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Only Once in a Lifetime
Alejandro Grattan Book Review

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Plot Summary of Only Once in a Lifetime
"The novel begins in 1940 in Ajijic, a Mexican village located on the shores of Lake Chapala. It tells of Francisco, at ten a homeless boy, and at 45 an embittered semi-hermit living in the Echo Park Hispanic barrio of East Los Angeles. The only thing he has worth saving is his ugly old dog. After deciding to end it all, and while looking for a good home for his pooch, he meets a woman going through her own crisis. "
Alejandro Grattan, Resident Scholar




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Review Analysis of Only Once in a Lifetime
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Ratings are on a 1-10 scale (Low to High)
Plot
Tone of book? - thoughtful
Time/era of story - 1930's-1950's
Inside culture (main char) - Hispanic/Spanish
Internal struggle/realization? Yes
Struggle over - vague finding self/purpose in life (i.e. no plot to book)
Is this an adult or child's book? - Adult or Young Adult Book
Outside culture (society) - American Pacific Coast
If story of urban/rural... - Big city life
Ethnic/regional/gender life Yes

Main Character
Gender - Male
Profession/status: - artist
Age: - 40's-50's
Ethnicity/Nationality - Hispanic/Latinic
How sensitive is this character? - middling sensitive to others' feelings
Sense of humor - Cynical sense of humor
Intelligence - Average intelligence
Physique - average physique

Main Adversary
Identity: - society

Setting
How much descriptions of surroundings? - 3 ()
United States Yes
The US: - California
The Americas (not US): Yes
The Americas: - Mexico

Style
Person - mostly 3rd
Accounts of torture and death? - moderately detailed references to deaths
Amount of dialog - roughly even amounts of descript and dialog
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