Customer Reviews

Bernardo and the Virgin (Latino Voices)

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4 star:		(1)
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I never knew much about Nicaragua, but after reading Bernardo and the Virgin I now feel that I have been there. I've read many books by Latino writers, and Sirias' is one of the best. Bernardo and the Virgin contains many beautiful stories. The spiritual dimensions of this novel remind me of Bless Me, Ultima, but it's the political aspect, the wringer Bernardo is put through after the Virgin appears to him, that propels the story. The novel also stands as a loving tribute to the people of Nicaragua. I will definitely recommend that my Latino literature professor put this book on her reading list. And to anyone who enjoys the magic of Latin American literature, I absolutely recommend it.

As a former student of Dr. Sirias I was very interested in reading this book. I found it to be very insightful, thoughtful, and descriptive. While the topic of spirituality and appearances of the Virgin Mary may scare off some readers, they should know that it is much more a story of Nicaragua and its struggles than anything else. Anyone interested in Latino literature will find this book very engaging. As a first major fictional work, I found the book to be very enjoyable!

I am from Nicaragua, but I have been living in the States since the age of 15 when my family fled the country during the political problems of the early 1980's. I have to say that "Bernardo and the Virgin" perfectly captures the Nicaragua I remember. The characters are authentic "Nicas" in the way they act, think, and speak. I had often heard other Nicaraguans talk about the Virgin's appearance in Cuapa, and now it is wonderful to have this story told so beautifully. Of all the novels about Nicaragua I have read, this one is the best. "Bernardo and the Virgin" is a must read for anyone interested in Latin American politics and religion.

I can't believe I waited this long to read this book. I can't express what a joy it was for me to read a work by a fellow Nicaraguan-American that so artfully made use of our slang and expressions and created these fascinating characters. I worked my way through this book in a matter of days--it was hard for me to put down, even at work. Reading Bernardo's story, even though largely fictional, has done a lot to restore my faith in both the divine and the human. I highly recommend this book not only to other Nicaraguans, so that they can find themselves in this novel as I did, but to other Latinos so that they can get a glimpse of the beauty of the Nicaraguan spirit.

Here is the story of how I came to read Bernardo & the Virgin. My story is true, I don't care if you don't believe me. My brother Brian, bartender at the Hoboken Elks, got an 8 cent fare to Nicaragua from Spirit Air. They had a special promotion; the fare was 8 cents, but the taxes made it over $86.

In September he flew to Nicaragua. In October when the NY Mets blew their chances of getting in the World Series, Brian wrote to me that he was not coming home because of the Mets' implosion. He was traveling all over Nicaragua, having a blast. In November I thought to send him a Christmas present. Based on Joshua Berman's review on his Nicaragua travel web site I bought Bernardo and the Virgin. Berman is the co-author of the Moon Guide to Nicaragua.

So I mailed Bernardo and the Virgin to Brian c/o Jimmy Three Fingers in Granada. Brian swore via email I didn't need any more address than that. Well, each time I emailed him I asked if he got my Christmas present, and it never arrived. Then for a while I didn't hear from my brother. I emailed Jimmy Three Fingers in Spanish and English, never got a reply. Jan 1, 2008 I flew down to visit my brother. When I got to Granada he was right where he said he'd be, at the bar at Jimmy Three Fingers drinking a cerveza.

He was happy to see me and I spent a great week seeing the country. We took a three day trek in the highlands of Jinotega coffee country. But, back to the book. Before I left to come home he asked me to take back some stuff to lighten his load. He handed me the book, Bernardo and the Virgin. Seems it had been behind the bar. The barmaid had watched Brian open it, and he told me she seemed very disappointed to find the gift was a book. She asked if he liked to read.

Brian told me I could take it home as it is a heavy book and he honestly wasn't going to read it just then. He had a book already, Jimmy Buffett's Tales from Margaritaville. So I flew home with Bernardo and the Virgin. Started reading it in the airport in Managua, I enjoyed it very much. There is one chapter so remarkable I would match it up with some of the finest short stories I have ever read. I recommend this book highly. I felt good after reading it.

What about my brother? Well, Brian was in the Zoom Bar in Granada during the Superbowl. He bet on the underdogs, the NY Giants, who miraculously won and Brian won his plane fare home. I am going to see him Tuesday and give him the book again. I think he will like it.

Sirias' novel lights on a passage of Nicaraguan history that had been left in the dark. Bernardo & the Virgin is a timeless gift to every Nicaraguan and a true celebration of our character and spirituality. His characters and their stories are an opportunity for all of us (the men and women who were brave and faithful enough to believe in La Virgen in a time of repression, those of us who were born in the eighties and too young to remember, and generations to come) to relive and understand how the Virgin Mary's apparition shaped our country's fate. Bernardo & the Virgin combines literary genius and boundless creativity to portray Nicaraguans (yes, we can be very loud at times) in one of the darkest periods in our history: the Sandinista Revolution. Unintentional as it may have been written (or perhaps quite the contrary), Sirias' novel honors and fulfills the Virgin's plea to never forget her message, one that echoes with strength and finds new meaning in our context: `Don't ask for peace, work for it.' This is a must read for every person who has a connection to Nicaragua. After all, when it comes to our country, the world is in fact a handkerchief.

Since the moment I read the first words of this captivating novel I found myself having a hard time putting it down. "Bernardo and the Virgin" tells the story of the political struggle of Nicaragua as well as the Virgin's appearances in Cuapa in such a unique way that engages you all throughout the book. Chapter by chapter, each story tells a tale of friendship, romance, faith, and struggle, all coming together for a powerful and heart-warming ending. This novel is very dear to my heart, and would highly recommend it as a must read.

While reading Bernardo and the Virgin, I was carried through a series of different stories that deal not only with the religious beliefs characteristic of the Latino population, but with the political and social reality of Nicaragua at the time. Dr. Sirias' was able to intertwine both fiction and fact to bring this novel to life! I really enjoyed reading it, and I would recommend it to anyone interested in Latino literature and its diversified culture.