Cantoras

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We learn each of their backgrounds, some who have suffered from base treatment of the dictatorship, one from her own family. It also shows how the deep bonds of friendship, queer relationships and hidden LGBTQ spaces have survived and thrived throughout many years of brutal dictatorship to the restoration of democracy and personal freedom in Uruguay. Cantoras has gutted me yet also made me so happy; I didn’t know it was possible, to be both exhilarated yet pained, to weep in sorrow and joy at the same time.

Written in stream of consciousness narrative, Cantoras flows perfectly, weaving between the present and the past, and from person to person. Cantoras is the second book that I’ve read by this author, The Gods of Tango being the first and that one took me two tries to finish because both stories are heavy reading. Having said all this, and despite how much the reader can understand the cultural, historical, and language contexts, this novel talks to everyone on many levels that transcends the differences and finds a human common ground. And throughout, again and again, the women will be tested--by their families, lovers, society, and one another--as they fight to live authentic lives.I’m left with an ache in my chest that, given the choice, I would choose again just to experience the beauty of this novel. They meet by chance, tentatively trusting signals that they are safe with each other, and through Flaca they discover the secluded oceanside village of Cabo Polonia where they retreat from the oppression of the military dictatorship that flattens their city of Montevideo into a drab shadow. De Robertis takes us on such an intense journey of emotions, ranging from sorrow to anger and frustration to pure joy and happiness. Throughout it all, they will be tested repeatedly—by their families, lovers, society, and one another—as they fight to live authentic lives.

Unfortunately, as many Latin American countries, they also shared a similar Twentieth Century history of failed democracy and military dictatorships.When the dictatorship ends, both Paz and Flaca experience a kind of sadness, in conjunction with relief. Flaca (La Pilota), Romina, La Venus (because she is La Venus to me and never Anita), Paz, and Malena. Masterful…the year’s most exciting addition to the queer canon…an untold piece of LGBTQ world history, brought to light with a stirring message of hope and resilience. Because this book partially takes place after a coop, there are many horrors that happen but not necessarily given in detail.

Her brother has been detained and jailed for suspected dissidence which means she is marked by association and being discovered a lesbian is as dangerous as being a part of the resistance is. I rooted for these remarkable women during every step of their journey and found myself weeping in gratitude and happiness in the final pages. A genre-defining novel and De Robertis's masterpiece, Cantoras is a breathtaking portrait of queer love, community, forgotten history, and the strength of the human spirit. Or, officially: a group of people who affect a shared identity or purpose, but whose mutual association is meaningless.As a military dictatorship firms its hold on Uruguay from 1973 to 1985, targeting anyone who is not “normal” for punishment, five women refuse to have their authentic flame extinguished. And yet Romina, Flaca, Anita “La Venus,” Paz, and Malena—five cantoras, women who “sing”—somehow, miraculously, find one another. A groundbreaking, genre-defining work, Cantoras is a breathtaking portrait of queer love, community, forgotten history, and the strength of the human spirit.

They adopt the term “cantoras” – translated as singers – and away from the blinding city lights of Montevideo, they discover how to laugh, flirt, dream, share secrets, and most of all, to sing. In Uruguay, the opposition did join together in a United Front - The Frente Amplia - the leaders of which included the leaders of the Tupamaros (like the beloved Jose Mujica) and they did change the world - but that is a different story. And don’t even get me started on the metaphors and symbolism, which can be devoured and analyzed for hours. Carolina de Robertis weaves a five-way lifeline, using words in the most exquisite way possible, bringing these characters to life for me. The bond the women form with each other, the friendship that endures changing partners and lost loves is the wonder of this novel.I’m going to be totally honest and admit that this story took me on a long emotional rollercoaster ride and I couldn’t bear to put my kindle down because the characters and their circumstances broke my heart and mended it in a way that no other book has ever done before. Carolina De Robertis deserves the highest of fives for creating this beautifully written, devastating and unforgettable novel! They approached the cape along a beach, the ocean to their right, shimmering in the dark, in constant conversation with the sand. But even so, something inside La Venus galloped and flashed, untamed, resisting the harness of someone else's plan. Consider the similarities and differences in the recounting of Paz, Romina and Malena’s experiences.