Student Blogs

Up to this point, Money to Burn has been one of the most interesting books from this course. In fact, I found myself extremelt eager to find out what happens next. I really liked the suspense, the description and the close feeling to the characters. Two aspects of the novel stood out to me, one […] read full post >>

After reading this book, Piglia presents crime not as an act of violence but as a window into society’s values and contradictions. What I thought was really good about the book was that how the criminals burning the stolen money allows us to reconsider what wealth really is, as throughout the book, the bank robber […] read full post >>

The homoerotic, violent, drug-fueled love story I didn't know I needed (warning: this is a long one, just bear with me). read full post >>

When I started reading Money to Burn by Ricardo Piglia, I immediately felt like I had been dropped into the middle of a crime movie without any warning. There is no slow introduction, instead we are suddenly following criminals who are already deep into planning a robbery. Within the first few pages I was like […] read full post >>

Piglia must have done extensive research to complete this book, especially publishing it 12 years after the robbery happened. However, this impacted my engagement while reading. At times, I felt like the monologue was saying: “This happened at this time, this happened here, this happened there…” and recaptured my attention with the details of the […] read full post >>

Question: What are your thoughts on the distortion of reality to fit the themes and narrative that Piggly wanted to express? -LS read full post >>

Out of all the books we have read in this class I think this book is my favorite so far. I have always liked this genre of books and I think that might be the reason why. However, I do think the characters were absolutely crazy. They do all sorts of terrible things without any […] read full post >>

I really enjoyed ‘Money to Burn’ and I was surprised when it said it was based on a true story in the epilogue. I’ve recently been rewatching Brooklyn 99 and this is definitely a story that Jake would’ve been obsessed with. It was a little confusing to read because it felt like there were so many characters and each character... read full post >>

One of the things that stood out to me while reading Money to Burn is how the novel constantly blurs the line between truth and fiction. The story is based on a real robbery, and the narrator often presents the events in a way that feels almost journalistic. There are references to reports, witnesses, and […] read full post >>

In their secluded world as two lovers, there is no space for other people to step in. Rather than saying it is enclosed, it’s more like exclusive. In the text, Nene and Angel constantly together and they do not have much close relationship with others (their relationship becomes a kind of shared isolation). Both of […] read full post >>

“After all, what is robbing a bank compared to founding one?” VERY Robin Hood-y. That line stayed with me the whole time I was reading. The quote already suggests that the novel is less interested in judging the robbery itself and more interested in the strange contradictions behind crime. While reading the book, I kept […] read full post >>

It must have been a lot of work, trying his best to gather all the material to write this novel. The interrogations, police reports, witnesses, newspapers, and all the other figures who helped Piglia gain access to this information. Piglia wanted to make the facts clear, as much as possible, even though it is a […] read full post >>

Honestly, this book feels pretty out of place in a romance studies class. The book is based on a real bank robbery and mostly revolves around crime, violence, and a police standoff, so at first glance it doesn’t really feel like a “romance” story at all. But the more I read, the more it started […] read full post >>

*post contains F and T-slurs I enjoyed this book a lot, it was a thrilling read from start to finish and I was always interested in what would happen next in the robbery and pursuit. I also enjoyed it as it being explicitly queer with the Kid and Dorda annd those elements caught my eye; […] read full post >>

I have some mixed feelings about this one… some parts of the book I flew through because the action was so intense, and other parts I felt like I was dragging myself along trying to keep track of what was even happening.. I still thought the story was very interesting but there are so many … Continue reading pig read full post >>