Author: Carolina De Robertis
Pages: 448
Book takes places in the country: YES
Author is from the country: NO (but her parents were from Uruguay)
I have visited: NO
This is my 41st book of the year.
I listened to this book, and it took a LONG time. It was 17 hours of listening. Even listening to it while I shopped for groceries, riding the tram, and while I packed the kids lunches, it seemed to just be an endless book.
The story opens in 1900 in Uruguay. A lost infant appears in a tree, and sets in motion 3 generations of strong women. Pajarita (the lost infant) grows up and opens an herbal store that saves her family. She gives birth to Eva. Eva has to sacrafice her childhood to work in a shoe shop, because her family is so poor. Unfortunately, while she is there, she is mistreated by the owner of the shop, and she needs to find another job. She finds a waitressing job to help support her family, but her passion is poetry. Eva finds a rich husband and gives birth to Solome who grows up under her mother's dream for her to go to University. But Solome becomes a Tupamara during a time of Uruguay upheaval. Solome is arrested and is put in jail and finds herself pregnant with.....a girl. But she cannot keep her daughter (Victoria) so she is taken and raised away from the prison walls.
After 8 years in prison, Solome is released, but Victoria only knows her as an doding aunt. The families are all re-united. Pajarita is now 90 years old, but she the powerful matriarch of the family. These strong women have all had unplanned lives, but their strong personalities turned their fate.
This was a fair book. I think it has more to offer than what I got out of listening to it. As much as I want to get into audiobooks to help get through some of these novels, I don't think I am ablt to give them the attention they need. I think there are certain books that audio works for, but this wasn't one of them. I found myself having to rewind quite a few times.
The style of writing is also not one of my favorites. It has some magical realism mixed in with historical facts, and at times I felt it confusing. I did like all of the women protagnoist, though, so that saved the novel.
Hmmmmm. To recommend or not recommend. I don't think I personally can recommend it based on my take away. I might hunt out another book about Uruguay to replace this one. We shall see.
Stars: 3
I've never heard of this one, Do you think you will reread in a paper copy?
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