Luisa in Realityland [Hardcover]

Claribel AlegrĆ­a (Author), Darwin J. Flakoll (Translator)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 1, 1995

novel, El Salvador, tr Darwin Flakoll

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

In Alegria's fictionalized memories of her Salvadoran youth, the combination of themethe loss of innocence as war and adulthood gradually intrudeand perspectiveeyewitness testimonial and nostalgic recollectionis no longer fresh, but the format is. Nominally an intentionally ironic takeoff on Lewis Carroll's children's classic, the text alternates between poignant prose vignettes and militant, more brutally direct verse, the latter in the tradition of Alegria's equally politically committed Flowers from the Volcano ( LJ 11/15/82). A natural translation (thanks to her husband's bilingual talents), but nonetheless not really an essential purchase. Lawrence Olszewski, OCLC, Dublin, Ohio
Copyright 1987 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Review

"Luisa in Realityland is a work whose language delights and astounds." -- American Book Review

"Neither bitter or propagandistic...it is a book by a writer driven by a vision of peace." -- Christian Science Monitor

"This poignant book will be an invaluable document for students of literature and of Latin American History." -- Choice

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 152 pages
• Publisher: Curbstone Press (July 1, 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0915306700
• ISBN-13: 978-0915306701
• Product Dimensions: 8.6 x 5.7 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #5,703,183 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A touching, funny, and powerful book, October 29, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Luisa in Realityland (Paperback)

I'm on my third copy of this book now, having lost my two others to careless borrowers. Alegria's ability to combine prose and poetry, personal insights and political and social commentary, and sadness and laughter is extraordinary. You don't need to know Salvadoran politics to enter into the experiences of a girl and woman changed forever by the society she lives in, and to relate to them.

0 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars That's an hour of my life I can't get back., May 6, 2004

By A Customer

This review is from: Luisa in Realityland (Paperback)

This collection of short stories and poems was a tiresome read. The format of the narrative is unusual, yes, but that does not (and cannot) save Luisa from being painfully melodramatic and boring. Fortunately for Alegria, she can always blame any problems on translation.