As much as this novel is a family saga, it is also a history of Uruguay from the early 1900s to the present. It depicts three generations of passionate, principled women: herbalist and grandmother Pajarita, poet and mother Eva and anarchist and daughter Salomé. Driven by deep-seated left-wing convictions, they defy decades of military dictatorships and repression. The leitmotif is that of hope and optimism. The characters always return to their mountainless city, Montevideo, Monte. Vide. Eu. I see a mountain.At times grippingly horrifying, at times sensual and exotic, the tastes, sounds and sights of Uruguay and Montevideo flood the reader, evoking a sense of sweeping history without resorting to the magic realism often associated with Latin American literature. A family saga.This was an interesting book from the point of view of the historical insights into life in Uruguay and Argentina in the twentieth century. It starts on New Year's Day 1900 and passes through three generations of a family that lived through upheaval and change, dictatorships and eventual democracy. However, as a novel I found it a very slow read and it has taken me months to finish it. Some of the members of my book group loved this book so this is just my own opinion, but I struggled with the cast of thousands, all of whose history we had to digest, and far too many untranslatable Spanish words.The narrative begins with the discovery of a baby, Pajarita, in the top of a tree. No-one knows how she got there or who she is, but she is claimed by Esparanza, whose baby had disappeared a year previously. The end of the book sees Pajarita's death as an old lady. We gradually meet her daughter and granddaughter and all the families and contacts they are involved with along the way.The part that most grabbed my interest was the struggle of the Tupamaros in the 70s and the life inside the prison which the characters watched being built in the early part of the book.I don't know why it should be, but all the books I've read set in South America seem to be strangely inaccessible and this was no exception. This would, however be an interesting read if you are planning to visit this part of the world any time soon.
Do You like book La Bambina Nata Due Volte (2010)?
Spectacular. Sweeping. Touching and unforgettable characters. I can't wait for her second book.
—Cobra
Perfect beach reading. A story of three generations of women in Argentina and Uruguay.
—sunthorn
