Malas

A Novel

De: Marcela Fuentes

Narrado por: Christine Avila, Victoria Villarreal

A GOOD MORNING AMERICA BOOK CLUB PICK

A Bookpage Best Historical Fiction Book of 2024

“A vivacious, page-turning novel of rebellion and rebirth.”—Xochitl Gonzalez, New York Times bestselling author of Olga Dies Dreaming and Anita de Monte Laughs Last

A story full of passion and revenge, following one family living on the Texas Mexico border and a curse that reverberates across generations—"Fuentes has achieved something rare and indelible with this story of complex women.” (Erika L. Sánchez)

In 1951, a mysterious old woman confronts Pilar Aguirre in the small border town of La Cienega, Texas. The old woman is sure Pilar stole her husband and, in a heated outburst, lays a curse on Pilar and her family.

More than forty years later, Lulu Muñoz is dodging chaos at every turn: her troubled father’s moods, his rules, her secret life as singer in a punk band, but most of all her upcoming quinceañera. When her beloved grandmother passes away, Lulu finds herself drawn to the glamorous stranger who crashed the funeral and who lives alone and shunned on the edge of town.

Their unexpected kinship picks at the secrets of Lulu’s family’s past. As the quinceañera looms—and we move between these two strong, irascible female voices—one woman must make peace with the past, and one girl pushes to embrace her future.

Rich with cinematic details—from dusty rodeos to the excitement of a Selena concert and the comfort of conjunto ballads played at family gatherings—this memorable debut is a love letter to the Tejano culture and community that sustain both of these women as they discover what family means.

©2024 Marcela Fuentes (P)2024 Penguin Audio

Reseñas de la Crítica

“Malas is an antidote for the hard-line essentialism that has made this world an intolerant, violent place. Fuentes humanizes seemingly insoluble conflicts, both generational and cultural, with imperfect characters who are just doing their best, even when they know they are screwing up. She gives them something that many of us nonfictional people living and messing up in the world could use, and give back—grace.”—The New York Times Book Review

“Malas is a machete: sharp, terrifying, and beautiful. Each character feels dynamic, familiar, and so utterly human in their glorious messiness. Fuentes has achieved something rare and indelible with this story of complex women.”—Erika L. Sánchez, New York Times bestseller author of I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter and Crying in the Bathroom

Set in a border town on the Texas side of the Rio Grande, Fuentes’s lively novel explores the intergenerational connection between two strong women. Lulu Muñoz is trying to keep her punk rock band a secret from her substance-abusing father while avoiding thoughts of her garish upcoming quinceañera celebration. When the enigmatic Pilar makes a surprise appearance at a funeral, she and Lulu form a friendship that leads to unexpected discoveries.—Washington Post

I loved the way the "reader."

The person reading the book did an excellent job with the way the characters speak. The details about the different types of "Mexican" music brought the story to life for me. The explanation of the different "types of Mexicanos" will be enlightening for our Non-Mexican friends. Great storyline, too! I could relate to Lucha's family life. So similar to mine.

Vivid characters, stunning prose

Finally, female characters rendered in all their complexity! The women in Malas jump off the page and the sentences quite literally sing. Crank up your fav 90s tunes and dive into this beautiful debut!

Beautiful coming of age story. Real life!

Loved this story, lovely narration as well. Very well written. The bridge between past and present in this story came together nicely.

Unique and interesting

It was a little bit slow at the beginning but it became very interesting. The intertwining of the characters and their relationship was very interesting! Well written with many relatable scenes and pop culture references.

Loveee!

This book was a blind buy, a split decision to read something on a 2.5 hour drive. And I was NOT disappointed! What a beautiful story with a beautiful ending!

Relationships and Secrets

The father and daughter relationship stood out. As well as the secrets that no one talks about in our culture. So many secrets.

The Spanglish. Live it.

Great story. All Hispanic/Mexicans can relate in some way or another. I wish I knew what happened to Pili.

A lost Latina

This book took me back to my youth. Growing up as a Latina in TX. The stories I would here from Mexico. The music from there and here like Selena and more. It’s the book I’ve been waiting to read my whole life!

Beautiful, bittersweet story, amazing characters!

Loved this book! The setting, the characters, the history, beautiful, bittersweet, love, loss, lies, pain and friendship. Tejano culture comes alive through Lulu’s voice - her own coming of age story - finding her own way with pain and love. Great narration bought this story to life. Highly recommended!

Relatable

I really enjoyed this read. I was born in South Tx and throughout this book I was taken back to memories.