Lovesick

Rating:
Summary: Latin American fiction goes Harlequin
Review: If you're looking for literature, forget it. This is barely at summer beachtime reading level. On the other hand, if you like romance novels set in "mysterious exotic locations" this may be just for you. Hell, take a look at the cover, it's just a "latinized" version of that guy with the long hair who sells butter standing on a windy cliff with a bodice-busting babe and a mansion in the background. How sad that fiction from this area of the world is now coming to this. And Borges wept. (Yeah, I know, re-reading what I wrote it sounds snobbish, but I'm still angry that I spent the money for this tripe).

Rating:
Summary: Latin American fiction goes Harlequin
Review: If you're looking for literature, forget it. This is barely at summer beachtime reading level. On the other hand, if you like romance novels set in "mysterious exotic locations" this may be just for you. Hell, take a look at the cover, it's just a "latinized" version of that guy with the long hair who sells butter standing on a windy cliff with a bodice-busting babe and a mansion in the background. How sad that fiction from this area of the world is now coming to this. And Borges wept. (Yeah, I know, re-reading what I wrote it sounds snobbish, but I'm still angry that I spent the money for this tripe).

Rating:
Summary: captivating!
Review: Reading Angeles Mastreta is like listening to a grandmother tell the story of her life. Anyone who has visited Mexico and knows the way Mexicans see the world, will clearly agree that this book, as well as any of her other works is a masterpiece. Everytime I read anything by her (and I always do it in Spanish) I marvel at the exquisitness of her carefully chosen language and at the perfect way she tells the story of life in Mexico. This book comes to remind us of what it is to transorm everyday life into literary masterpieces.

Rating:
Summary: Love, Politics, Medicine & Mexican Historical Novel in 1
Review: This novel is a fascinating mix, a great story populated with fascinating characters. At the heart of the story is the main character, Emilia. She is a combination of science, intuition and emotion that more than holds our attention and whose story we are sorry to see end. Her love life is a mix between torrid chemical passion with childhood sweetheart Daniel Cuenca and a more calm romance with medical colleague Antonio Zavalza. I enjoyed being transported into the rhelm of instability in Mexican politics of the late 19th and early 20th century. Daniel's passion for the political was a wonderful wanderlust. Emilia's parents were also great characters: Diego the pharmacist and Josefa, a mix of practicality and emotion. Several medical issues were also fascinating. One is the role of women in medicine and the difficulties of early female physicians to get education and be accepted. Another was the development of medical theory with Emilia's research encompassing the herbal, mystical, massage, etc. At one point the male doctors are amazed as her directness in asking a patient, "Where does it hurt?" Another tidbit was excluding women medical students from lessons on male reproductive organs; this highlighted a sense of history in a novel that spans years from 1874 to 1963. In Margaret Peden's English translation, there is a good sense of rhythm and pacing. This is an excellent novel that rivits our attention with the love story and many strong characters, and has enough historical, political and medical information to stimulate the intellect at the same time. Seek it out!

Rating:
Summary: Love, Politics, Medicine & Mexican Historical Novel in 1
Review: This novel is a fascinating mix, a great story populated with fascinating characters. At the heart of the story is the main character, Emilia. She is a combination of science, intuition and emotion that more than holds our attention and whose story we are sorry to see end. Her love life is a mix between torrid chemical passion with childhood sweetheart Daniel Cuenca and a more calm romance with medical colleague Antonio Zavalza. I enjoyed being transported into the rhelm of instability in Mexican politics of the late 19th and early 20th century. Daniel's passion for the political was a wonderful wanderlust. Emilia's parents were also great characters: Diego the pharmacist and Josefa, a mix of practicality and emotion. Several medical issues were also fascinating. One is the role of women in medicine and the difficulties of early female physicians to get education and be accepted. Another was the development of medical theory with Emilia's research encompassing the herbal, mystical, massage, etc. At one point the male doctors are amazed as her directness in asking a patient, "Where does it hurt?" Another tidbit was excluding women medical students from lessons on male reproductive organs; this highlighted a sense of history in a novel that spans years from 1874 to 1963. In Margaret Peden's English translation, there is a good sense of rhythm and pacing. This is an excellent novel that rivits our attention with the love story and many strong characters, and has enough historical, political and medical information to stimulate the intellect at the same time. Seek it out!