Customer Reviews

Aguero Sisters (Ballantine Reader's Circle (Prebound))

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

More than a year ago, my father pulled a book from his shelf and read the first chapter aloud to me. The book was "The Aguero Sisters" and the chapter was completely captivating in its richness of language, its evocative prose, and in the tremendous curiosity it instilled in me about what why certain events occurred and what would happen next. I went on to read the book and absolutely loved it.

"The Aguero Sisters" is several stories interwoven into one. It is a love story, and a mystery of sorts. It is a story of generation and cultural differences and of the strange emotional contradictions felt between siblings. Most importantly, it is a story with rhythm, energy, and touches of dark humor.

There are so many different reasons why people should read this book and none of them are political. Of course it deals with Cuban politics, but it does so in an irreverent and humorous fashion. The most political characters in this book appear to be caricatures while the least political ones are the most compelling.

I have read books with similar themes such as "The Woman Warrior", and "The Joy Luck Club". While I learned a lot from these works and appreciated their content, it seemed that their strengths rested more on issues pertaining to ethnicity, gender, immigration, and generation differences than on any literary merit. "The Aguero Sisters" touches upon similar issues, but it also stands alone as a superb novel. I hope that in the future this book will be compared to some of the finest novels of the Twentieth Century, instead of merely being categorized as "ethnic literature".

The Aguero Sisters is my first book by Cristina Garcia, but I can say with confidence it won't be my last. This novel was a truly mesmerizing feat; each page a veritable feast for the senses with beautiful, rich imagery and lush details of the Cuban landscape. This book sat on my bookshelf for over two years -- and now I'm wondering what took me so long.

Mystery and mythical religion is the backdrop for Cristina Garcia's haunting and descriptive tale of The Aguero Sisters. The story opens with drama and mystery surrounding the death of Constancia and Reina's mother, Blanca. What follows are chapters told in each sister's voice -- Constancia, a successful cosmetics entrepreneur, who lives in Miami with her husband Heberto -- and Reina, an electrician, whose skills are in high demand all over Cuba. Each sister gives details of their lives, their feelings about their mother's unexpected death, and the background of their estrangement from each other. Also in the mix are chapters from Constancia and Reina's children as well as the family history told by the sisters' deceased father, Ignacio. And as the months pass by, each sister gets closer and closer to each other and learning the truth about their mother.

The Aguero Sisters is a beautiful and haunting tale about growing up in Cuba in the midst of political upheaval, their struggles in trying to escape, and their need for reconciliation of the past. I was captivated by the writing style and eloquent language as well as the mysterious storyline and descriptions of a country I will never get to see. Highly recommended read.

This was such an enjoyable story. The writing was so rich, it breathed. There was enough of a mystery to wonder about, but what called me to the book night after night was the great character development. I hope they never make a movie, because the images I have of all of the characters are so strong.

I read books for many reasons, but above all, to be transported out of my present life to different dimensions and fresh possibilities. However, sometimes, rarely, the language a writer uses is enough to cause rapture, and this truly is the case with Cristina Garcia, author of The Aguero Sisters. This is a novel in which the plot is almost incidental to the rich tapestry of characterizations, dissection of the human psyche, and descriptions of superstitions which take the reader's breath away. In fact, the long-awaited climax, when it finally comes, does not provide any resolution at all, which is a disappointment, but by no means a disaster because before getting to this point, the reader is transported back and forth between Cuba and the United States, communism and capitalism, family rifts and reconciliations, and most importantly, to a discovery of what happens to people who are separated from each other in a familial, political, and geographical sense. Above and beyond this, the writer's incredibly poetic manipulation of the English language, her second language, "peels back raw regions of misery" and uses "an explosive lexicon of hardship and bitter jokes." Oh, to come from a culture as rich as this and through suffering to find my true self rather than simply wallow in the grief of it all. I covet Garcia's relationship with words and understanding of human nature and all its strengths and frailties. If there were a guarantee that every book would be as engrossing as this one, then I would be sure to set aside time to read more regularly because the replenishment that comes from the pages of novels such as this is incalculable.

Cristina Garcia writes with elequence, with a wit so sharp, so kind and so filled with wisdom, that one is transported. I recommend this book even higher than her previous novel: DREAMING IN CUBA. Both books are just wonderful. I am an author myself, and I say CHEERS to Cristina Garcia! She is a writer to watch for.

A quick read but one I enjoyed none the less. The intertwining of stories, past and present, between sisters daughters and so on makes for a book full of good ingredients. I especially loved how Constancia, one of the sisters who starts a line of beauty products, still mixes her own remedies for her skin and doesn't use the products she produces. Such a great representation of capitalism. :) I'm still seeking more in depth novels about cuban culture - if anyone has recommendations, let me know.

Not as good as Sonando en Cubano and takes a little time to be drawn into it, but it ends up being OK. It's a story of two sisters from Cuba and the divergent paths their lives take.

Readers who loved "Dreaming in Cuban" the way I did will like "The Aguero Sisters" a lot. They will also realize they've read this book before. It's all here: the two sisters (one in Cuba, one in the US), the wimpy husband, the lovably nutty artist daughter, the prodigal son. So, no, it's not a new novel, but it will satisfy your craving. Try it if you need a treat.

Had just finished reading Charming Billy. Both stories of family myths and lies and love and disappointment, similiar but different. Irish vs. Cuban. Loved them both.

I didn't know much about Cuba or immigrants from there before I read this book, but now I appreciate what life is like under Castro. I kept thinking I was further along in this book than I was, since I was savoring every word.