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The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao - Diaz, Junot

The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao

by

9 Customer Reviews

Things have never been easy for Oscar. A ghetto nerd living with his Dominican family in New Jersey, he's sweet but disastrously overweight. He dreams of becoming the next J. R. R. Tolkien and he keeps falling hopelessly in love. Poor Oscar may never get what he wants, thanks to the Fuku - the curse that has haunted his family for generations. With dazzling energy and insight Diaz immerses us in the tumultuous lives of Oscar; his runaway sister Lola; their beautiful mother Belicia; and in the family's uproarious journey ...

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The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao
2017, Books on Tape

ISBN-13: 9780525493990

Bot Exclusive edition

Audiobook CD

The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao
2011, Shinchosha/Tsai Fong Books

ISBN-13: 9784105900892

Hardcover

The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao
2009, Faber & Faber, London

ISBN-13: 9780571239733

Main

Mass-market paperback

The Brief Wondrous Life Of Oscar Wao
2009, Munhak Dongnae/Tsai Fong Books

ISBN-13: 9788954607117

Korean

Trade paperback

The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao
2008, Riverhead Books, New York, NY

ISBN-13: 9781594483295

Trade paperback

The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao
2008, Faber & Faber, London

ISBN-13: 9780571241231

Open Market - Airside edition

Mass-market paperback

Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao
2008, Perfection Learning

ISBN-13: 9781606868201

Hardcover

The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao
2008, Thorndike Press, Waterville, ME

ISBN-13: 9781410404336

Large type / large print

Hardcover

The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao
2008, Turtleback Books

ISBN-13: 9780606147811

Bound for Schools & Libraries edition

Hardcover

The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao
2008, W F Howes Ltd, Rearsby

ISBN-13: 9781407428833

Unabridged edition

Audiobook CD

The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao
2007, Riverhead Books, New York, NY

ISBN-13: 9781594489587

Hardcover

The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao
2007, Penguin Audiobooks, New York, NY

ISBN-13: 9780143142805

Audiobook CD

The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao
2007, Books on Tape

ISBN-13: 9781415941942

Audiobook CD

The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao
2007, Faber & Faber, London

ISBN-13: 9780571179558

Paperback

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All Editions of The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao

The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao

2017, Audiobook CD

ISBN-13:

9780525493990

The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao

2011, Hardcover

ISBN-13:

9784105900892

The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao

2009, Mass-market paperback

ISBN-13:

9780571239733

The Brief Wondrous Life Of Oscar Wao

2009, Trade paperback

ISBN-13:

9788954607117

The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao

2008, Trade paperback

ISBN-13:

9781594483295

The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao

2008, Mass-market paperback

ISBN-13:

9780571241231

Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao

2008, Hardcover

ISBN-13:

9781606868201

The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao

2008, Hardcover

ISBN-13:

9781410404336

The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao

2008, Hardcover

ISBN-13:

9780606147811

The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao

2008, Audiobook CD

ISBN-13:

9781407428833

The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao

2007, Hardcover

ISBN-13:

9781594489587

The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao

2007, Audiobook CD

ISBN-13:

9780143142805

The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao

2007, Audiobook CD

ISBN-13:

9781415941942

The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao

2007, Paperback

ISBN-13:

9780571179558

Books by Junot Diaz

Related Books

Customer Reviews

Write a Review

Michelle H

Apr 12, 2011

Great Buy !

The book is worth buying. If you choose to purchase this book you will not be disappointed.

livres

Mar 4, 2010

Read this!

This is a unique voice telling a fascinating story about a part of the world most non-Dominicans won't have heard much about. It made me feel ashamed about my own lack of awareness but also spurred me to think more about other repressive political histories and diasporic peoples. I listened to it on cd's and found it particularly moving to hear the occasional Spanish words uttered by someone who gave them the emotional inflection that made their meaning clear, even to a non-Spanish speaker. This is one of the best books I've "read" (or heard) in years.

greebs

Jun 15, 2009

Don't get swept away by the hype

'Oscar Wao' is indeed a very good book, but it has gotten such praise, awards and - frankly - hype, that for me it slightly failed to live up to expectations. It is a wonderful story - a small story wrapped inside what amounts to a recent history of the Dominican Republic - about a loner 'dweeb' named Oscar. (Wao is not his real last name, but I'll let the story tell you how it became his nickname since it's pretty funny.)

The book is quite stylized in the way the story is told, and the changing narrative, the use of Dominican slang (without translation) and the pop culture references to Dungeons and Dragons and Tolkien may turn off as many readers as it engages. It's not a novel that has true mass appeal. But Junot Diaz is a talented storyteller, and the book is a solid, often spectacular piece of evidence of this. It just might be QUITE as wonderful as everyone is telling you - buyer beware. Still, I enjoyed it very much and do recommend it.

vbn44

Jul 18, 2008

So what are those DomiCans about?

This shy author's on stage demeanor completely belies the torrid and fantastical population that inhabits and suffuses this novel with Caribbean angst and sex. A dweeb he might be personally, but Diaz is the new generation of nano Latins writing and beguiling their audience with life tales of the post Trujillo dictatorship NuevoDoms. Combining Jersey 'hood antics with traditional Hispanic family systems psycho terror, the "hero" of this book can't help but head toward oblivion, a Carib tragedy that started the day he was born to struggling illegal immigrants making the dream happen in Mammon's shadow across the Hudson. Pluses: occasional footnoes with popularized historic summaries of the DR. Minuses: Lots of DomRep 'hood slang that he should have footnoted for the non Jersey Latino hipsters( shame on the editors). Minor point as I contemplated the sweep and agility of Diaz' lingo prose. And for a real feel for the precarious existence of Third World wannabees, it is superb. Even better at the end of this thoughtfully concise novel (Grisham hope you're listening) the reader feels like he/she has lived a full life, not the short years of the main character, but the whole gang. Frankly, I felt relief when the guy takes his final bow, his obsessive/compulsive kamakazee personality receiving its just due. To that extent, he seemd incredibly naive, stupid, and plain self immolating, but then, ain't love worth it all?
Can't wait to see what new Hispanic substratum Diaz digs up next.

LizaL33

May 7, 2008

Am I Missing Something?

I just do not get what the big deal is with this book! I have not read Diaz's previous book, Drown, so maybe something there identifies him as a major talent, but I'm sorry to say I don't get that impression from this novel.

The story is slow moving, it jumps forward and backward through time, and changes character points-of-view at random, often without identifying which character is speaking. But the most egregious thing is that for the entire first half of the book, the author maintains a third-person omniscient narrative voice. Then all of a sudden the "narrator" is actually a character in the story? And maybe it's implied that the narrator is the one writing the story? What? In addition to which, the narrator-character boils down to exactly this: "I am a Dominican man, therefore I like to chase girls and get laid." What?? As a matter of fact, all the characters are fairly one-dimensional (the mother is a bossy shrew, the sister is stubborn and ambitious, Oscar is a nerdy loner, etc).

The only thing I enjoyed (and believe me, I use that term loosely) in the book were the historical bits about the Dominican Republic during the reign of the dictator Trujillo.
In all, I wouldn't recommend the book and I certainly won't read it again myself. I did finish it, but it was a chore to plow through and when I was finished I just felt relieved to have done with it. Sorry.

See All 9 Reviews