Rating: 
Summary: Wasted Away Again in Cabritoville
Review: Between the covers of Loving Pedro Infante is some really great writing that, unfortunately, didn't go far enough to be a satisfying read. While I loved the relationship between Tere and Irma, and enjoyed their Pedro-a-thons tremendously, I failed to understand Tere's attraction to her married lover, Lucio. In trying to reflect the story against the larger-than-life image of Pedro Infante, I can see that Chavez was probably trying to say that there are no Pedros in real life. Yet, this run-of-the-mill, boring Lucio became Tere's obsession, and stagnated her as well as the story.
Quisas estoy una romantica, como Cinderella stories y mas, pero I think that if you are going to introduce the world of make-believe (movie stars) into the mix, you've got to tell a story that has a romance hot enough to fill the big screen. What helps to hold the book together are the textures of Cabritoville, the loathed and loved nowhere town, that Denise Chavez has carefully woven. I remember feeling the same let-down at the end of Last of the Menu Girls, so maybe it is just that I want to send Chavez's characters on a journey larger than they are meant to travel.
Rating:
Summary: Wonderful writing, but could have been much better
Review: I attended an event (prior to publication of the book) in which Chavez read portions of the book aloud, including the scene in which the heroine, Tere, has her first anti-climactic rendevous with her married lover, Lucio. Chavez' reading was so hilarious and touching that I could not wait to get my hands on the book. Unfortunately, despite Chavez' witty writing, the novel wastes the potential of the characters and setting (Tere, her best friend Irma, the colorful members of the fan club and the dusty little town where they live) by concentrating too much on Tere's hopeless obsession with Lucio. We get pages upon pages of Tere's overwrought longings for the guy, but the book never shows him doing or saying anything to warrant the attraction. He's not half as interesting as some of the minor characters and barely even has any dialogue. Halfway through I felt like exclaiming "Dios Mio" and just giving up. I guess Chavez might have been trying to illustrate how women project depth of character unto shallow men, but after a while it was like a broken record. Also the book jumps around a lot in the timeline without adequately clueing the reader in as to where they are in the narrative, which seemed like sloppy editing to me. Too bad, I initially loved the character of Tere Avila and was waiting for her to do a lot more in this book.
Rating: 
Summary: Wasted Possibilites
Review: I love most Latin American literature and I love books written with a comic touch, so I really expected to love LOVING PEDRO INFANTE. I thought it would be a terrific character study with plenty of laughs along the way. I was wrong. LOVING PEDRO INFANTE has the makings for a really terrific book, but Chavez simply didn't develop her characters enough to give the book any real meaning. LOVING PEDRO INFANTE was so thin, it read more like the outline for a book than the book itself (especially since it had almost no dialogue). The book does get off to a great start and I thought that was good. No long, dreary pages of exposition to wade through before we actually "get" to the story. I was, however, a little put off by the protagonist's name...Teresina (Tere) Avila. This reminded me too much of Restoration comedy where the "joke" depended on the name. It also seemed a little insulting to St. Teresa of Avila. Tere is a divorcee who has lived her entire life (so far) in the little border town where she was born, Cabritoville, New Mexico. She's a teacher's aide at the local elementary school, the lover of a married man, Lucio Valadez and best friend to Irma Granados, a woman who is as thoughtful as Tere is exuberant. More importantly, at least to Tere, she's the secretary of her chapter of the Pedro Infante Fan Club. Tere and Irma like to do nothing more than watch Pedro's films then spend hours discussing them and applying them to their own lives. There isn't much of a plot in LOVING PEDRO INFANTE and what there is begins to fall apart when Lucio decides to leave Tere. The lack of a strong plot line didn't bother me, but the rather meaningless subplots did. I like subplots, but they have to be constructed well and carefully braided into the main plot line or they are more annoying than anything else and only serve to clutter the book with amateurish mistakes. What dismayed me more than the meaningless subplots near the book's end, was the lack of strong characterization. The author really gave herself some great opportunities to explore the enduring friendship between two women, to explore a woman's feelings for a man she can only adore on the cinema screen, and much else, but she simply failed to take advantage of them. One of the book's strengths is its strong emphasis on Hispanic culture and the close-knit ties of the Hispanic community. I enjoyed this aspect of the book and thought it really rang "true," as did Chavez's Spanglish and the book's breakneck pace. In the end, however, LOVING PEDRO INFANTE is just way too thin with both plot and characterization. Tere is too shallow to really care about and the book simply didn't dig deep enough to have much of an impact. Even the comedy ultimately falls flat because of the thin characterization of Pedro Infante, himself, a man who was supposed to have been larger than life. LOVING PEDRO INFANTE had possibilities but, sadly, they were wasted, and because of that, I really can't recommend the book to anyone.
