Customer Reviews

Ramona

5 star:		(16)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

Just when I had begun to despair that I might never truly fall in love with a book again, along came Ramona. From the first page, I was captured by the poetic nature of the writing. Some books can be read quickly, not so Ramona. Every sentence is crafted so carefully, every description so complete, some passages must be read over and over again just for the sheer pleasure of the prose. The plot combination of social justice and romance makes the book amazingly contemporary. The racism of this book is directed toward the Native American population and their story is a heart wrenching one indeed. The description of the startling beauty of the landscape and the lives of the characters stands in stark contrast to the breathtaking cruelty with which this nation took land from its native population. Ramona thrilled me and broke my heart. I highly recommend it.

I have Heard Ramona by Helen Hunt Jackson described as a "propaganda novel." That it well may have been in its day. But "Ramona" has not endured all these years because of a propaganda message. This novel has endured because of the trueness of the characters--The noble Alessandro, the patient, tender Ramona, the faithful Felipe, the just, stern, sad Senora Moreno.

Even the minor characters are true to form especially the jealous, vindictive Margarita, the loyal Marta, and the strutting but endearing Juan Can.

I rediscovered this book in a dusty corner of our public library and devoured in in two days.

A book becomes a classic when it becomes part of your soul. The love story of Ramona and Alessandro has burned itself into my heart where it will remain forever.

I just recently heard of this book, although it was a bestseller around the turn of the century, and was popular through the 20's. Modern readers may find the language and parts of the plot melodramatic and overly sentimental, but the characters are strong and memorable, the story is full of exciting incident, and the portrayal of the United States government still shocks. I grew up in California, but I had never really seen how "white Americans" appeared to the Native Americans and Mexicans who first lived here. "Ramona" gives the earlier settlers a voice. Erica Baumeister's review, quoted on the Amazon page for this book, states that "the book has the flaws of being created by an author who, although deeply engaged and sympathetic, had not experienced the life she was describing." I don't agree--perhaps if I had grown up as an "Indian" or Mexican in those times I wouldn't find the book convincing, but as it is, it worked for me. The main characters, Ramona and Alessandro, are "fairy-tale-ized", but their story still touches, and the book still has power. Helen Hunt Jackson purposely wrote "Ramona" to call attention to the U.S.'s unfair treatment of Native Americans, but the two essays included in the Signet edition claim that, for all the popularity of the novel, it didn't bring results. For that, we have only our own injustice to blame, because this poetic messenger did her best to right some wrongs.

I thought this was one of the best books I have ever read. You will fall in love with Ramona (Majella) and Alessandro.If you are like me your heart will break, then it will heal slowly, but maybe not all the way. While reading this book you may learn some things you did not know before. If you have some spare time, read this book. But don't race through it, there is meaning in every line. I recomend this book mostly to girls. It can be read from teens up. You do not have to be fans of history to love this book.

I must admit I read this novel only to get the background on my girlfriend Majel's name. I initially held no respect for its "Great American Love Story" subtitle, but this book really hit me right in the chest. I liked that I was able to extract the characters' personalities from their words and tones rather than from paragraphs of third-person description. I liked that it piqued my interest in nineteenth century Californian history, especially the upsetting struggle of the Mexicans and Native Americans living there. And lastly, I liked experiencing the boundless love that flowed from the simple, strong and beautiful Ramona. A quick, colorful, emotionally satisfying novel.

Ramona, set in early Spanish/Mexican California, weaves the tale of love between the Indian Allessandro and the Mexican-Indian girl Ramona. Rich, deep characters and vivid description of the landscapes makes this novel a great piece of California historical fiction. Through Jackson's powerful illustrations, the racism Mexicans and Indians both endured at the hands of White and Mexican settlers is experienced by the reader. Yet the love story is what makes this book and Jackson's romanticism of the landscape and the main charcaters only enhances Californians' fascination with Mission Revival.

It has been a long time since I first read this book, but the subject matter will be around for a long time to come. Bewitching love story for which at least one beautiful song has been written, "Ramona" and possibly "Vaya Con Dios". It is a love story, one whose emotion most of us will recognize; another time, another place, from our own Spring Time; woven skillfully into cultural differences, that somehow begets bigotry, born of all the little differences that make each of us unique, but also make us strange and unacceptable to others who cannot accept differences from what they have always known.

