Delia's Way

Rating:
Summary: A psychologiclal drama of sibling rivalry in Panama
Review: The family tale focuses on a young girl's emergence from her pre-teen years to adulthood -- struggling through her own biological mysteries while trying to adapt to an older sister's dominance. Every family member plays a role in Delia's growth while their homeland faces its adjustment problems thru & beyond WW II and the presence of the Americans governing the Canal Zone Isthmus. Delia's maturation should offer many non-Spanish speaking readers insights into a young woman's struggles within a different culure, a different era. An interesting read!

Rating:
Summary: A seductive evocation of growing up in the tropics
Review: This book is an exploration of growing up in 1950's Panama told through the senses of a young girl. Essex beautifully depicts the sounds, smells and humid langour that surround her story of one girl's struggle to free herself from the chains of family secrets. Reading this book made me think about the tradition of pride and reserve in my own family and how I have been molded by this tradition. A quick, rewarding read.