Tuesday, September 25, 2007

The Hummingbird's Daughter

by Luis Alberto Urrea

Read it for a book discussion

So, I thought this would be nice for our September book discussion. I thought that we could celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month and read Urrea's fictionalized account of Teresa Urrea, the Saint of Cabora.

Oh, this was 500 pages of misery. My biggest gripe is that Urrea has no concept of characterization. At all. This novel is all plot. We know nothing of substance about any of the characters in this sizable novel.

What do we know? Teresita was a healer. She was raped and left for dead. She was in a coma and died. While on display for her wake, she rose and became a healer of saintly proportions. That's it. Really.

This took me way too long to read. And I can't ever get that time back.

Not recommended. For anyone.

9/25/07

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