Weeping Woman: La Llorona and Other Stories [Paperback]

Alma Luz Villanueva (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 1, 1994

short stories by author of "The Ultraviolet Sky"

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Luz Villanueva ( The Ultraviolet Sky ) concentrates on suffering in this often painful collection. Two young girls discuss whether they have begun menstruating and what such a development means in light of their exposure to sex by mothers who abuse drugs and prostitute themselves. A woman attempts to pack up her murdered daughter's belongings and recalls their final discussion--it was about whether or not the 13-year-old was ready to wear lipstick. Two women meet in a bar, and one reveals that she is a prostitute and was abused by her grandfather and therefore provides her services for free to a certain client to keep him from molesting his daughter. Sometimes the repetition of certain symbols--there are seashells in some form in almost every story--drains them of their power, but on the whole these characters manage to go beyond their dire circumstances, as does the Native American woman who is hijacked in her car by a man who sexually abuses her, giving her a shell for each act she performs correctly. She finally escapes with a surprising gift for her sacred White Shell Woman.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal

La llorona , the weeping woman, walks through the pages of this book as a spirit guide, someone unto whom others' sorrows flow. But she is a symbolic presence far more than a physical one, and her legacy is enduring because the gifts she gives are spiritual rather than material. Thus, she lends courage to Lila in "The Edge of Darkness" to forever silence the man who brutally raped her and strengthens the resolve of the grandmother in "Virgin Birth" to pass down African goddess legends to her granddaughter, Ruby. Many of the stories in this collection depict acts of rape, incest, and other violence. Yet out of the ashes of this cruelty rises a sense of hope. Villanueva ( The Ultraviolet Sky, Doubleday, 1988; Naked Ladies , Bilingual Pr., 1993) shows the power of the human spirit in this disturbing and beautiful book. A fine addition to the fiction shelves.
- Lisa Nussbaum, Euclid P.L., Ohio
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Product Details

• Paperback: 168 pages
• Publisher: Bilingual Review Pr (January 1, 1994)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 092753438X
• ISBN-13: 978-0927534383
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.4 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,015,246 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Chicana mothers, November 19, 2008

By 

QV "Viktoria-" (Oswego NY) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: Weeping Woman: La Llorona and Other Stories (Paperback)

This book is written by Alma Luz Villanueva and she has been a mother for most of her life. Chicana's face more than just American stereotypes of who they are as women. They face codices within the culture as well. This book illustrates the types of roles Chicana women fit into at this time. Mothers, grandmothers, and innocent girls. Each female has a role to play and each role is saturated in tradition.

Villanueva paints a glorious picture of how it is to live inside the Mexican American culture behind closed doors. I recommend this book to all women everywhere.

V-

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An incredible book..., October 7, 2005

By 

Em (Atlanta, Ga USA) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Weeping Woman: La Llorona and Other Stories (Paperback)

This book is a serious of short stories that provoke extreme emotion and pulled on my heartstrings, with an interesting approach to the culture of Latin America and the world. I fell in love with the strong characters and scenes, and I found myself rereading each story over and over. A truly amazing piece of writing.

5.0 out of 5 stars Just a few words, March 14, 2004

By A Customer

This review is from: Weeping Woman: La Llorona and Other Stories (Paperback)

Many of these stories have been republished in anthologies, most recently, 'UNDER THE FIFTH SUN,' 'VEUS CHICANAS' (Spain), and high school, college textbooks. They run the spectrum from a child's point of view- young, homeless boys in current time Mexico- to a man dying of old age many centuries from now. Each story connected by the image of a seashell, a transformation.