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Tell Me Something True (2009)

by Leila Cobo(Favorite Author)

3.24 of 5 Votes: 2

ISBN

0446519367 (ISBN13: 9780446519366)

languge

English

genre

Romance

publisher

Grand Central Publishing

review 1: The more I think about it I realize that I didn't really like either the mother, Helena, or the daughter Gabriella. At some point Gabriella mentions that her mother was just a selfish person doing what she wanted when she wanted with no thought or regard to who she might hurt but Gabriella does the same thing at the end leaving her new boyfriend just when he needs her the most. Gabriella is selfish, a coward and a weak person overall in that she allows herself to be pressured (easily) into doing something she doesn't want to to but when it comes to making a choice, an important choice, she takes the easy way out. Of course, this is just my opinion.I think that this is one of those books that when you've finished reading it you either love it or you don't. I di... moredn't.
review 2: Where do I even begin?Every once in a while I unearth a story I can return to time and time again, and Tell Me Something True was one of those little books I truly hoped I might intimately latch onto. Adorable, beautiful novels about women I can relate with are so often comfort food for my heart. In all honesty, Tell Me Something True might almost have become just that. However, I have several, mostly superficial, complaints that unfortunately hinder me from desiring to ever reread. In film, I can often overlook poor acting and low budgets to see through to the beauty and talent in a brilliant concept. However, with published literature, I expect a writer’s communication to be painlessly delivered. Poor writing removes me from whatever an author is attempting to express and I am left unhooked and unimpressed. When a writer fails my expectations, I am always dumbfounded that I spent $14.00 on a novel so carelessly composed. It is in moments like this that I am grateful a friend bought this book for me at 40% off during one of Borders’ current close-out sales.Tell Me Something True, in concept, was beautiful, intimate, and ultimately gut-wrenching. Twice I nearly cried - once on page 200, and once on the very last page. Gabriella, though somewhat flat as a character, was painted as a kind, giving, and compassionate young woman who lives her life for her family, rather than herself.Gabriella’s mother, Helena, was much more dynamic, and far more interesting as a character however. Moving back and forth between perspectives, Tell Me Something True paralleled Gabriella’s coming of age as she realized how to follow her own heart as opposed to the will of those around her with Helena’s realization that perhaps not all things are black and white, or right and wrong.Had the beauty of Cobo’s story also carried over into her writing, this entire review might have been nothing but positive. However, I do have a few points I am compelled to complain about. It’s in my nature; I am somewhat of a complainer. You have been warned.Most notable among my list of disappointments was Cobo’s inability to maintain a uniform narrative tense throughout her novel. In what should be simple enough, the story was mostly told from two points of view: Gabriella in the present tense and third person, and her mother, Helena, in the past tense and first person. However, Cobo frequently (and inappropriately) switched tenses in the middle of paragraphs. While reading, I often put the novel down in frustration to complain to whomever was nearest me. I fully understand and appreciate that telling a story in the present tense is an immense challenge, however there is no excuse for blatant error in a published work. Ever.In addition to the irritatingly frequent change in tense, Cobo also randomly added other character perspectives out of thin air. The sudden breaking of the third person limited narrative she built felt somewhat distracting and unnatural. This confused me somewhat as each chapter rotated between Gabriella and Helena, as dictated by said chapter’s title. The random and sparse glimpses into the minds of other characters felt stagnant, empty, and awkwardly out of place. There was only one exception to this which I found somewhat brilliant. At the end of the novel, one of the final chapters was from Helena’s mother’s perspective on the day of her daughter’s death. It allowed a perfectly and excruciatingly horrifying glimpse into the moment the entire novel built towards.One part of the novel that really did impress me, was Cobo’s attention to detail and accuracy. Her portrayal of Gabriella as a musician was spot on, down to her knowledge of the industry and even the fact that pianists often avoid aggressive weight training when working out because it can damage their ability to perform. Most of this likely reflects the author’s history as a pianist and executive in the entertainment business. Regardless of my distaste for her writing style, I was highly impressed with Cobo’s clear knowledge of what it is like to be a musician. One of my favorite quotes from Tell Me Something True even describes an all-too-common sentiment among many artists at some point in their lives when they reach a drought in their creativity:“She's thinking that what she's been doing all these years isn't what she wants to do anymore. Sometimes music flows to her and from her, but sometimes it doesn't. Lately that happens more and more, and she can't seem to find what she had and what made her special. But she can't tell her father because he'd be so disappointed in her, so disappointed to find out she's not extraordinary after all." Overall, as a story, Tell Me Something True was beautiful, but lacked the superb editing of a true classic. Perhaps Cobo’s next novel, due for release in 2012, will have learned from its predecessor’s physical errors while still maintaining the intimacy that made Tell Me Something True such an incredible memoir. less

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