expected to enjoy this magical realism western. I loved THE MURMUR OF BEES (Mexican family saga with oodles of magical realism). I enjoyed A SNAKE FALLS TO EARTH (Apache folk tale with mythical time-crossing creatures), and I adored RAZORBLADE TEARS (revenge story with plenty of “eye for an eye” violence).

But I didn’t.

The audiobook narrator was fantastic. There were so many accents, characterizations, and genders that it seemed like a “full cast” production. Even with foreign-sounding names, I had no problem following each character through the story despite multiple timelines.

But the story didn’t pull me in. It was okay, but I wasn’t all that interested or invested. I kept waiting for some big resolution to warm my cold, cold heart, but it didn’t arrive.

Many trusted readers and reviewers have loved this one, so I feel left out. But this was not a good fit for me.
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Reading Progress

February 1, 2024 – Started Reading
February 1, 2024 – Shelved
February 1, 2024 – Shelved as: bookstagram-made-me-do-it
February 1, 2024 – Shelved as: magical-realism
February 1, 2024 – Shelved as: multicultural-interest
February 3, 2024 – Finished Reading

Comments Showing 1-1 of 1 (1 new)

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Amanda Hedrick I feel so seen! I feel like there's so much hype around this one and I just didn't 'get it'. The story totally didn't pull me in either no matter how much I tried and I was just ready for it to be over by the end.


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