The Sunday Tertulia: Latina Camaraderie with Little Flare or Emotion
Written: Dec 31 '02
|
Product Rating:
|
|
|
Pros: Easy, quick read; features a cast of admirable women
Cons: Reader feels like a very passive part of the "tertulia"
The Bottom Line: Offers a nice glimpse into Latin life and Latina relationships but lacks character depth and emotion.
|
|
|
| AshleyA's Full Review: Sunday Tertulia Books |
Having traveled to quite a few countries in Latin America, I felt excited when I came across Lori Marie Carlson's "The Sunday Tertulia". Tertulias are a sort of "meeting of the minds" in Latin American culture where gatherings are regularly held in someone's home and topics of all nature from sex to religion to politics are discussed. I thought I'd possibly found a Latin "Joy Luck Club", but I was left feeling unfulfilled by the time I'd finished the novel.
The book is focused on a struggling young female named Claire who is trying to make it in New York. Overwhelmed in a huge city full of life and ideas, Claire befriends Isabela, who adopts her and invites her to be a part of her Sunday tertulias in her Manhattan apartment. Through the fellowship of the tertulias, Claire is able to rationalize and overcome some of her own conflicts in her life that revolve around her job and her loves.
Among the members of the group are Aroma, a well-traveled Mexican gynecologist; Luna, a chef from Peru; Pearl, a gifted Bolivian painter; Winifred, a Chilean landscape architect; and of course Isabel, the mother figure and facilitator of the group.
The book is structured such that the title of each chapter determines the subject matter of the particular tertulia. Claire's account is offered in bold print, and they consisted simply of a brief overview of the issue with which she's grappling. In response, each lady's diatribe, allegory, piece of advice or anecdote is prefaced by her name thus eliminating the need for quotation marks and accompanying descriptions. Chapters concluded with more remarks from Claire. While this structure was simple to understand, I felt that it took away from the personifications and development of each of the women. While it is evident that each woman is admirable, well-educated and very respectful of one another, I was unable to identify with any of them given that
Another disappointment I encountered was that what I would consider to be a lack of a cohesive storyline. While Claire makes clear how her life relates to each topic of discussion, there seems to be but one other thread involving the infidelity of Luna's husband that ties into a few consecutive tertulias.
I do feel that Carlson proves she is very skilled in capturing the essence of a tertulia and glimpses of Latin American life and culture. The dialogue between the women is peppered with Spanish phrases, some of which are translated. For audience members who are less versed in the Spanish language, this may detract slightly from their overall enjoyment of the novel.
Overall, I enjoyed Carlson's intentions in featuring strong female figures and their relationships as the focal point of the novel, but given the structure and lack of depth, I felt like such an outsider in the tertulias. This left me feeling little emotion once I'd finished it.
Alas, my hopes for a Latin "Joy Luck Club" were dashed, but I admire Carlson's effort and research that she put into this otherwise tidy package.
Recommended:
Yes
|
|
|
|
Epinions.com ID:
AshleyA
|
|
Member: Ashley
Location: Austin, Texas
Reviews written: 59
Trusted by: 49 members
About Me:
Livin' the good life in Texas.
|
|
|
- Add to My Yahoo!: 
- Add to Google Homepage: 
© 1999-2009 Shopping.com, Inc.