Rating: 
Summary: Loving Pedro Infante AND Denise Chavez
Review: I love the writing of Denise Chavez and wonder why her books aren't as widely recognized as those of other major Chicana writers. She has a unique voice. Loving Pedro Infante is hilarious (the specifically Chicana focus)and I frequently laughed out loud as I read the book -- both times. A Pedro Infante fan myself, I thought the author's use of the plots of his movies to convey the feelings of the characters was ingenious and moving. The story also conveys a touching and frustrating desperation about "that man thing" which transcends ethnicity.
Rating:
Summary: Loving Denise Chavez
Review: I loved this book. Tere Avila was one of those girls that you wanted to slap and say "Get real, girl." I've been in Tere's shoes and know how hard it is to be in love with someone you just can't have. I got too deep into this book that I put T.V aside and even had a dream last night that I met Tere's love, Lucio. I strongly recommend this book.
There are similarities in Chavez and Sandra Cisnero's writing style so if you like Woman Hollaring Creek then you are going to like this one
Rating:
Summary: Loving Denise Chavez
Review: I loved this book. Tere Avila was one of those girls that you wanted to slap and say "Get real, girl." I've been in Tere's shoes and know how hard it is to be in love with someone you just can't have. I got too deep into this book that I put T.V aside and even had a dream last night that I met Tere's love, Lucio. I strongly recommend this book.
There are similarities in Chavez and Sandra Cisnero's writing style so if you like Woman Hollaring Creek then you are going to like this one
Rating:
Summary: Loving Denise Chavez
Review: I loved this book. Tere Avila was one of those girls that you wanted to slap and say "Get real, girl." I've been in Tere's shoes and know how hard it is to be in love with someone you just can't have. I got too deep into this book that I put T.V aside and even had a dream last night that I met Tere's love, Lucio. I strongly recommend this book.
There are similarities in Chavez and Sandra Cisnero's writing style so if you like Woman Hollaring Creek then you are going to like this one
Rating: 
Summary: superb character study
Review: In Cabritoville, New Mexico, Teresina Avila, a thirty-something divorcees, works as an elementary schoolteacher's aide. Her lover, the married father of one, Lucio Valdez promises her the world, but outside of twisting her heart he gives her nothing. Tere's only real friend is Irma Granados. Her real passion is the secretary of the local chapter of the Pedro Infante fan club, a group dedicated to the famous but deceased Mexican actor. Tere hates her current personal life, but fears loneliness if she dumps the sleazy Lucio and their motel trysts. When Lucio's six-year old daughter catches them petting, he ends their relationship even as she fills up with shame. Only dreams of Pedro, who died in the fifties, give Tere any satisfaction. However, perhaps the return of a lover from her past can help the depressed Tere find joy again, but can he compete with a legend of the silver screen? LOVING PEDRO INFANTE is a superb character study that provides the audience a close look at individuals living on the border towns between Mexico and the United States. Tere is so very human with her needs, flaws, and passions that readers will believe she is a next door neighbor. Though the plot is thin, readers will find award winning Denise Chavez's novel an insightful and entertaining glimpse at real life. Harriet Klausner
Rating:
Summary: superb character study
Review: In Cabritoville, New Mexico, Teresina Avila, a thirty-something divorcees, works as an elementary schoolteacher's aide. Her lover, the married father of one, Lucio Valdez promises her the world, but outside of twisting her heart he gives her nothing. Tere's only real friend is Irma Granados. Her real passion is the secretary of the local chapter of the Pedro Infante fan club, a group dedicated to the famous but deceased Mexican actor. Tere hates her current personal life, but fears loneliness if she dumps the sleazy Lucio and their motel trysts. When Lucio's six-year old daughter catches them petting, he ends their relationship even as she fills up with shame. Only dreams of Pedro, who died in the fifties, give Tere any satisfaction. However, perhaps the return of a lover from her past can help the depressed Tere find joy again, but can he compete with a legend of the silver screen? LOVING PEDRO INFANTE is a superb character study that provides the audience a close look at individuals living on the border towns between Mexico and the United States. Tere is so very human with her needs, flaws, and passions that readers will believe she is a next door neighbor. Though the plot is thin, readers will find award winning Denise Chavez's novel an insightful and entertaining glimpse at real life. Harriet Klausner
Rating:
Summary: Loving Cabritoville
Review: Life in Cabritoville, USA had me rolling! I truly enjoyed reading the antics of La Tere and La Wirms. Being a Chicana and being raised in Texas I can relate to many of the characters having known and lived with them. The obsession with Pedro Infante and his life shows the HIGH drama of the Mexican culture and all our complicated lives. La Tere was searching for her Pedro Infante sadly, she in some way found him in Lucio. Lucio is the dogs of dogs and she just keeps giving it all to him! Her character is vibrant and "Puro Mejicana". How many of us have known or even been La Tere at some point in our lives. I would have liked to have seen more of Ubaldo and his dissappearance leaves you wondering. This is the first Denise chavez writings I have read and it has me searching for more.
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