The descriptions of that far removed landscape and time are marvelous. The Old early Missions, the sheep, the priests who visit the valley in the traditional way on foot, traveling on ancient footpaths to bring religion to the people (and keep them religious), all are magical in their simplicity as the author brings forth their tale. She is also one of the first to dare write of things unsavory to the average conscience. She took conditions "as they were" and exposed them "for what they were" in the treatment of people displaced.

It's a setting deep within the Old Spanish Mission Country of Southern California, among the sheep ranches, and steeped in Spanish Culture, strict traditions, and unforgiving religion. Times were hard, values were strict and anyone not fitting snugly into a pre-conceived notion of a pre-conceived group was hard-pressed to find a life to live in peace anywhere. It is in this life where Ramona grows up, a child of a misalliance between the former lover of the Senora Moreno's own sister and an Indian woman - that's a twist in the story to be discovered while reading it. The Senora, for a variety of reasons you will understand as you read, agrees to take the child Ramona in to raise, although she never accepts her, because she is not blood family. The description of Ramona is captivating, long black hair of the Indian girl, dark blue eyes of the Scottish father - truly she is beautiful, but it is also apparent that her beauty goes deeper than the skin; she is beautiful of spirit as well as of the flesh.

Alessandro, an Indian lad, comes to work on the ranch early in the spring to help with the annual sheep shearing. Ramona quickly sees in him something she has never seen before - someone who will accept her for whom she is, without reservation, coupled with a gentle mind and character much like her own. She falls in love with him, adding another layer of "difference" to her half-breed status.

Felipe, the beloved son of the venerable, strong and proud Matriarch, Senora Moreno, who rules not only the ranch but her son with an iron hand, falls in love with Ramona himself but knows he can never take her for his own, for many reasons. Those "reasons" finally dissolve during the tragic ending of the story and what remains of the life of Ramona blends again into the home she left as a young woman - as she tried to make a new life with a stranger she has loved deeply. As she is delivered back to a life of security, she is strangely serene - but never again will she feel wild, young excitement once experienced with Allesandro, the Indian. I offer one of the last lines of the epilogue - as she finally stands "quietly in Filepe's arms":

"...how unlike was she to that Ramona who flung herself on Alessandro's breast, crying 'take me with you! I would rather die than have you leave me!'....."

Ramona is well deserving of it's place in Classic Literature - a love and strife story extraordinaire.

I heard about the book while hiking at Seven Falls near Colorado Springs. HHJ was suppose to have gone to the overlook there to write, including parts of Ramona. This intrigued me and so I checked it out. I don't read much non-fiction, so I enjoyed the idea of a history based novel. It was enough of a love story for me to earn points with female friends, but enough of an adventure to keep me interested. One part of the book that I found distracting was the attempt at phonetic spelling of the Tennessee drawl of a few characters. I had the hardest time reading that, which perhaps is an excellent way of HHJ to capture the difficulty of listening to it.

Readers can follow the narrative style of "Ramona" with ease. It does not take a long time to finish reading this book.

I like the author's use of a love story, albeit sad and doomed, to shed light on the treatment of Native Indians in American history. You also learn a little about the life of the Mexicans and American settlers in California.

"Ramona" can still serve as a reminder of today's social injustices and the role we play in it.

Fafa Demasio

I admit it...I never in a million years would have read Ramona, if not forced to do so by my history professor for a class in race & ethnicity in American History. However, having said that, I found the book a thoroughly enjoyable read...overdramaticized, yes, but we can forgive it when we consider the original date of publication. However, it is the story behind the story that is most interesting. What Ramona truly is....a middle class white woman's perception of what it might be like to be an Indian. Jackson was an abolitionist turned author in the 1830's. This is her most recognized and extensive work. So the next time you read it, if you read between the lines, you will see HER innate prejudices and assumptions. But,like I said, I enjoyed it immensely and reccomend it as a fun read...but don't take it too literally...it is after all, fiction