Customer Reviews

Eccentric Neighborhood

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

 

 

The stories told by the narrator, Elvira, about several generations of her family, make you wish she had more aunts, uncles, grandparents, and parents for us to meet. The author has a slightly quirky way of introducing the reader to each of Elvira's colorful ancestors and of telling what ultimately is Elvira's story. This is not a novel, per se, but a collection of short, connected stories that, when all told, form a complete picture.

Those of us who were outraged that Rosario Ferré did not win the National Book Award for House on the Lagoon, will be delighted that she has a new offering. Eccentric Neighborhoods follows the fortunes of two Puerto Rican families from the end of the 19th century to the present, using the women of the family to exemplify the knife's edge where so many Latinas balance-a family that proclaims itself to be modern while limiting their daughters' choices. Ferré wisely steers away from the magic realism that has become a Latin cliche in the hands of anyone but Gabriel Garcia Marquez, and tells a straightforward, compelling tale of plantation society on a collision course with the changing world. Unfortunately, the stunning, un-put-downable House on the Lagoon is a tough act to follow, and while Eccentric Neighborhoods certainly ranks above the rest of this year's Latin-themed fiction, it lacks the depth and complexity of her first novel. Ferré is a beautiful writer, and I'll definitely be thrilled to follow her career. I look forward to what she comes up with next.

Rosario Ferre is an excellent story-weaver. She takes us on a magic carpet ride to the land of plantation owners and Puerto Rican socialités. Her story contains a lot of similarities between real life and fiction, and probably takes most of her experiences as the daughter of the then Governor of Puerto Rico, Luis A. Ferré, to weave her story; which makes it even more delightful. I would love to read an autobiographical book from her.

Eccentric Neighborhoods is a family story written in a magical and poetic fashion. A love story , a family history as well a history of Puerto Rico unfolds for the reader.

I stumbled on Ms Ferre's work and quickly became addicted to it. The intimations of Puerto Rican history here are subtle and artistically wrought. Comparisons to Garcia Marquez are unfair but probably inevitable. She's not in that league, neither in imagination nor narrative gifts. But she's still one heck of a storyteller and her characters are wonderfully evoked. Unputdownable, especially if you know a bit about Puerto Rico and its history.

It almost feels that is not fair/ not the same to read this book if you are Puertorican and/or are if you are familiar with Rosario Ferre's real-life family history. I am both and that's why I am confused about how I feel about this book. I love Garcia Lorca; therefore, I was inmediately drawn to her writing style and to the magical realism touches throughout the book. However, towards the middle, the storyline became more of a catharsis (autobiography?) and less about the themes of role of strong women, social impact of economic trends, etc..I can't help the feeling that this novel was written for an English-speaking audience, specifically American, and that Ms. Ferre was throwing a tantrum towards the end. Excellent writing; it is where she is taking the book/story that seems to be somewhat confusing.....

It almost feels that is not fair/ not the same to read this book if you are Puertorican and/or are if you are familiar with Rosario Ferre's real-life family history. I am both and that's why I am confused about how I feel about this book. I love Garcia Lorca; therefore, I was inmediately drawn to her writing style and to the magical realism touches throughout the book. However, towards the middle, the storyline became more of a catharsis (autobiography?) and less about the themes of role of strong women, social impact of economic trends, etc..I can't help the feeling that this novel was written for an English-speaking audience, specifically American, and that Ms. Ferre was throwing a tantrum towards the end. Excellent writing; it is where she is taking the book/story that seems to be somewhat confusing.....

This is a book I never would have believed to be fiction unless it told me. The characters feel real. There are a lot of people to keep track of and sometimes it goes back and forth in time but there is a useful family tree in the front of the book that I kept referring to.

I got a feel for Costa Rica past and present and I enjoyed the stories of the different characters. I am going to have some of my students read it and I highly recommend it!