Customer Reviews

The Tree of Red Stars

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

As a Uruguayan citizen, I am happy that someone from my country has attempted to write a novel apparently destined for the American public (it seems to have been originally written in English) concerning the bloody, U.S.-financed and -sponsored military dictatorship that scourged Uruguay from 1973 to 1985. Most of my American friends didn't know, or didn't believe, that the U.S. actively supported antidemocratic and murderous regimes in South America and elsewhere, sending CIA-trained "torture specialists" such as Dan Mitrione to teach their skills to the local military - and it is my belief that people should be made aware of tragedies such as the one Uruguay lived through. For this, I give one star to Tessa Bridal's book.

However, much as I would have liked to, I cannot commend (or recommend) this book, which I find seriously flawed. From the beginning, I found characters to be one-dimensional and hard to relate to - and that includes the main character, Magdalena. No hints are given as to why the scion of a well-to-do, conservative family should join a group of left-wing activists such as the Tupamaros (even though this is a fairly common phenomenon, I think it should have merited at least some attempt at explanation, especially since Magdalena seems to enjoy all the privileges afforded by her class without any qualms). Magdalena's love affair with the improbably-named Marco Aurelio Pereira is similarly stilted and unbelievable, as is the one with the sullen, ill-fated and rapidly forgotten Jaime.

Similarly inverosimile and unlikely is Magdalena's relationship with the beggar Gabriela, whom she befriends. The author somehow manages to depict wealthy Magdalena's idyllic friendship with an indigent woman without questioning the social differences between the two, which is maybe a consequence of the pastoral innocence in which the beautiful and intelligent beggar lives - dire poverty, it seems, but without any of its grimmest accompaniments - Gabriela's sweet, tidy little shack resembles the merry shepherds' dwellings in an Arcadian romance.

There seems to be no purpose in Gabriela's romanticized existence in the novel at all, except as a convenient human face for Dan Mitrione's bloody practices.

Along the way, Bridal manages to accomodate a few mistakes no Uruguayan should make, such as calling the Cerro, a promontory looming across the Bay of Montevideo, "Uruguay's tallest hill" (page 14). Uruguayan land is a softly undulating one, without any mountains, but it has some hilly places, and the highest of these, the Cerro de las Animas, is considerably taller than the Cerro de Montevideo.

Two pages later, Bridal says that the Cerro "was where Montevideo's bichicomes lived". Wrong again. "Bichicome", a word derived from the English "beachcomber", applies to homeless people (usually old and male) who sleep on the streets, not to slum dwellers.

These may seem like minor flaws, but when added to dreamy, artificial writing, and a dreamy, artificial depiction of upper-class living, which seems irredeemably "written from the outside" (i.e., how Bridal thinks upper-class Uruguayans live), the effect can be annoying. It certainly lacks the ring of truth.

I really think Bridal has made an honest effort at depicting these times of repression and horror, but the novel just doesn't come off as convincing or believable. I gave it another star for a certain evocative quality which I liked. And the edition is lovely. But that's about all there is to it.

For good books about life under the Uruguayan dictatorship (and other subjects), try Mauricio Rosencof's "Las cartas que no llegaron" ("The letters that never arrived"), a moving book about a family of Jewish immigrants in Uruguay and their Tupamaro son; Eleuterio Fernandez Huidobro's "Memorias del calabozo" ("Dungeon memoirs"), dealing with his years of illegal imprisonment for being a Tupamaro; and Eduardo Galeano's "El libro de los abrazos" ("The book of embraces"), an original and important book which can be found online in English translation.

This book was wonderfully moving. The author parallels the experiences of a carefree young girl with the evoluton of a nation in turmoil. The description of Uruguay, its' customs and lexicon are givn an A+. They made me laugh, cry and remember my own upbringing.

In the book Tree of Red Stars we get a look at Uruguayan society in times of peace and prosperity and how that reality changes and how it affects a young girl who although idealistic she sees that the country she has grown up in has to change. It is a painful realization, but as the changes that are taking place involve more and more people around her, there is no way she can remain ignorant of the corruption and political tirany. An excellent book, with a very strong message valid for many nations as well as Uruguay.

This book touches upon the political and emotional transformation of an upper class Uruguayan young woman during the turbulent 1970's. A must read for fans of Isabel Allende.

This is one of the novels that I recommend to people who say they haven't read a book in years. It's a great story, about events that not many people in the U.S. are even aware occurred. It does just what a good novel should do: it introduces you to a new and different world, but points out the universal behaviors which we can all identify with. I saw the author reading from her novel in Philadelphia years ago and some jerk in the audience asked why any American should read this book since it doesn't have anything to do with their lives. The author was a bit flummoxed by the apparent hostility of the questioner and the rest of the audience was discomfited to say the least. Finally, Ms. Bridal just said, "well, some people like to read about things they haven't experienced....and just because you in America haven't experienced the events I write about doesn't mean that you never will..." I loved it.

The Tree of Red Stars is a profoundly moving novel. It is very well written. I have already purchased several copies and given them as gifts to friends. The book contains the best and most accurate depiction of life in Uruguay that I have ever read.

Tessa Bridal has accomplished the seemingly impossible feat of combining an intimate coming of age story with a large-scale political drama (the growth of the repressive police state that was postwar Uruguay) which unfolds before, and gradually envelops, its female protagonist. Ms. Bridal does not preach, but keeps her eye entirely on her central character, whose experiences doubtless draw on Ms. Bridal's own

Having come to the states at the age of 4 and visiting Uruguay a hand full of times since then,I could have never imagined what life was like in Uruguay at that time. Tessa Bridal did a wonderful job of bringing me a vivid picture. I had a hard time putting the book down as Magda always had me intrigued.I was not expecting the intensity I felt towark the end of the book, but I can not imagine it any other way. I would recommend this book to anyone,Uruguayan or not. You will laugh,cry and feel great emotion.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I was impressed by the writing style and the detail in describing the life of the main character. I was looking for some insight into Uruguayan culture and the book definitely gave me a sense of what it was like to be there in the late 60's, early 70's. Her description of the rebellion is fascinating aand informative. The fate of these idealistic people and the parallel love story nearly moved me to tears. An excellent book.

This is another book I discovered through the Milkweed National Fiction Prize list. This was an engrossing book that transported me to Uruguay with its physical beauty but mainly the beauty in the struggle of its people for freedom. The love, the bravery, the fear, and the double lives of the community of resisters all took my breath away.