More like 3.5 stars.... I enjoyed the topic and really felt like the author did an exceptional job with the emotional aspect to this story. I think the concept of switching between the characters and then one character becomes the other was very interesting, but I found it to be confusing. Especially since it was not in chronological order.

I read this book in 3 sittings because I could NOT put it down! This book jumps back and forth between chapters on "Juana" and "Adelina" and keeps you wondering what is happening to each character. It is a book that talks about poverty, relationships, and finding peace after a long rough journey. Quite a tear-jerker!

After 13 year old Juana's father left Mexico for "el otro lado" and never returned, she set out on a perilous journey to find him. Will she find not only her father but also an honest coyote to help her travel safely to the US? Written by an author born in Mexico who entered the US illegally in 1985, this seemed like the perfect read for Hispanic Heritage Month. The story was raw and heartbreaking, yet also hopeful, and I teared up a bit at the end. If you're looking for an authentic voice about...

3.5 starsPurposefully confusing (especially in the first half) for effect but unnecessarily so. The story itself could have held it's own. Still really enjoyed!

"The phenomenon of Mexican immigration to the United States is one of the most controversial issues of our time. While it is often discussed in terms of the political and economic implications, Grande, with this brilliant debut novel and her own profound insider's perspective, puts a human face on the subject. Who are the men, women, and children whose lives are affected by the forces that propel so many to risk life and limb, crossing the border in pursuit of a better life? "Take the journey Ac...

As another reviewer said, "I really wanted to like this book more than I did.."So far, storyline is a bit confusing with 2 similar (? the same ?)characters; writing style is a bit flat.OK, done now. The topic of immigrants from MX being separated from their families back home and their culture is a very timely one and something that very much interests me. I have read other books, though, where I felt this was dealt with more compellingly. (E.g., High Wire Moon)

Two and a half stars. The writing wasn't bad and it was a very quick read. I wasn't sure if the ending was supposed to be surprising or not. It seemed very obvious to me, but then took forever to get there. It was just a little too slow for me and the slowness was filled with a ton of depressing stuff. I would have liked to read more about the border crossing and how they adapted after crossing.

I poured myself another glass of wine as I quelled my tears and steeled myself to write this review. Last year, the book I learned the most from was American Dirt. I was completely ignorant of the controversy surrounding it till I went to write my 5 star review and came across others comments and critiques. It was a hard, hard check on my own biases and ignorance. The critiques gave a particular insight to the publishing industry and the glaring issues there, and just how foolishly we gobble it

A breathtakingly, yet heartrendingly realistic story has made me go through many different emotions. A story of migration, love, and loss all bundled together with two ladies who have very different backgrounds, yet have many goals that cross one another. Juana, a very brave young lady who has seen the depths of despair. She and her family experiences a horrible tragedy that changed Juana's relationship of her mother. With the absence of her father, matters did not get any better. After being fe...

While I enjoyed the story of these two women and found the interweaving of the tale entertaining, i did get somewhat confused during the tale. Certainly the struggle and the cruelty that we know occurs for the down-trodden trying to make a better life for themselves and their families, did ring true. The book was easy to read and kept my attention right to the end. Perhaps a little simplistic in the style itself. Is it a translation? That might be the reason. If you are interested in experiencin...

Eleven year old Juana lives with her Amá and Apá in their little shack at the outskirts of their village in Mexico. On the night of a flood which enters their shack, her mother leaves Juana on top of the table holding the baby, Anita, to go look for her husband. Juana falls asleep and loses hold of the baby, which drowns. Now in debt again to the wealthiest man in the village, Don Elías, who paid for the funeral, Apá decides to risk everything and go to America to earn the money to pay off Don E...

I selected this book for my book club, after hearing the author interviewed recently on NPR. Grande, a latina and immigrant herself, was being interviewed about the recent scandal surrounding the book “American Dirt.” “American Dirt” is a very popular, very new book about undocumented immigration from Mexico, written by a non-Mexican author who had not lived the experience. I haven’t read “Dirt,” and I probably won’t. I immediately bought this book after hearing that interview, because Grande’s

CAPTIVATING, CLEVER and INTENSE.Reyna Grande’s novel, ‘Across a Hundred Mountains,’ is a heart-wrenching portrait of unimaginable hardship, tragedy and despair, cleverly and gracefully told through the stories of two young women—just girls, really—of Mexican heritage: Juana and Adelina. Not many novels can keep my eyeballs glued to the page so tightly that I read them in less than three days, but this one did.Recommendation: Should be read by all of us so blessed as to have been born to such inc...

This was recommended to me as a more authentic Mexican immigrant story as an alternative to the much-hyped & now-reviled American Dirt. I cannot speak to its authenticity, but there’s a very interesting thing going on with how the author brings two separate narratives/identities into alignment until the two characters are revealed to be the same person. Hard to describe without giving the whole plot away.

3.5 🌟Definitely a compelling story even if the simplistic writing style left something to be desired.

This is the story of migration, love and loss as two women (Adelina and Juana) find the path of their lives crossing. Juana’s family suffers a tragedy which greatly affects Juana’s relationship with her mother. Juana’s father, Miguel leaves to go to the United States to find work and money for the family. Juana and her mother struggle greatly in the absence of Miguel. After two years, Juana leaves Mexico to search for her father. Juana is befriended by a young woman, Adelina in a Tijuana jail. A...

Painful subject matter - two young women who search across the Mexico/US border for their fathers and for forgiveness. Juana is only 12 when her father leaves for "el otro lado" (the other side); when he hasn't returned in three years she sets out to find him. Adelina is am American running from a bad situation at home and now working as a prostitute in Tijuana. The girls meet up and try to help one another. Compelling story, but the author needs to work on her craft.

I thought it was great. I have my own history about Mexico, being a first generation Mexican-American, man of my mother and father's family now in the states came illegally and others came with papers thanks to either my mother of father after they obtained their citizenship. Thank you for this story, it confused me a little at the twist part but it was a wonderful turn.

Such an interesting read. I was captivated in trying to figure out how Juana and Adaline's lives would converge and didn't anticipate how they did. Anxious for my book club discussion this week as these two women's lives were so impacted in looking for their father.

3.7 stars rounded up to 4. A hard to-put-down story about two young women -- Juana, born in extreme poverty in Mexico who dreams of traveling to California to find her father, and Adelina, a young American runaway living in Tijuana. The writing is lovely and vivid, especially when the young Juana is narrating. There's a fair amount of Spanish during conversations between characters which I did not understand. I had a good sense of where this was going and was not surprised at the unexpected twis...