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candacesiegle_greedyreader's review
3.0
Oh, my. Such a big mistake to compare Ana in this novel to Scarlett O'Hara. Isn't the first line of "Gone with the Wind" something like "Scarlett O'Hara was not beautiful but men rarely noticed after being captivated by her charm"? So here we have Ana who is not beautiful and has no charm, so unless being good at business and having slaves is what you're going to base that comparison on, it is quite a stretch.
So let's forget about Scarlett and look at Ana. Captivated by journals of an ancestor who was one of the first whites in what is now Puerto Rico, she does not hesitate to move their with her new husband and his twin brother to work a sugar plantation their family owns. Ana becomes obsessed with the plantation, a grim and brutal place, no Tara, to the detriment of everyone else.
The first part of "Conquistadora" suffers from story-telling. People and situations are explained rather than experienced. This changes somewhat later in the novel, but by that time it is too late to really understand or sympathize with the characters. Ana herself and Severo, her second husband are complete mysteries. It is hard to get involved with them or to care what happens.
I did finish the book, and enjoyed Santiago's writing. Here's what I'd like to see in the sequel I suspect is underway: snatch Ana off the Hacienda Los Gemelos and put her somewhere to explore another aspect of her character; examine city life at the time and put the spotlight on other characters. Look at what has influenced the personality of the Puerto Rican people--from "Conquistadora" one would expect them to be gloomy and repressed and we know that is not the case. Where's the joy, the humor, the charm (that word again!) of the people and place?
To belabor the GWTW comparison, that novel is filled with the excitement and adventure of the time and place seen through the eyes of possibly the most selfish character in literature, who nonetheless cares about other people and is involved with them whole-heartedly. The wheels in her head are always turning. Compared to her, Ana's a drudge.
By Candace Siegle, Greedy Reader
So let's forget about Scarlett and look at Ana. Captivated by journals of an ancestor who was one of the first whites in what is now Puerto Rico, she does not hesitate to move their with her new husband and his twin brother to work a sugar plantation their family owns. Ana becomes obsessed with the plantation, a grim and brutal place, no Tara, to the detriment of everyone else.
The first part of "Conquistadora" suffers from story-telling. People and situations are explained rather than experienced. This changes somewhat later in the novel, but by that time it is too late to really understand or sympathize with the characters. Ana herself and Severo, her second husband are complete mysteries. It is hard to get involved with them or to care what happens.
I did finish the book, and enjoyed Santiago's writing. Here's what I'd like to see in the sequel I suspect is underway: snatch Ana off the Hacienda Los Gemelos and put her somewhere to explore another aspect of her character; examine city life at the time and put the spotlight on other characters. Look at what has influenced the personality of the Puerto Rican people--from "Conquistadora" one would expect them to be gloomy and repressed and we know that is not the case. Where's the joy, the humor, the charm (that word again!) of the people and place?
To belabor the GWTW comparison, that novel is filled with the excitement and adventure of the time and place seen through the eyes of possibly the most selfish character in literature, who nonetheless cares about other people and is involved with them whole-heartedly. The wheels in her head are always turning. Compared to her, Ana's a drudge.
By Candace Siegle, Greedy Reader
annabtlr's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
marenkae's review
dnf @ 58%
let's be real, I dnf'd this a long time ago but didn't want to mark it down. I read the first half of this book TWICE and loved it both times but there's something about the middle of the book that I've found really difficult to get through and I just lost interest both times I tried to read it. This is another one on the dnf shelf that I would like to return to in theory but attempting to restart it for a third time not knowing if I'll be able to make it through to the end probably won't happen for a long time, if at all.
I do think this book is well written, it tackles a lot of deep issues, and the protagonist is very morally gray but FASCINATING (and also queer!) I would still recommend it, honestly, despite not being able to finish it.
let's be real, I dnf'd this a long time ago but didn't want to mark it down. I read the first half of this book TWICE and loved it both times but there's something about the middle of the book that I've found really difficult to get through and I just lost interest both times I tried to read it. This is another one on the dnf shelf that I would like to return to in theory but attempting to restart it for a third time not knowing if I'll be able to make it through to the end probably won't happen for a long time, if at all.
I do think this book is well written, it tackles a lot of deep issues, and the protagonist is very morally gray but FASCINATING (and also queer!) I would still recommend it, honestly, despite not being able to finish it.
eleven_hummingbird's review
dark
emotional
sad
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
4.0
Conquistadora invites the reader into nineteenth-century Puerto Rico, exploring portraits of its inhabitants, without offering many thoughts of its own. Contrasting themes are left murky and unresolved so as to leave little direction as to what might be considered just. The novel benefits greatly from reflection, but Santiago refrains from providing the reader with much of this herself.
Characters are often internally contrasted and left open to interpretation. The protagonist evokes desire for autonomy, success, and intimacy, but is callous and single-minded. One character’s dependability is marred by deception and cruelty. Without reflective dialogue or narration, how the reader is intended to see these characters as a whole is left largely open. Discussion questions in the back matter seem to confirm this was a deliberate choice by Santiago.
Santiago’s prose drifts between description, narration, and dialogue. The novel opens with a descriptive scene of early Spanish conquerors landing in Puerto Rico, a narration of events, and eventually focuses on a scene with dialogue. Rotation between description, narration, and dialogue continues, in various order, throughout. This technique enables Santiago to follow a fairly wide cast of characters over half a lifetime, but can read like a historical narrative with evocative portraits scattered throughout.
Revolving focus around the protagonist, the narrative frequently branches out to explore the lives of other characters. This is successful in diversifying perspective, but time with these characters is often so brief as to be hardly more than a glimpse. While they are given attention, the enslaved African laborers and servants lack the depth of the principal Spanish characters, existing largely as victims, each with their identifying quirk.
Santiago acknowledges appreciation towards research aides, but does not include a bibliography nor any discussion of her research. Although the historical elements in the work might all be considered common-knowledge, not in need of citation, opting not to provide readers with resources and transparency is hardly ideal.
As a literary experiment, Conquistadora is engaging. The structure allows for evocative scenes with many characters, but does not support the intimacy of a more centralized narration. The lack of reflection throughout leaves space for interpretation and discussion, but also requires the reader to ask their own questions and to formulate their own opinions entirely.
lovelybibliomanic's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
hopeful
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Miscarriage, Murder, Physical abuse, Pregnancy, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Slavery, Toxic relationship, and Violence
honeybastard's review
adventurous
challenging
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
lixliaalessandra's review
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
1.0
anneaustex's review against another edition
4.0
Read-alike: Hummingbird's Daughter by Luis Alberto Urrea
mycouscous's review against another edition
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.