I'm sure like many other readers, I was inspired to pick this book up thanks to the wonderful Hsinju and Gabriella who absolutely adored this book, and I finally picked it up this month! And don’t even get me started on the metaphors and symbolism, which can be devoured and analyzed for hours.

A butcher’s daughter named Flaca, with her male cologne and her heartbreaking caballero swagger, cooks and cares for her friends. I am beyond grateful that I read this book with an incredible reading buddy who loved Cantoras just as much as I did. To, co mnie najbardziej w "Cantoras" zachwyca, to fakt, że jest powieścią o walce i oporze pozbawioną oczywistej w tej sytuacji publicystyki, a skupiającą się na emocjach. 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. Cantoras, which is the Spanish word for female singers and old timey slang for Lesbians, is a telling of five women who discover each other the way women do, by a glance, certain body language, or via a few choice remarks.A moving and original story of found family for a group of young, lesbian women in Uruguay under a dictatorship. And yet Romina, Flaca, Anita "La Venus," Paz, and Malena, five cantoras, women who "sing" somehow, miraculously, find one another. Rich and luscious, De Robertis’ writing feels like a living thing, lapping over the reader like the ocean. They meet and attempt to create a safe place in an off-the-grid beach town, with mixed results - and we follow their growth, foibles, loves and heartbreaks, until, finally, the sort-of end of the Juntas. Thinking about Cantoras makes my breath shaky, and when I breathe in, I feel like bawling all over again.

Over thirty-five years pass in this manner, and during that time friendships are tested, romantic love is tested, as each woman seeks her own identity and happiness in a world where it’s not safe to be a “cantora,” a woman who sings, a woman who loves other women but cannot feel safe in doing so. Searing…the author sensitively and singularly touches on themes of queerness, community, and perseverance.As I said above, I was a bit wary about the author reading her own work as I’ve found that authors usually cannot achieve the same level of excellence compared to professional narrators.