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meghan_plethoraofpages's review
4.0
A Ballad of Love and Glory by Reyna Grande
A beautiful historical saga with a rich and vivid setting in Mexico in 1846, it is a moving story inspired by true events and historical figures. A piece of history I quickly realized I knew little of, I was fascinated by both seemingly heavily researched historical elements showcased, as well as the gripping storyline. The story alternates points of view between Ximena, a healer recently displaced from her ranch, and John Riley, an Irish immigrant discontent and maltreated in the Yankee military. Their situations are so different and yet so similar, as both have lived with war and yearn to see their homelands free.
There were so many elements that I loved - the landscape, scenery and vivid imagery of the scenes of both battle and tranquility were fantastic. So many of the characters were so rich and realistic - both heroes and villains alike. I do feel that the supporting characters were at times more compelling than Ximena and John themselves - in the midst of so many battles their character development felt lost a bit, and their whirlwind romance dramatic.
This saga did drag a bit for me, as there was a decent amount of telling rather than showing and I was cognizant of the length, especially in the middle. Overall though, I really enjoyed this historical fiction and getting a glimpse of a time I knew little of. I was invested in Ximena and John’s stories, and those of Saint Patrick’s Battalion. I am definitely interested in exploring more from this author. Many thanks to Atria Books and to NetGalley for access to a free e-copy of this book. It is available March 15, 2022! All opinions are my own.
A beautiful historical saga with a rich and vivid setting in Mexico in 1846, it is a moving story inspired by true events and historical figures. A piece of history I quickly realized I knew little of, I was fascinated by both seemingly heavily researched historical elements showcased, as well as the gripping storyline. The story alternates points of view between Ximena, a healer recently displaced from her ranch, and John Riley, an Irish immigrant discontent and maltreated in the Yankee military. Their situations are so different and yet so similar, as both have lived with war and yearn to see their homelands free.
There were so many elements that I loved - the landscape, scenery and vivid imagery of the scenes of both battle and tranquility were fantastic. So many of the characters were so rich and realistic - both heroes and villains alike. I do feel that the supporting characters were at times more compelling than Ximena and John themselves - in the midst of so many battles their character development felt lost a bit, and their whirlwind romance dramatic.
This saga did drag a bit for me, as there was a decent amount of telling rather than showing and I was cognizant of the length, especially in the middle. Overall though, I really enjoyed this historical fiction and getting a glimpse of a time I knew little of. I was invested in Ximena and John’s stories, and those of Saint Patrick’s Battalion. I am definitely interested in exploring more from this author. Many thanks to Atria Books and to NetGalley for access to a free e-copy of this book. It is available March 15, 2022! All opinions are my own.
kelli7990's review against another edition
This book is following a Mexican army nurse and an Irish soldier who must fight, at first for their survival and then for their love, amidst the atrocity of the Mexican-American War.
I won a physical ARC of this book from a Goodreads giveaway. I decided to DNF this book at 62% because I couldn’t get into it. I wanted to read this book because it sounds interesting and I get tired of reading historical fiction books that are set during WWII.
Reasons I DNF’d this book:
This book has a lot of battle scenes. It’s very focused on the war and I didn’t like that. There was supposed to be a romance between a man and woman who met on the battlefield but I didn’t see any chemistry between them. Maybe the romance was added to the story so the characters could have something happy to look forward to instead of just seeing people dying all the time on the battlefield. I didn’t like the characters in here. I didn’t care about them and I didn’t care about what was going on in the story.
I won a physical ARC of this book from a Goodreads giveaway. I decided to DNF this book at 62% because I couldn’t get into it. I wanted to read this book because it sounds interesting and I get tired of reading historical fiction books that are set during WWII.
Reasons I DNF’d this book:
This book has a lot of battle scenes. It’s very focused on the war and I didn’t like that. There was supposed to be a romance between a man and woman who met on the battlefield but I didn’t see any chemistry between them. Maybe the romance was added to the story so the characters could have something happy to look forward to instead of just seeing people dying all the time on the battlefield. I didn’t like the characters in here. I didn’t care about them and I didn’t care about what was going on in the story.
amanda884's review against another edition
informative
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
readingwithcoffee's review against another edition
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
Me divertí pero mi atención para audiolibros en español es muy mala. Santa Anna fue cómica a me (no el libro) como un personaje lol. No entienda el finale pero espero leer el ebook tardes.
jgorkaya15's review
adventurous
challenging
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
lgmaxwell722's review
3.0
A Ballard of Love and Glory is both a love story and a history lesson about Los Patricos, Irishman who fought on the side of Mexico in the 1840s. What I liked about this book was that Ximina and John were well developed characters who could stand on their own. I also enjoyed the historical fiction aspect when learning about specific battles and personas who were instrumental in this time period. A Ballard of Love and Glory kept me engaged the whole time. It was heartbreaking in it's honest portrayal of war and the loss it demands. Recommend for fans of Reyna Grande and those who want to learn more about the US battle for land along the Rio Grande boundary.
joshuapeck's review
emotional
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
This was one of the first historical fiction books I've read, and I really appreciated how much Grande brought the true history of the Mexican American War into the story and this Irish Batallion I'd never heard of before. I thought the two main characters were compelling and that the flaws in one of them really made their relationship and the story more interesting and powerful. I really enjoyed this in a way I didn't expect to, especially since I don't read many books with such a strong romance theme.
aelzz93's review
adventurous
challenging
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Colonisation, Murder, War, Death, and Torture
Moderate: Xenophobia, Racism, and Classism
Minor: Sexual content
This book takes place during a war so, there is a lot of violent death.arissashepherd7's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
alexibarra's review
5.0
Definitely struggled at the beginning, as the style is not something that I'm used to, but the relatability of the character's insight and the down-to-earth approach to historical events, as well as the thorough historical research of events that I've learned in school but was never in their shoes hooked me and then I couldn't let go. I'll be recommending this book to a lot of people.