Customer Reviews

The Flamboyant

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

 

 

I wanted to like this book as the story line about an aviatrix in Puerto Rico is right up my alley, but the way this is told is quite poor. The novel tends to be rushed to put it mildly. It often skips an entire year or even four years between chapters or parts, and not very much changes. The young heroine, Lenora, does not take up flight till over halfway thru the novel. Except for an occasional outing in the air, (also note there is no detail about flying at all except what things look like below) she lives the life of a princess in Puerto Rico. She has numerous suitors that she leads along and refuses to marry, her very own leopard as a pet, and collects jewelry as a mere hobby. There is also very little conversation. The story is told in a style like Hans Christian Anderson's fairy tales. I can see it being read to children in a library...."and then the little princess bought a leopard..and recieved a telegram proposing marriage.. which of course she did not accept.. and merrily, merrily, merrily." That is not a direct quote, just the impression I got from this novel.

Wow, I'm really sorry to see that there were 2 reviews only for this novel, and they were all less than overjoyed. I actually loved this novel. It's a shame that it often appears only people less than satisfied with an item will review it. I myself am guilty of not always reviewing a book or CD I loved.

The book dealt mostly with the life of a fictional character Lenora Demarest. Lenora lost her loving mother at a young age and moved to Puerto Rico with her father. The book followed her journey to adulthood, both in taking over her father's business (grapefruits) to fulfilling her dream of becoming an aviator (one of the first women). There is some romance thrown into the novel as well, but I felt it is the friendships Clara forms both with the affluent (like herself) and her workers that truly shines.

I felt the author did a magnificent job with detail. She not only did a fantastic job letting you know the main characters (and even some of the background characters) but she also did a tremendous job offering you the chance to see what she was seeing with non-vital items such as views of the land below from the plane, jewelry descriptions and the food/meals that were eaten at that time in Puerto Rico.

The author touched upon the current events of the time (1920's - current) from the depression in the US, to Puerto Ricans feeling as if they did not belong, to Charles Lindbergh and Amelia Earhart, aviation and feminism.

I thoroughly enjoyed Miss Carlsons book and look forward to reading The Sunday Tertulia.

I bought this book to take on a trip because of the gorgeous cover picture and intriguing book flap description. I was hoping for something more dynamic and challenging but the story and characters never really come to life. I would recommend this novel to readers who want a sugery dose of sappy fluff.

Wrong in constructions, use of the language, presentation of carachters, details such as the celebration of New Years Eves after Jan. 29 are part of this book that mix the rality of the puertorrican society of the first part of the 20 century with the absurds misconceptions of the writter. If someone wants to have superficial, cosmetics and simple ideas of the socio political situacion of Puerto Rico, this is the book to read.

I bought this book to take on a trip because of the gorgeous cover picture and intriguing book flap description. I was hoping for something more dynamic and challenging but the story and characters never really come to life. I would recommend this novel to readers who want a sugery dose of sappy fluff.