María, A South American Romance by Jorge Isaacs

María, A South American Romance was written by Jorge Isaacs, a Colombian writer, journalist, and politician. Published in 1867, this famous Latin American novel is part of the Romantic literary movement.

The story María was recommended to me, and it took me a full month to track down an English translation from the original Spanish. Luckily, through an interlibrary loan, I checked out a translation of Jorge Isaacs's story by Rollo Ogden, which was published in New York by Harper & Brothers in 1890. I was excited to be able to read the novel.

The story is told by a man named Efraín, who is reminiscing about his youth. Efraín describes his return home from college. He is in love with María, a girl raised by his family. Efraín wants to declare his love to María, but his parents forbid him from doing so until he completes his medical education in Europe.

Meanwhile, María is suffering from a rare form of epilepsy that killed her mother. Efraín's parents and María's doctors feel that a declaration from Efraín would result in a severe attack and have dangerous consequences for María's health. This belief plays into his parents' reasoning.

In the meantime, Efraín and María’s flirtation continues and their misunderstandings grow. Social factors and their obedience to their elders prevent them from speaking honestly to one another about their feelings. As Efraín and María suffer in silence, their elders respect them more. Efraín and María are young, but they take pride in their honesty and highly value their promises. The two have clear motivations, but must act in a specific societal order. The description of their romance felt so different from the present day in which people are free to act on their whims.

My favorite part was when an immature Efraín threw away flowers he intended to give María because she had not arranged flowers for him in his room. This misunderstanding affected them both greatly because their small acts of affection were so important to them. After this misunderstanding, they had to truly speak to one another to resolve their ill feelings and insecurities. I thought Efraín was very sweet when he and María were shyly flirting. I liked how they both thought that their romance was a secret, while it was clear that the whole family knew what was going on.

As I read the novel, I sensed that it would end tragically. Efraín was reminiscing about a short period of time. His voice sounded old and melancholic, as if that period was the time of his greatest joy. It felt like Efraín had gone over that stretch of time so often that he remembered every detail. He could describe María's dresses and her scarf and the food they ate. I felt that if Efraín and María had been happy together for 30 years, then he might not have placed such weight on those small details.

The novel does end tragically. It was not a shock to me that María died, but I felt sad that she and Efraín did not have a final meeting. I wondered how old Efrain was when he was telling his story and whether he ever found happiness in life. Overall, the novel is a very sweet and romantic story that captures young love, tragedy, and family dynamics. It is a shame that this book is not currently available as in English.



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Pnin by Vladimir Nabokov

Pnin (1957) is a funny and heartbreaking book by Vladimir Nabokov. It is the story of Timofey Pnin, a Russian professor at Waindell College. Unknowingly, Pnin is mocked for not mastering English and for his social fumbles. The reader empathizes with Pnin and cheers him on as he finds his place on campus and in life.

Once you reach the end of the story, you can never read it again in quite the same light. Was the story accurate or a manipulation? What are the narrator's motivations? This turn of events makes you want to read the story again for clues and for the truth.

External Links:
"Exiles in a small world" by David Lodge, The Guardian (Saturday May 8, 2004)
A Resolved Discord (Pnin) by Gennady Barabtarlo

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A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens

A Christmas Carol (1843) by Charles Dickens is a classic Christmas story and a classic ghost story combined. It tells the story of Ebenezer Scrooge and is set on Christmas Eve in London, England. Scrooge is a grumpy, old miser who doesn’t like Christmas. His nephew Fred invites him to celebrate Christmas dinner with his family, but Scrooge turns him down. Later, Scrooge refuses to donate to help the poor and shuns a boy singing a Christmas carol. Scrooge doesn’t even want to give his hardworking clerk, Bob Cratchit, the day off for Christmas.

That night, Scrooge receives a visit from the ghost of Jacob Marley, his old business partner who died seven years prior. Marley is doomed to wander the Earth without rest or peace. He has a chain around his waist and must drag along “cash-boxes, keys, padlocks, ledgers, deeds, and heavy purses wrought in steel.” Marley’s ghost warns Scrooge that he has a chance of escaping this same fate and that he will be haunted by three spirits in the coming hours. Marley’s warning comes true, and Scrooge is visited by the ghosts of Christmas Past, Present, and Yet to Come.

Although I was well familiar with the overall story of A Christmas Carol, having seen so many versions of it on television, I had never read the book before. I enjoyed the descriptions of the ghosts, especially the Ghost of Christmas Past. Scrooge's fear was so natural as the ghosts forced him to revisit his old memories, to view current happenings, and to see what could happen in the future. I read the story with excitement and apprehension although I already knew the ending, and it was a fun book to read.

In seeing Scrooge’s past along with him, the reader and Scrooge can see the accumulation of choices he made that resulted in his "Bah Humbug!" persona. Dickens crafted Scrooge as a multi-dimensional character. Scrooge’s experiences with the ghosts make him change his ways to be a kinder, better man. The story is such a nice example of the goodness that the spirit (or rather Spirits) of Christmas can inspire.

