A review by kristafoley18
A Ballad of Love and Glory by Reyna Grande
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!