Beastmomma

From Amazon:

Conceived on her father's deathbed and almost strangled to death by her umbilical cord, the baby who emerged would become the woman, Eva Luna. Her birth is incredible and her life is even more so as Eva spins for us her story and the story of those who impacted her life. Come with Eva, as a little girl where she plays with a stuffed puma owned by a mad-man who uses Indians for his embalming experiments. Watch as this orphaned girl is "sold" off by her strange godmother who believes in the gods of her ancestral Africa and the saints of Catholicism. Watch Eva as she grows from childhood to adolescence to an adult who has to confront the reality of love and revolution.

Pages: 320 pages (paperback)

Rating: 8 out of 10

When I first picked up Eva Luna by Isabel Allende from Partner's childhood home, I did not know exactly what to expect.  I was looking for an engaging story, Partner told me that he read the book in Spanish and could not remember too much of the story.  I was excited to try because I did read some of Isabel Allende in college, but had not had her words as part of my daily routine for quite awhile.   It took a bit of time for me to get into the story.  Allende has very detailed prose and takes her time introducing you to the characters.

Once I got rolling I became totally engrossed in story and the characters.  In particular, I wanted to learn more about Eva and Rolfe's journey.  The book explores sexism and classicism within revolution. It also discusses a burning desire to write.  At one point, Eva is having a conversation with Huberto who is involved in the guerilla movement.  Through her conversation with him, she realizes her exclusion from the benefits of the revolution he is working towards:

The people seemed to be composed exclusively of men; we women should contribute to the struggle, but were excluded from decision-making and power.  His revolution would not change my fate in any fundamental way.  Perhaps it was at that moment I realized that mine is a war with no end in view.

At another point in the book, a group of Indians are housing the guerillas.  While it may seem that the Indians would be on the side of those who are striving to overthrow the government, the Indians have a different perspective:

But the Indians were not interested in his revolution, or anything else that came from that hated race.  They did not share the guerilla's ideals, they did not believe their promises or understand their reasoning.  The chief knew that even if the Indians had not been involved, the soldiers would hold them responsible because the village was so close to the village.

The above passage illustrates Allende's genuis. While the story of the main characters is moving forward, she also educates the reader about how marginalized groups are often left out of progressive brought by revolutions.  She also points out how some groups are constantly blamed for ills of society even when they may have nothing to do with the root cause.

Finally, Eva finds her passion for writing.  Throughout the novel, we see examples of her ability to tell stories.  I really enjoyed reading about how she felt the first time she put her words to paper:

I believed that that page had been waiting for me for twenty years, that I had lived only for that instant, and I hoped that from that moment my only task would be to capture the stories floating in the thin air, to make them mine.

Sometimes when I am blogging, I find myself wishing to have writing be my only responsibility.  Other times when I have writer's block, I cannot imagine anything worse than having to write :)  Anyway, Eva Luna by Isabel Allende is truly a terrific read.  My only complaint is that it took me awhile to get into the story.  To make the stories easer to follow, I would recommend writing down the names of the characters.  I did not follow that piece of advice and I had to go back and reread various parts to remind myself of who was who. 

I wrote about my experience reading this book for two Sunday Salons. 

I am counting this book for the Orbis Terrarum challenge. 

*If you read and reviewed this book, please leave me a link in the comments or email me.  I will include it at the end of my post*

From Author's Website:

The story of a woman who loves her house so much that she'll do just about anything to keep it. Ellen Flanagan has two precious girls to raise, a cozy neighborhood coffee shop to run, terrific friends, and a sexy husband. She adores her house, a yellow Cape Cod filled with quirky antiques, beloved nooks and dents, and a million memories. But now, at forty-four, she's about to lose it all. After eighteen roller-coaster years of marriage, Ellen's husband, Sam--who's charismatic, spontaneous, and utterly irresponsible--has disappointed her in more ways than she can live with, and they're getting divorced. Her daughters are miserable about losing their daddy. Worst of all, the house that Ellen loves with all her heart must now be sold.  Set in the gorgeous surroundings of Portland, Oregon, Kathleen McCleary's funny, poignant, curl-up-and-read debut strikes a deep emotional chord and explores the very notion of what makes a house a home.

Pages: 272 (hardcover)

Rating: 8 out of 10

I won this book from Books and Cooks a long time ago and it took awhile for me to start reading.  When we returned from Thailand, we were at Partner's apartment for a few days before moving into our new place.   I had brought the book with me on one of my previous trips and it was on his bookshelf.  I started reading one morning when I was waking up slowly.  The story drew me in immediately and I felt like I wanted to love a home as much as Ellen, the main character, loved hers. 

