»The author, after integrating herself into this new world and sharing her daily life with girls who, like her, are far away from their places of origin, forms unique bonds. […] Pistolas, with her book Carmen, tells us about a reality little seen in literature through her own eyes and experience, and opens our minds to discover a world unknown to most people.«
Revista Grifo

»Pistolas’ novel confronts us with a character’s decision, which never wavers. She decides to work as a stripper and although she points out that she earns good money, she never extols her profession or pretends to place it as a life ideal, there is no air of superiority in her attitude.«
La Voz De Los Que Sobran

»Carmen is not only a book of anecdotes from a young woman’s experiences in a nightclub, it is the review of a life, her memories, her fears, the search for love, friendship, the value of affection; it is also a manifesto for the personal and sexual freedom of women in a world built for the enjoyment of men, and finally, I think it is the search for that place in the world which we all want to find.«
El Mostrador

»Romina Pistolas writes in a direct language. Sometimes blunt, in what she describes or in the words she uses. But this “honesty” is appreciated. Carmen is a book to discover. It takes the reader into half-lit or frankly dark spaces. Without dwelling too much on deep motivations (such as, for example, the need to belong working in a space of desire and stigmatisation), on psychological aspects, on the relationships between workers and their clients, or between them and those who run the premises. It would be too much. It is a good introduction to a world that mirrors both dark and light areas of our societies.«
Bío Bío Chile

»Carmen is a novel that portrays a world rarely represented in literature, that of professional strippers. Romina Pistolas is a vibrant and bold voice like few others, providing us with a first-hand account since she works in the industry. She dismantles myths and prejudices through an honest and transparent narrative, with a carefully crafted, clean prose and a great sense of humour. Furthermore, the novel opens a window into Australian culture, where the story unfolds.«
Carolina Ruiz, editor

»As an immigrant from Chile, I decided to live the life I wanted and always dreamed of. However, it was challenging to learn how to live it alone, without my family, in a completely different culture. I learned through several setbacks how difficult it was to try to build my own foundation in a foreign land.«
Romina Pistolas