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lflean1er's review against another edition
dark
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
starness's review
3.0
This was a fine book, first published in 1997 and recently republished, this book was filled with philosophy and history centred in Lisbon commencing in 1935 and progressing into the 90’s, the first story begins during the Salazar regime a time of oppression and conformity. The book incorporates important themes of family, race, sexuality and gender identity while giving an insight into the complicated Portuguese political history. Three separate but linked stories of three generation of women, all three women coming up against society’s expectations and fighting against societal norms, each rebelling in their own individual ways. Jenny fighting to keep up appearances in an ultra conservative era, working hard to protect and keep hidden her unconventional marriage, Camila raising her biracial daughter as a single mother and also a product of her unusual upbringing and Natalia, trying to navigate a world that tries to judge her by her gender and her skin colour. Each of these women struggle but ultimately triumph, as all the women grow strong even against all the challenges, and the love that links and unites them through their shared adversities, their family secrets and strong willed female characteristics. Not all sections of the book worked, I grew tired of Natalia’s story being partly written through letters to Jenny, but the feminist in me loved this book.
Thanks to NetGalley & AmazonCrossing for my review copy.
Thanks to NetGalley & AmazonCrossing for my review copy.
thenerdybookfairy's review against another edition
4.0
In Your Hands was originally published as Nas Tuas Mãos in Portugal in 1997. It won Portugal’s top literary prize, the Prémio Máxima de Literatura that same year. The novel has finally been translated into English, with the translation having been done by Fulbright winner, Andrea Rosenberg. While something is always lost when a book is translated into another language, Rosenberg has done a masterful job in preserving and presenting the original text. The narrative is beautiful, evoking images, emotions, and time and place vividly.
The book is broken into 3 sections, each narrated in the voice of one of 3 women: Jenny - the matriarch, who tells her story through intimate journal entries; Camila - Jenny's adopted daughter, who tells her story via commentaries on photographs she has taken; and Natália - Camila's daughter, who tells her story via letters she writes to her grandmother.
The first section of the book is Jenny's story. Jenny lives in Portugal in 1935, during Prime Minister António de Oliveira Salazar’s authoritarian regime. While Jenny was born into a wealthy family, which gives her a certain amount of privilege not accorded to others, she still has to contend with social and political expectations on how she should behave and live her life. But Jenny finds herself in a difficult situation when she falls in love with a gay man, António.
António, however, does not love Jenny. While he cares for her, he is deeply in love with bi-sexual Pedro. Jenny knows that António will never feel the same for her as she does for him, and so she has to make a decision: live with the man she adores in a sexless marriage, or leave him. Jenny decides to marry him, providing a cover for the lovers António and Pedro, who also moves in with them.
Pedro, who has never been faithful to António, has a daughter from a liason with a French woman. I forget what happened to her mother, but Pedro ends up taking Camila into Jenny's home and Jenny raises Camila as her own. The second section of the book is Camila's story.
It is now years later. Camila is a photojournalist who is in Africa to report on a war there. She falls in love with a guerrilla fighter she encounters during her travels through Mozambique. Their brief love affair results in the birth of their daughter, Natália.
The final section of the book tells Natália's story. She is a successful architect. As she navigates Portugal’s complex history, and that of her own family, Natália discovers how the past and present have defined her, and she ponders what the future may hold.
In Your Hands is a powerful story that resonates today. The book depicts the lives of three generations of strong, independent women. These women make difficult choices. They take chances, and break from the traditional expectations of who they should be and how they should live. The book also shows how they come into themselves and embrace all that has separated them, and all that binds them.
The book is broken into 3 sections, each narrated in the voice of one of 3 women: Jenny - the matriarch, who tells her story through intimate journal entries; Camila - Jenny's adopted daughter, who tells her story via commentaries on photographs she has taken; and Natália - Camila's daughter, who tells her story via letters she writes to her grandmother.
The first section of the book is Jenny's story. Jenny lives in Portugal in 1935, during Prime Minister António de Oliveira Salazar’s authoritarian regime. While Jenny was born into a wealthy family, which gives her a certain amount of privilege not accorded to others, she still has to contend with social and political expectations on how she should behave and live her life. But Jenny finds herself in a difficult situation when she falls in love with a gay man, António.
António, however, does not love Jenny. While he cares for her, he is deeply in love with bi-sexual Pedro. Jenny knows that António will never feel the same for her as she does for him, and so she has to make a decision: live with the man she adores in a sexless marriage, or leave him. Jenny decides to marry him, providing a cover for the lovers António and Pedro, who also moves in with them.
Pedro, who has never been faithful to António, has a daughter from a liason with a French woman. I forget what happened to her mother, but Pedro ends up taking Camila into Jenny's home and Jenny raises Camila as her own. The second section of the book is Camila's story.
It is now years later. Camila is a photojournalist who is in Africa to report on a war there. She falls in love with a guerrilla fighter she encounters during her travels through Mozambique. Their brief love affair results in the birth of their daughter, Natália.
The final section of the book tells Natália's story. She is a successful architect. As she navigates Portugal’s complex history, and that of her own family, Natália discovers how the past and present have defined her, and she ponders what the future may hold.
In Your Hands is a powerful story that resonates today. The book depicts the lives of three generations of strong, independent women. These women make difficult choices. They take chances, and break from the traditional expectations of who they should be and how they should live. The book also shows how they come into themselves and embrace all that has separated them, and all that binds them.
holley4734's review
4.0
In Your Hands by Ines Pedrosa and translated by Andrea Rosenberg looked like an interesting book. So I requested to get a copy. I must’ve said the magic word because my request was granted.
It follows the lives of three Portuguese women-Jenny, Camila, and Natalia- through collections of diaries and letters.