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House Made of Dawn by N. Scott Momaday

House Made of Dawn (1968) by N. Scott Momaday tells the story of Abel, a young American Indian. The novel was awarded the Pulitzer Prize in 1969. The story begins in 1945 when Abel returns home after fighting in World War II. He arrives at a reservation in Walatowa, New Mexico to stay with his grandfather, Francisco.

During his time there, Abel has an affair with a woman named Angela after chopping wood for her. During a ceremony on the feast of Santiago, an albino smears Abel with a rooster’s blood. Later, Abel drinks with the elders, and then he murders the albino. Abel is sent to prison.

Seven years later, Abel is released from prison and put under the watch of the Indian Relocation program in Los Angeles. This section of the story is told from Abel’s point of view. Abel becomes friends with Ben Benally, an American Indian who has adapted to relocation. During his time in Los Angeles, Abel has a romantic relationship with a social worker named Milly. This section ends when Abel is beaten up and left for dead on the beach by unknown attackers.

In the next section, Ben describes Abel’s problems drinking and how he lost his job. This narrative is the easiest part to read. Ben often makes guesses about Abel’s motivations or gives clues that explain Abel’s behaviors. This section of the novel also fills in the gaps in Abel's narrative. Ben and Abel make a pact to meet again on the land and to sing the ceremonial song "House Made of Dawn." After a fight with Ben, Abel leaves. He returns three days later, badly beaten. After a short time, Abel leaves Los Angeles to return to Walatowa where his grandfather is near death. When Francisco dies, Abel prepares his body and runs the "race of the dead."

House Made of Dawn has a complicated, non-linear narrative structure. The present, past, myths, and storytelling blend together in the tale. The story juxtaposes the purity of the land with industrialization, and it contrasts Abel’s silence with the verboseness of white men in Los Angeles. In certain sections, the narrative has a sense of verbal sparseness. Momaday conveys Abel’s profound lack of place in this unique and important story.

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The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger

The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger was published in September 2003. It's the story of Henry, a time-traveling librarian. He involuntarily hops from one place and time to another. As an older man, Henry visits the past and meets his wife, Clare, as a young girl. While Clare knows Henry from her girlhood on and meets him during different stages of her life, Henry first meets Clare in his mid-twenties. The concept may seem confusing at first, but the book does not take too long to get into. The time and date reference points at the start of each section keep the reader oriented.

If I were writing this review immediately after finishing the book, then I think I would have focused on my interest in the plot. I felt compelled to know what happened in the story. I felt driven to read because of the foreshadowing throughout the book. Since I’ve waited a little while to write down my thoughts, I’ve had some time to think over other aspects of the book and areas where it could have been better. I think the story would make a fun movie, perhaps a better movie than a book.

While the concept of watching a romantic couple cope with Henry’s disorder could have been fascinating, none of the characters were as well-drawn as they could have been. The original premise was not carried out to the full potential because I didn’t feel empathy for either of the main characters. The plot drove the story much more than character development. Sometimes while reading, I would mistake Henry’s narration for Clare’s, or vice versa. Most of the time, the two main characters felt interchangeable. The supporting characters: Gomez, Ingrid, Charisse, and family members all could have been better developed to contribute more to the story.

Another major problem is that Henry is depicted as “good,” while his motivations towards Clare are more manipulative than loving. While he may believe that they are meant to be together, she only feels that way about him because a future version of him has visited her repeatedly (from the age of 6) and told her that they will marry. What is Clare’s choice in this when Henry declares her future is determined?

At the end of the story, Henry could have let Clare go on with her life, but he gives her the hope of seeing him once more. As a reader, I was saddened to think of her waiting alone just to catch a glimpse of him again. It’s not clear why Clare is in love with Henry; is it because she feels she has to be? The author spent far too much time focusing on their great sex life (often crudely described in extensive detail), but there should have been something more that held them together.

As a reader, I felt manipulated into having sympathy for the characters. Clare has, not one, but seven miscarriages, before finally having a daughter. Meanwhile, Henry relives his mother’s car accident and decapitation again and again, and loses his feet to frostbite. I felt toyed with after all that. I would have been thrilled had the book ended with Ingrid shooting Henry, which would have had some meaning. Instead, Henry’s death was foreshadowed for the last third of the book, and it was an accident that made little sense.

What I felt left with was a good, engrossing read. While not liking the characters, I still couldn’t put the book down. At the same time, I am left with mixed feelings because something was missing, and I know the book could have been a great one.

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The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood

The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood is a dystopia written in 1985 that magnifies and exaggerates social trends to a dangerous end. This book was very difficult for me to read, but I am so glad that I read it. It’s a story every woman should read. It will chill you; it will scare you; it will make sure you don’t take anything for granted.

The protagonist of The Handmaid’s Tale is named Offred. She is a handmaid in the Republic of Gilead. Her sole duty is to bear the offspring of the Commander. Women are not allowed to have money or hold jobs, and they have designated duties based on their fertility. Once Offred had a job and a family, but after a political coup, she was separated from them, and her life was changed forever. The reader follows Offred’s experiences, shares her memories, and tries from her limited perspective to find some hope to hang on to.

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