Роман в традицията на Исабел Алиенде и Лаура Ескивел
Според латиноамериканците истинската жена трябва да се държи като дама в дома, да бъде вълшебница в кухнята и куртизанка в леглото. Когато Пилар - неуверена млада жена, преместила се в Чикаго - получава дневниците на починалата си баба, тя научава тайни, забулени от десетилетия. Дневниците разкриват красотата на ритуалите, изпълнявани от всяка жена в Латинска Америка, правилата на етикета и великолепни рецепти, с които да прелъстява мъжете. С тяхна помощ Пилар трябва да се превърне в идеалната съпруга, любовница и жена.
Роман за сетивата, природата и религията на жената. За онова, което всяко момиче трябва да научи, преди да посвети сърцето си на някого!
Книга в духа на “Шоколад” и “Къщата на ябълковото вино”. Книга за вечната и невъзможна любов. За правилата на сърцето и законите на честта. За бездънната женска съкровищница от тайни. За вечността на любовта, магнетичността на секса и чувствената същност на близостта между хората. Книга, която ще те избави от тъгата, самотата и съмненията.
Marisol has been a fashion model, banker, bellydancer, chef, aerobics and college language instructor, and most recently, a public relations professional. A native of Venezuela, she currently lives in Denver.
In prose chock-a-block with cliches, the author "reveals" feminine secrets. Here's a sample:
1. wash your hair with bananas to make it shiny, 2. teach your daughters to wear sexy lingerie, 3. tell your man you're too busy for him - it will keep him interested, 4. spend hours on your beauty routine but never let your man see you getting made up - he doesn't want to see behind the illusion 5. when your man calls, drop everything and go to him (seems to contradict #3, but hey - what do I know)
Argh! It's the 21st century! Why are people (women!) still writing - and publishing - this kind of propaganda?
I got an advanced reader's copy from the store where I work. Perhaps I thought it was bad because the editor hadn't properly finished his or her job prior to its official release. I'm not sure. Either way, I thought it was a promising storyline...there were some poignant moments and brief stretches of fine prose, but it "left something to be desired." I really hate that phrase, but I'll use it here because it applies.
There may be many ways to express your female individuality, but sticking to the very basics of woman's nature gives the right foundation to persistent state of inner happiness and satisfaction... Worked for me in this book.
I was intrigued with the title of this book and after having finished reading it, the story within is a well rounded story of a woman Gabriela Grenales who has kept a lifelong secret from her family as well as a her mission not not have her beloved granddaughter Pilar make the same life mistakes she made.
The story begins with twenty-six year old Pilar Castillo visiting from Chicago to her hometown of Caracas, Venezuela to attend the funeral of her grandma Gabriela. At the end of the funeral, Pilar notices an unknown man approach her grandmother’s casket, say something, the drop a charm into her grave.
After the funeral, Pilar spends the night at her grandma’s home and is surprised when her mother Cristina gives her a box from her grandma. Since Pilar is a writer and works as a reporter in Chicago, she is happily surprised when she lift a the box lids and finds three wrapped books. As she reads the books, she learns more about her grandma’s upbringing, the great love of her life and the importance tradition plays in the Latin culture.
The book is divided into three distinct sections: the lady, the chef, and the courtesan. In the first section, Gabriela shares her upbringing as well as the how a woman should take care of her household.
The section section of the book focuses on the importance of cooking for those that you love as well as how big a role food plays creating relationships as well as reaffirming relationships.
The third and last section focuses on how sometimes with marriages can start off loving but eventually transform into a relationship built on mutual respect versus love.
I really enjoyed this book and liked that the author creates a world in which the reader cares about the experiences that made Gabriela the woman she eventually becomes. As Pilar reads her grandma’s diaries, she sees glimpses of her life with the diary pages in reference to being torn between the past and tradition with her ex fiancé Rafael or starting a future with her boyfriend Patrick in Chicago.
In addition to the wonderful storytelling, I also liked how the author included recipes to show how food can be used to woo people and change the most stubborn minds.
Even though I don't agree with a lot of the things the book promotes. I am actually even wondering if it is promoting it. I see it more as a history of women and their love and what lengths they would go to in their relationship in a different part of the world. It's probably something women in this culture during this time were taught constantly. That's the feeling I get. So the Older woman is only passing these things on to her granddaughter in death. She knows that the standard is impossible and is not something she has taught her family from a young age as she was. Very good peek into history and another cultures struggles with sexism.
This book was somewhat different than I expected, instead of clear cut rules, the grandmother gives these lessons through her stories that make you as the reader think about what the lesson may be. It is beautifully written and I loved watching both Pilar and her grandmother grow as people throughout the book.
