thain's review against another edition
4.0
Edifying yet somewhat heavy-going tale of the Mexican-American War focused on the San Patricios -- a battalion of Irish-American immigrants who fought on the side of Mexico.
The military details were authentic and occasionally quite gory. I had only a vague knowledge of the history so it was interesting to learn how far into Mexico the American troops encroached and that mistreatment of immigrants in their ranks led many to desert to the other side.
Into the mix, the author adds a romance between the real-life leader of the San Patricios, John Riley, and a battlefield nurse named Ximena who appears in the poem "The Angels of Buena Vista" by John Greenleaf Whittier. This is presented as an epic love story so I was surprised that it appears to have been invented. Still, I appreciated Ximena's perspective as someone witnessing the invasion of their homeland.
The military details were authentic and occasionally quite gory. I had only a vague knowledge of the history so it was interesting to learn how far into Mexico the American troops encroached and that mistreatment of immigrants in their ranks led many to desert to the other side.
Into the mix, the author adds a romance between the real-life leader of the San Patricios, John Riley, and a battlefield nurse named Ximena who appears in the poem "The Angels of Buena Vista" by John Greenleaf Whittier. This is presented as an epic love story so I was surprised that it appears to have been invented. Still, I appreciated Ximena's perspective as someone witnessing the invasion of their homeland.
kashicaat's review against another edition
sad
slow-paced
3.0
The subject matter was interesting and it's great to get historical fiction that isn't WW1 or WW2, but the story just dragged. There was just something missing, I didn't love the characters, didn't hate the characters.
jessmsamuels's review against another edition
4.0
Reyna Grande took 7 years to write this book, and read over 100 books in preparation. I am in awe the amount of work that she put into writing this book and I am impressed that she can weave history into a fictional story.
Despite my overall amazed by Renya's illustration of this time period in this historical fiction, I overall found the story itself just okay. The love story was a 2 out of 5 since it was instantaneous, and never showed WHY the characters fell for each other. I didn't feel she laid any foundation to make me yearn for the two of them to be together - other than the fact that they both needed something positive in their life.
The most fascinating parts of the story - and the most well-written (and best narrated) was Riley's sections. Hearing about his immigrant experience and his struggle with honor was fascinating and felt very real. In an interview I watched Reyna admitted that these sections were the most developed because she was writing her own immigrant experience, and had a lot of historical accounts to back it up, whereas she underdeeveloped Xemina's side.
Despite my overall amazed by Renya's illustration of this time period in this historical fiction, I overall found the story itself just okay. The love story was a 2 out of 5 since it was instantaneous, and never showed WHY the characters fell for each other. I didn't feel she laid any foundation to make me yearn for the two of them to be together - other than the fact that they both needed something positive in their life.
The most fascinating parts of the story - and the most well-written (and best narrated) was Riley's sections. Hearing about his immigrant experience and his struggle with honor was fascinating and felt very real. In an interview I watched Reyna admitted that these sections were the most developed because she was writing her own immigrant experience, and had a lot of historical accounts to back it up, whereas she underdeeveloped Xemina's side.
wratherinejohnson's review against another edition
4.0
3.5 stars. I finished the book but I wasn’t truly invested until halfway through. Interesting historical fiction, but it read like a text book at times.
kristafoley18's review against another edition
5.0
4.5 stars
What an amazing story, beautifully written. I really enjoyed this story. Deep and tragic and moving, bittersweet. I learned a lot and felt a lot of emotion.
Very well researched on a part of history that doesn't get heard as much. As a Texan, I learned about our history and Santa Anna growing up, but this was great to understand the events that actually happened, even from the Mexican's point of view. I learned who Santa Anna was and how his pride, selfish motives, and personal ambition affected the country. It was also eye opening to see how harsh the Yankees were as well, how aggressive our nation can be.
Such tragic hardships there are from the war, realistic and heartbreaking! Vivid descriptions of the landscape and destruction. As another reviewer states, "This isn’t an Irish lullaby or a Mexican fiesta. This is the grit of war, the loss of land and home. The degradation of fighting for a country not yours and suffering for it."
