From Library Journal
The University of Houston's Arte Publico Press reconfirms its niche as a major publisher of Hispanic American works by introducing readers to these four new novels by Latinas. Both Ambert and Espinosa explore abuse-physical, sexual, emotional-as metaphors for women's subjugation and degradation. Ambert's A Perfect Silence examines the case of Blanca, a young Puerto Rican whose life alternates between Puerto Rico and New York; she endeavors to escape poverty and abuse through education, only to find that the price is madness. Chilean-born Adrianne, of Espinosa's Dark Plums, goes from nearly nonstop casual sexual encounters with men and women to brutal prostitution but ultimately, like Blanca, emerges with a whole, if bruised, identity. Lachtman's more traditional novel examines the life of Angela Martin/Angela Raines. At the age of nine, living in the barrio of Depression-era Los Angeles, Angela agonizingly learns that it is a crime to be Mexican as she witnesses her adored father's unjust beating and arrest by immigration authorities. Twenty-year-old Angela formally rejects her Mexican heritage as she marries an Anglo and becomes a perfect suburban housewife. Thirty years later, with a reprieve from cancer, Angela finally attempts to heal the wounds that bifurcate her two lives. Rivera's African Passions is a collection of eight interwoven stories about passionate Cuban American women. Recurring characters, family relationships, and the Jersey City Hispanic barrio connect the stories, as does Rivera's delicious sense of humor. These first novels are all appropriate for Latino and women's literature collections in academic and large public libraries.
Mary Margaret Benson, Linfield Coll. Lib., McMinnville, Ore.Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Review
"A fine collection . . . Dreams and illusions, goals and ambitions, love and loss are portrayed with humor and understanding . . . Recommended." --
Choice Magazine:"We are reminded that even in tragedy there is often comic absurdity. This delightful anthology is highly recommended." --
The Denver Post:Rivera's literary collection of stories focuses on the plight and conflicts faced by various Hispanic women obsessed by love. This could have also been featured in our literary column; but deserves mention here for any interested in the nuances of Latin relationships and the special cultural influences upon their common ties. --
Midwest Book Review