I think I enjoyed the concept but the author didn't really accomplish it smoothly. There were too many literary devices used and it just began to feel too overdone. But I really liked to descriptions of the Latin American culture and the gender differences - life for a woman. There were a lot of places where I thought the writing was inspired. But again, it sort of fell apart for me towards the end (about 70 pages from the end) when I feel burden by too much "noise" in the writing. The letters, the recipes, the chapters of advice that sounded more like prose than a letter or lesson from a grandma to a granddaughter, the two story lines weaving through out. Maybe it would have worked better if the Grandma's story was told as a story and than a letter advising/inspiring the daughter could have been the finale. Both stories were intriquing but they just got in the way of each other.
It was okay. I read it when I wasn't feeling too much like a sexy lady and was hoping it would give me some tidbit of wisdom or at least something kinky to think about and bring me out of my doldrums. I guess it accomplished it's goal, but it wasn't too revolutionary a book. It had a couple recipies that sounded really tasty (of course, in an effort to be authentic, you had to get some rare local ingredients, and since I live off in the boonies I can't really get them, so I won't make them.), but other than that it was another one of those "woman needs to decide between two men, gets some cultural wisdom about following her heart instead of her staid cultural boundaries, and chooses man she really loves" stories. I liked it though, and read it all in one night. Good book. Would recommend it.
Through her grandmother's diaries, a young woman tries to find her place between two countries, two men, and two dreams. That's the good part. The not-so-good parts are essentially litanies of Venezuelan upper-class etiquette. While they provide a good view into life at the turn of the century among the South American elite, they don't really add much to the momentum of the story.
Surprisingly, there is an insightful social commentary on American culture in this novel: "It didn't take a genius to conclude from watching even a few hours of television that Americans were a highly efficient, time-conscious group of people who on the one hand denied themselves food and on the other demanded that it be available to them twenty-four hours a day."
This novel tells the story of a young Venezuelan woman who is unsure whether she should choose love over tradition. After her grandmother dies, she is bequeathed a set of journals which explain how her grandmother missed her own chance for romantic joy. Interspersed with the tales of fleeting romantic bliss are recipes and rules of conduct for well-behaved ladies.
I liked the novel because it reminded me so much of Venezuela – the food, the parties, the places. Even though the book was written in English, its cadences often seem Venezuelan. However, without the stimulus of this ongoing nostalgia, I would’ve found the book much less interesting. The writing can be a bit florid and overwrought at times.
I learned that feminism exists in many shapes and forms...and that "The Awakening", is a story found in many bourgeois women's life stories, and that some lessons and mistakes are preserved for strictly those who can afford them. Its like a VIP section with a sign that says "only people who can afford to leave their children with the help, in order to escape to a mansion on an island (with a maid)and cheat on their rich arranged marriage spouses with their "one true love" in a process of self-discovery (read boredom infused selfishness) are allowed in here". I also learned that apparently being a real woman sometimes = socialized bipolar disorder.
When Pilar's grandmother dies, she is left a very special gift - 3 of her grandmother's handwritten diaries. Inside of these pages Pilar finds the beautiful and quite secret revelations of a woman who married without love. It challenges Pilar's present, as she finds herself faced with a similar choice - tradition versus her heart's love.
I cried many times, as I read this. Due in no small part to me being on my period at the time, I am sure. Still though, I found it emotionally cleansing. If that's a strange thing to say about a book that celebrates a love found outside of matrimony, then... I dunno. I feel okay about it.
I read this while I was moving and needed something light and fluffy for the 10 minute breaks between scrubbing and packing. Unfortunately, it was really disappointing. While I somewhat enjoyed the secondary narrative (the protagonist's grandmother's diaries), the supposedly parallel protagonist's story felt forced and flat. Neither of the "love interests" have any depth to them-- she may as well have been choosing between posters on the walls. All in all, I put down this book with a general feeling of having wasted the couple hours it took to read.
I think I liked this book more than the average reviewer because it really made me think about my own grandmother. The connection between Pilar and her grandmother really struck home for me. So, if you have a strong connection to your own grandmother/grandmother figure, it might be the same for you. Otherwise, the only other person I know who read it (and many reviews) find it just ok.
I'm glad that this was a short book. It's split into 3 sections of "The Ladfe" "The Chef" and "The Courtesan". I felt that the first third was interesting, but when it took up half the book itself the last two parts I felt were just thrown together. I think that the book would have been more enjoyable if it had been all one story instead of trying to choose only three traits that a wife needs.
Actually, the reason why I bought this book is because of its catchy title and cover. As I continue to read further, I've learned that it's all about lost love and sacrifice, one generation passing on its secrets and lessons to another, and making decisions that can change the course of one’s whole life. So far, I'm enjoying reading it. :)
This is one of the best books I have ever read. It provides such an excellent insight into the old world of marriage, and the current world of learning to love.... it changed my mind about everything.
Every woman - married or not - should read this. The way it's written offers vivid image of the Venezuelan woman. The elegance, as well as the glamorous image of the "alta sociedad" is so well-described that it actually made me flip each page from one to the next.
This book is not really my style. It feels like a mix of Jackie Collins, even though I have never read any of her books, and Afrodita of Isabel Allende.