VivirLatino

Julia Amante’s Evenings at the Argentine Club, published by Grand Central Publishing in 2009, is mostly a cross-generational romance book with some Southern Cone twists. As the title suggests, a network of Argentine families gather at the Argentine Club. The old-timers, the immigrant generation see the gatherings as a way to maintain a connection to la patria and it’s costumbres like mate and meat. They also use it as an opportunity to compete and chismear. Which family is doing better than the others? Who raised the most successful children and what defines success is part of the problem.

What success is for the Torres and the Ortellis depends on what generation you are and your gender identity. For Victoria Torres, the 28 year old single and “overweight” elder child of the Torres familia, success is getting out from under her parents authority, especially her father, his restaurant La Parilla and his machismo. Apparently losing weight and finding a man to propose her also are included. Jaqueline Torres, Victoria’s mother is also struggling to succeed. Suffering from empty nest syndrome, she is lost as her husband continues to expand his business and financial success but not their marriage.
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