A review by mycouscous
Conquistadora by Esmeralda Santiago
2.0
2.5 stars, if I could.
Santiago's rote style of writing holds back this novel. While none of the characters are remotely sympathetic, there is something interesting about them and their situations. Ana really could have been something special, ignoring her instinctual dislike of slavery in favor of exploiting her workers to further her ambitions. However, Santiago does not fully delve into the emotional conflict, settling instead for telling us everything we should know about the character.
The lush sugar cane plantation was a well formed setting, as was the knowledge of the era that Santiago presented with the story. I say presented with because she didn't do the latter with any finesse: whole paragraphs of explication go by without incorporating the information into the story.
The drama and potential for the story to get better kept me reading, though I definitely struggled. It took me forever to get through this, and I kind of wish I'd stopped.
Santiago's rote style of writing holds back this novel. While none of the characters are remotely sympathetic, there is something interesting about them and their situations. Ana really could have been something special, ignoring her instinctual dislike of slavery in favor of exploiting her workers to further her ambitions. However, Santiago does not fully delve into the emotional conflict, settling instead for telling us everything we should know about the character.
The lush sugar cane plantation was a well formed setting, as was the knowledge of the era that Santiago presented with the story. I say presented with because she didn't do the latter with any finesse: whole paragraphs of explication go by without incorporating the information into the story.
The drama and potential for the story to get better kept me reading, though I definitely struggled. It took me forever to get through this, and I kind of wish I'd stopped.