Partner and I have moved into our new place.  Right now, we are living in the midst of boxes.  I loved all the details of what Ellen did to make her house feel homey.  It made me feel inspired to make our own print on our new place. I liked reading about the complicated relationship she has with the house and how it grows to represent major milestones in her life.  Through her memories, I liked hearing how her relationship with Sam developed.   The kids were also great characters.  I loved Sara's spunk and Louisa's sweetness.  I remember crying when my parents got rid of their cars, so I could not imagine how sad I would have been to leave my childhood home in the midst of childhood.  

**Spoiler Alert**

I cried pretty much through the last two chapters of the book.  I found it ironic that the house did end up burning down and I was glad that Ellen had the chance to be reminded of what is important to her.  The scene inside the burning house and after her family comes out is very moving.  However, I thought that it became a bit melodramatic and wrapped up a bit too neatly. The end of the book wrapped up a little too quickly for my preference.  I wanted to know more about the process of Ellen's reconciliation with Sam.   Overall, I really enjoyed the book.  I would recommend it to anyone who is in transition and trying to figure out how to make a house a home.

I am using this book for the What's in a Name Challenge Two.

Other reviewers of the book:

• Books and Cooks
• Books on the Brain
•  Planet Books
• Breaking the Spine

(If you have a read the book, leave a comment or send me an email and I will add you to the list)

I am very slow with completing books as I adjusted to married life in the New England area. I thought it would be fun to track my reading progress each week. The Sunday Salon is  an online reading group where all the participants set aside time to read every Sunday and blog about the experience. To learn more or to join, click on the picture above.

I have a confession to make.  While I have been reading Eva Luna by Isabel Allende on the commuter rail and while in various lines, I have also been reading House and Home by Kathleen McCleary.   House and Home is the book that I have on my night stand.  I read it before getting out of bed in the morning and sometimes before falling asleep.  It is a good book for helping me get out of bed and for helping to put the day behind me.  Since I am trying to set up a new house and hope to have a long marriage with my Partner that is filled with momentous occasions, I am taking special interest in the main character's attachment to her house.  I love all of the details of setting up house and running a new business as much as I am enjoying the interaction between the characters. 

Today, we hosted our first dinner guests.  Even though we have only been in our house for three weeks, I find myself getting attached to the place.  When it is time for us to move, I wonder which memories I am going to carry with me.   On a slightly different note, I am awed with the main character's ability to decorate.  Specifically, she seems to have super powers at picking out colors.  Partner and I are trying to figure out the right shade of blue for our bedroom.  If anyone has any advice on how to not pick the wrong color, it would be greatly appreciated!!

I am very slow with completing books as I adjusted to married life in the New England area. I thought it would be fun to track my reading progress each week. The Sunday Salonis an online reading group where all the participants set aside time to read every Sunday and blog about the experience. To learn more or to join, click on the picture above.

 I continued reading more of  Eva Luna by Isabel Allende this morning as I was waiting for Partner to get ready so that we could do some shopping.  As the main character is getting older, she is going from place to place to find a home.  Even at her young age of 17, she never seems to have a sense that any of the places she stays are permanent.  She works hard to find ways to fit in and to make her new situation work, but some tragic event seems to constantly pull her away.  In some instances, she realizes that she is unhappy and frustrated; I am impressed with her gumption at several points to stick up for herself and leave.

My Partner and I moved into our first home recently.  While I am thrilled, I do have a sense of nervousness that it is not real.  We are also trying to find ways to be together and to transform our space into something which makes both of us happy.

I am very slow with completing books as I adjusted to married life in the New England area.  I thought it would be fun to track my reading progresss each week. The Sunday Salon is an online reading group where all the participants set aside time to read every Sunday and blog about the experience.  To learn more or to join, click on the picture above.

Wow! I have not participated in the Sunday Salon for six months! Shame on me!! It is not a very good excuse, but I found that I did not have  much time to post on Sundays as I was trying to finish up law school, plan a wedding, get married, move across country, and go on a honeymoon.  Over the last week, I have tried to return to the world of blogging.   I wrote a review of Ali and Nino and White Tiger.  I also participated in the Booking Through Thursday.

My Partner and I are moving today.  The movers are supposed to arrive between 3 p.m. and 6 p.m.  As a treat to myself, I read a few pages of Eva Luna by Isabel Allende before getting out of bed to do some last minute packing.   Even though the book was hard to get into, I am starting to really enjoy the characters.   In the middle of chapter three, Eva Luna's voice starts to come out more clearly.   Over the course of the first two chapters, I enjoyed learning about her mother's childhood and the work she did with a professor.  I also found myself disturbed by learning about Rolf Carle's childhood. 

I am reading a translated version of the book and I find myself wondering how the translation impacts the style.  For example, would the author really want to have paragraphs that take up an entire page?  Would she have chosen the same poetic language? My Partner read the book for Spanish class and had an English version lying around his family's home in Buffalo. He recommended it to me, but could not tell me differences between the English and Spanish version.  If anyone knows of differences or has thoughts on this, I would be interested to hear them.