Ana Castillo Books

Many years ago I remember reading an interview with Los Lobos, a group I have enjoyed for their diversity in music regardless of being labeled as a Chicano East L.A. Garage Band, where they were asked about their success with "La Bamba". They said they could have gone on recording pop hits cowtowing to the gringo public but have always enjoyed doing what they like to do best, playing music. Castillo's last novel came to mind with this recollection. She has never cowtowed to anyone but writes from the heart, from the gut. A truly complex and stylized writer. I have read her four novels, the first, The Mixquiahuala Letter was required reading when I was an undergrad. I read the rest on my own. All we went to know is when is she moving to Seattle so she can base one of her marvelous novels here!

I admit from the start, that sometimes as a man, I wonder what it would be like to be a beautiful woman--not the kind that Hollywood manufactures but the kind that moves her beauty from inside out. Reading this erotic, culturally and politically senstive made me imagine all these things and more. For instance, how it feels to be a man, truly loved by such a beautiful woman--complex, independent, ornery, gifted. My daughter gave me this book last year as a birthday gift. I was starting to play the guitar. It is a book about music, about timeless love set in modern times. Since reading this, I have purchased Castillo's earlier novels. They are all so different and all so fascinatingly different. I look forward to her next one.

Sandra Cisneros described it best in her review: this book is like a Chicana telenovela. Well, probably not the most melodramatic and tangled one, but a telenovela all the same. You have a crippled woman who rose above her disability to become a renowned flamenco dancer. You have her lover/mentor, a man who helped her get her bearings in the world of dance but runs around with other women--and runs back to his wife--but with whom she spends 17 years. You have the young, charismatic dancer who enthralls her--but who is the godson of her lover. You can probably guess how things can get so complicated, but you have to read this book to know that it's not merely about a love triangle.

While there are many books that provide us with beautiful and harsh truths about our culture, this novel is not one of them. A chaotically written story that bounces around the life of the central character, combined with weak character development and far too many adjectives in every sentence, make this the worst book I have ever had the misfortune to read. The book is wholly depressing and utterly incomprehensible and Ana Castillo is the lazy man's Sandra Cisneros.

My son gave me this book last year. Actually, he gave me the Spanish version, Carmen la Coja, which he picked up after spending a year in Spain and wanting to keep up with his Spanish. He is second generation madrileno growing up in New York. Our other connection with this book is that I suffered from polio as a child in Madrid. My parents moved to the United States when I recovered with my bout of illness in hopes of my getting better treatment here. This is not to review my life but Carmen la Coja's--brave, fierce and in touch (finally) with herself, with no advantages whatsoever. As I read, I asked myself, What would I have done if I had had such an insensitive mother as Carmen? What would I have done if I had no way to make my living but by my own wits and with the illness I personally knew and understood? Despite the many adjustments I had to make here in the States, I came to understand how fortunate I was all along. It is a courageous testimony to woman's strength. I am in the medical profession and I have recommended this book to many patients and colleagues. They have all thanked me for it later.

Aunque la traduccion fue un poco debil, me encanto este libro. El tema es muy unico- una bailadora famosa que es coja debido a una enfermedad juvenil. Los personajes son bien desarrollados y el final es sorprendente. Asi que yo lo he leido dos veces! Yo tambien prefiero los libros escritos en espanol y no las traducciones- sin embargo, este cuento vale la pena.

Todavia no he avanzado suficientemente eb el libro como para decir si vale la pena o no. Aparentemente esta bien escrito y es de lectura agil, pero el libro original parece haber sido escrito en ingles y la traduccion al español es terrible. Por ejemplo: En lugar de traducir "but" como "sino" (cuando las circunstancias lo requieren), la traductora usa siempre el "pero". Por ejemplo: "It wasn't his friend, but his brother" estaria traducido: "No era su amigo, pero su hermano". En otros lugares la traduccion resulta en frases inconclusas. Es realmente una muy mala traduccion al español.