Customer Reviews

Sapogonia

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Sapogonia by Ana Castillo is a fantastical and romantic novel. It may take some readers a bit of time to get used to the style of the novel, but once you do, you will be taken on various trips between the lives of Pastora and Maximo Madrigal. The characters share their lives both together and separately to create a well-rounded story. There's also a bit of magical realism that hints of what's to come from Castillo as an author. While I wouldn't say this is one of her best works, I would highly recommend it to anyone who is interested in finding something new to read; especially if it was works from a Latina author.

This book would also make for a great edition to a literature class. I think the benefits of a knowledgeable teacher would really flesh out the themes of this novel.

A multi-viewpoint view on the areas of assimilation, violence, and gender relations. Castillo masterfully wavers from the masculine narrator Max (whom she writes from both the first and third person, sometimes switching in the middle of the narration) and Pastora, the woman with whom he is infatuated and cannot obtain. She also mixes fantasy, memory, and dreams to create a work that will stay with the reader long after the final page is read.

I read this exquisite achievement from Ana Castillo a while back ago, and it still permeates every pore in my body. This book illustrates the seduction between a beautiful pagan demi-goddess that is envisioned as Coatlique. A witch she is called by her desperate lover, Maximo through the soft lament of his guitar. This novel is an orgasmic documentation of an obsessive attraction of flesh and mind. Of Hero worship and loss.Ana Castillo creates Pastora as a strong sexual brilliant woman, who has enraptured Maximo. But Maximo can never have her.