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A review by book_concierge
The Hummingbird's Daughter by Luis Alberto Urrea
4.0
Urrea spent two decades researching the “history” of his distant relative – Teresa Urrea, the Saint of Cabora and “Joan of Arc” de Mexico.
This fictionalized biography of Teresa has many fantastical elements. She was a curandera and known to have prophetic dreams, as well as the healer’s gift. Even as a young girl she was in demand as a midwife because she could ease the mothers’ pains.
Urrea clearly loves the subject and writes poetically. There is a large cast of characters, though, and the reader should pay attention. But, then again, these stories have been told around campfires and kitchen tables for more than a century and who knows where the truth ends and the legend begins? The result, however, is that some characters appear without reason and disappear rather suddenly. Whatever happened to Millan? What happened to Gaby? What about Loreto? And, really, what happened to Teresa for the rest of her life?
Urrea uses a lot of Spanish in the text, as well as some indigenous Indian words. He tends to translate the latter, but not the former, so the non-Spanish speaking reader will be at a distinct disadvantage.
Like most folk tales, the book has more than its share of humor, as well as tragedy, suffering, and larger-than-life magic. It is a quintessentially Mexican story.
This fictionalized biography of Teresa has many fantastical elements. She was a curandera and known to have prophetic dreams, as well as the healer’s gift. Even as a young girl she was in demand as a midwife because she could ease the mothers’ pains.
Urrea clearly loves the subject and writes poetically. There is a large cast of characters, though, and the reader should pay attention. But, then again, these stories have been told around campfires and kitchen tables for more than a century and who knows where the truth ends and the legend begins? The result, however, is that some characters appear without reason and disappear rather suddenly. Whatever happened to Millan? What happened to Gaby? What about Loreto? And, really, what happened to Teresa for the rest of her life?
Urrea uses a lot of Spanish in the text, as well as some indigenous Indian words. He tends to translate the latter, but not the former, so the non-Spanish speaking reader will be at a distinct disadvantage.
Like most folk tales, the book has more than its share of humor, as well as tragedy, suffering, and larger-than-life magic. It is a quintessentially Mexican story.