The characters were so real and well developed. I loved Ximena and John Riley, both such good people and so well suited for each other. It was touching to see their devotion to each other, supporting one another among the hardships of war. It was also touching to read about all the other characters in the book, including the Mexican women. The women were so quietly strong --resilient and giving, willing to help heal the hurt and to continue to follow their men into war areas.
A beautiful and sad story of war, love, sacrifice, faith, survival. Thankful to have received this book as a gift! I will possibly read it again and definitely look for Reyna's other works. 4.5 stars!
What an amazing story, beautifully written. I really enjoyed this story. Deep and tragic and moving, bittersweet. I learned a lot and felt a lot of emotion.
Very well researched on a part of history that doesn't get heard as much. As a Texan, I learned about our history and Santa Anna growing up, but this was great to understand the events that actually happened, even from the Mexican's point of view. I learned who Santa Anna was and how his pride, selfish motives, and personal ambition affected the country. It was also eye opening to see how harsh the Yankees were as well, how aggressive our nation can be.
Such tragic hardships there are from the war, realistic and heartbreaking! Vivid descriptions of the landscape and destruction. As another reviewer states, "This isn’t an Irish lullaby or a Mexican fiesta. This is the grit of war, the loss of land and home. The degradation of fighting for a country not yours and suffering for it."
The characters were so real and well developed. I loved Ximena and John Riley, both such good people and so well suited for each other. It was touching to see their devotion to each other, supporting one another among the hardships of war. It was also touching to read about all the other characters in the book, including the Mexican women. The women were so quietly strong --resilient and giving, willing to help heal the hurt and to continue to follow their men into war areas.
A beautiful and sad story of war, love, sacrifice, faith, survival. Thankful to have received this book as a gift! I will possibly read it again and definitely look for Reyna's other works. 4.5 stars!
emdashbookparty's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
Historical fiction with a healthy dash of romance, A Ballad of Love and Glory takes place in the mid-1840s during the Mexican-American War. It follows Ximena Salomé, a Mexican healer and soldadera, and John Riley, an Irish soldier in the American army. Both have spouses when the fighting begins, but circumstances bring them together, and soon their lovefor each other becomes a driving force in the decisions they make as the story unfolds.
The Mexican-American conflict is not usually represented very widely in educational materials or mainstream fiction, but Grande fleshes it out in detail, battle by battle; many readers will find some gaps in their childhood schooling filled. And while Ximena and John’s relationship is the lens through which the story is told, there are only a few spicy scenes, of moderate heat at most, and they are brief. The classically sweeping love story adds some interest and personal perspective to the novel, but it does not dominate.
This book wasn’t my personal jam, but it would be a great choice for the historical fiction fan who enjoys reading about war. If battles and political machinations are your thing, but you’re burned out on Civil War and World War II tales, give this one a try.
The Mexican-American conflict is not usually represented very widely in educational materials or mainstream fiction, but Grande fleshes it out in detail, battle by battle; many readers will find some gaps in their childhood schooling filled. And while Ximena and John’s relationship is the lens through which the story is told, there are only a few spicy scenes, of moderate heat at most, and they are brief. The classically sweeping love story adds some interest and personal perspective to the novel, but it does not dominate.
This book wasn’t my personal jam, but it would be a great choice for the historical fiction fan who enjoys reading about war. If battles and political machinations are your thing, but you’re burned out on Civil War and World War II tales, give this one a try.
hannahquin's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
informative
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
3.25
sittingwishingreading's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
sci_mom's review against another edition
5.0
I received this book through a Goodreads Giveaway. I know very little about the Mexican-American war and learned a lot from this story. I believe that a truly good historical fiction novel leads the reader to learning more about the subject and I soon found myself reading online articles about John Reilly and this period in our history. The author is a wonderful writer and did a fantastic job of bringing these events to life. I highly recommend this book and will read more books by Reyna Grande.
atamano's review against another edition
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Colonisation, Injury/injury detail, Medical trauma, Racism, Violence, War, Xenophobia, Bullying, Torture, Blood, Classism, Death, and Gore
Moderate: Infidelity, Alcohol, and Grief
Minor: Sexual harassment