Clap When You Land by Elizabeth Acevedo is one of the best books I have ever read, and I don’t think I will ever forget it or the way it made me feel. It is gorgeous, rich and lyrical, so full of emotion that it overflowed from the page straight into my heart. It is a powerful, stunning story of love, loss and family that I cannot recommend enough.
This is the first book I’ve read in poem, and it has set the bar high. There are not enough words of praise in the dictionary to describe how absolutely hacking gorgeous Acevedo’s writing is. It is mesmerising, stunning and emotive. It is breathtaking, heart wrenching and tear-jerking. Every single line in this book was a work of art.
I loved both Camina and Yahaira so so much. Their voices are so distinctive and unique and I quickly became endeared to both of them. They were very different from each other, and yet you could see things they had in common, like their fierce lovingness and bravery. I loved their relationship and how it developed, as they went from wary knowledge of each other to fierce and unbreaking sisterhood, it was so beautiful. All the relationships in Clap When You Land were raw and gorgeous - Camina and Yahaira’s sisterhood was complicated and real, fierce and beautiful. Yahaira and her relationship with her girlfriend Dre was gorgeous and emotional, full of love and tenderness - it was so clear how much the two of them meant to each and the soft sapphicness made me so soft inside.
The relationship between Yahaira and her mother and Camina and her Tia were also heartfelt and complicated, and I loved them both dearly.
Most centrally after their sisterhood was Yahaira and Camina’s different and complex relationships with their Papi. With both of them, it was fiercely loving and close, but also convoluted and marred.
Clap When You Land was a story of grief, and it was handled so deep and meaningfully - it was messy and emotional and raw. Both girls handle the death of their father differently, as do the other people that were close to him, such as Yahaira’s mother and it was so powerful to see.
As well as the powerful and amazingly written theme of grief, Clap When You Land also discussed important topics of feminism and sexual assault. Both Yahaira and Camina experience sexual assault and harassment, in totally different situations, and they deal with it very differently but are both brave survivors. Yahaira’s experience is before the start of the book, and she struggles with keeping it to herself and how it has impacted her life and her relationship with her dad. Camina’s experience happens within the book and she deals with the pressure of how many girls in her community are coerced into sex work. This theme was handled in a raw and powerful way.
It’s so hard to describe all the ways in which Clap When You Land is important, wonderful and gorgeous. I don’t have enough words to do so - my dear friend Emily @ashortbooklover wrote a review that deeply reflects how I feel too and really manages to sum up the book in such a beautiful way, so definitely check that out.
Clap When You Land is one of the best books I have ever read, and I cannot urge you to read it enough.
This is the first book I’ve read in poem, and it has set the bar high. There are not enough words of praise in the dictionary to describe how absolutely hacking gorgeous Acevedo’s writing is. It is mesmerising, stunning and emotive. It is breathtaking, heart wrenching and tear-jerking. Every single line in this book was a work of art.
I loved both Camina and Yahaira so so much. Their voices are so distinctive and unique and I quickly became endeared to both of them. They were very different from each other, and yet you could see things they had in common, like their fierce lovingness and bravery. I loved their relationship and how it developed, as they went from wary knowledge of each other to fierce and unbreaking sisterhood, it was so beautiful. All the relationships in Clap When You Land were raw and gorgeous - Camina and Yahaira’s sisterhood was complicated and real, fierce and beautiful. Yahaira and her relationship with her girlfriend Dre was gorgeous and emotional, full of love and tenderness - it was so clear how much the two of them meant to each and the soft sapphicness made me so soft inside.
The relationship between Yahaira and her mother and Camina and her Tia were also heartfelt and complicated, and I loved them both dearly.
Most centrally after their sisterhood was Yahaira and Camina’s different and complex relationships with their Papi. With both of them, it was fiercely loving and close, but also convoluted and marred.
Clap When You Land was a story of grief, and it was handled so deep and meaningfully - it was messy and emotional and raw. Both girls handle the death of their father differently, as do the other people that were close to him, such as Yahaira’s mother and it was so powerful to see.
As well as the powerful and amazingly written theme of grief, Clap When You Land also discussed important topics of feminism and sexual assault. Both Yahaira and Camina experience sexual assault and harassment, in totally different situations, and they deal with it very differently but are both brave survivors. Yahaira’s experience is before the start of the book, and she struggles with keeping it to herself and how it has impacted her life and her relationship with her dad. Camina’s experience happens within the book and she deals with the pressure of how many girls in her community are coerced into sex work. This theme was handled in a raw and powerful way.
It’s so hard to describe all the ways in which Clap When You Land is important, wonderful and gorgeous. I don’t have enough words to do so - my dear friend Emily @ashortbooklover wrote a review that deeply reflects how I feel too and really manages to sum up the book in such a beautiful way, so definitely check that out.
Clap When You Land is one of the best books I have ever read, and I cannot urge you to read it enough.