Jenny is married to Antonio who is really in a relationship with Pedro. They were married in 1935 so it was pretty uncommon to have a polyamorous marriage. Jenny was the third wheel – a wealthy third wheel. She stays married to Antonio even if it’s just for appearances. I would not be so calm about it. I don’t even think she has a guy on the side.
Camila is Pedro’s daughter from a one-night stand. Her birth mother left her with Pedro so she could fight the Nazis. Jenny raises her as her own daughter.
Natalia is Camila’s daughter with Xavier, an African soldier.
They all have their secrets. I can’t tell you all of them. You should read the book and find out for yourself.
The publication date is October 16, 2018. You can pre-order it on Amazon.
In Your Hands on Amazon
*I received an ebook from NetGalley in exchange for doing a review. All opinions are my own. Obviously.
It follows the lives of three Portuguese women-Jenny, Camila, and Natalia- through collections of diaries and letters.
Jenny is married to Antonio who is really in a relationship with Pedro. They were married in 1935 so it was pretty uncommon to have a polyamorous marriage. Jenny was the third wheel – a wealthy third wheel. She stays married to Antonio even if it’s just for appearances. I would not be so calm about it. I don’t even think she has a guy on the side.
Camila is Pedro’s daughter from a one-night stand. Her birth mother left her with Pedro so she could fight the Nazis. Jenny raises her as her own daughter.
Natalia is Camila’s daughter with Xavier, an African soldier.
They all have their secrets. I can’t tell you all of them. You should read the book and find out for yourself.
The publication date is October 16, 2018. You can pre-order it on Amazon.
In Your Hands on Amazon
*I received an ebook from NetGalley in exchange for doing a review. All opinions are my own. Obviously.
abookishtype's review against another edition
3.0
Unlike anger, which writers can call to readers mind by making us think about the physical symptoms—pounding heart, clenched muscles, etc.—we’ve all felt, love is harder to evoke. Not all of us have felt the all-encompassing, possibly life-ruining love that the three protagonists have in Inês Pedrosa’ In Your Hands (translated by Andrea Rosenberg). The protagonists do their best to explain their feelings, from familial love to friendship to companionship to erotic passion. Some of the types of love shown here baffled me; this novel has permutations that I’ve never seen before in fiction. But by the end, even without being able to call on common experiences or symptoms of love, I think In Your Hands is successful in its explorations...
Read the rest of my review at A Bookish Type. I received a free copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley, for review consideration.
Read the rest of my review at A Bookish Type. I received a free copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley, for review consideration.
idris's review against another edition
4.0
Ich habe das im Rahmen der "Femininen EU-Challenge" gelesen, als Beitrag für Portugal und ich muss sagen, wow. Ich bin wirklich froh, dass es mir empfohlen wurde, denn sonst hätte ich es sicher nie gelesen.
Inês Predrosa hat einen unglaublich verschlungenen, verschachtelten, mosaikartigen Schreibstil, der sich liest, als ob man ein Puzzle zusammenbastelt. Man bekommt Einzelteile gereicht, legt sie lange Zeit nur verwirrt nebeneinander, bis man plötzlich anfängt sie zusammenzuschieben und ein Muster zu erkennen. Und dann ist man ganz begierig darauf immer neue Puzzleteile zu bekommen, damit man irgendwann das große Ganze zu sehen kriegt.
Es ist die Geschichte dreier Frauen - Jenni, Camila und Natalia, Oma, Ziehtocher und Enkelin - und gleichzeitig auch die Geschichte dreier Generationen in Portugal. Alle drei sind wahnsinnig spannende Charaktere mit einer faszinierenden, elegant miteinander verwobenen Lebensgeschichte, mit Sehnsüchten, Wünschen und Träumen und Liebesbeziehungen. Das Ende lässt einen mit einem Gefühl von bittersüßer Sehnsucht und Befriedigung zurück, aber auch mit dem Wunsch sein eigenes Leben zu packen und besser zu leben, mehr und inniger zu lieben und mutiger zu sein.
Einziger (wirklich kleiner) Kritikpunkt ist, dass ich es sehr verwirrend fand, dass die Anrede "Du" in Jennis Tagebuch bei mehreren Personen gebraucht wird und es dadurch manchmal unmöglich war rauszufinden, ob sie nun Camila meint oder doch Antonio. Ich habe mich gefragt, ob das an der Übersetzung liegt, bzw ob es im portugiesischen sowas wie ein "männliches Du" und ein "weibliches Du" gibt, so dass es da vielleicht leichter zu erkennen ist?
Aber das ist auch wirklich schon alles, was ich zu bemängeln hätte.
Jetzt möchte ich losgehen und mich mit der Geschichte Portugals im 20. Jahrhundert beschäftigen, über die ich traurigerweise fast gar nichts weiß.
Also Fazit - ein wirklich tolles Buch, sehr empfehlenswert. Der Schreibstil ist nicht immer leicht zugänglich, aber wenn man sich einmal darauf einlässt, wird man definitiv belohnt.
Inês Predrosa hat einen unglaublich verschlungenen, verschachtelten, mosaikartigen Schreibstil, der sich liest, als ob man ein Puzzle zusammenbastelt. Man bekommt Einzelteile gereicht, legt sie lange Zeit nur verwirrt nebeneinander, bis man plötzlich anfängt sie zusammenzuschieben und ein Muster zu erkennen. Und dann ist man ganz begierig darauf immer neue Puzzleteile zu bekommen, damit man irgendwann das große Ganze zu sehen kriegt.
Es ist die Geschichte dreier Frauen - Jenni, Camila und Natalia, Oma, Ziehtocher und Enkelin - und gleichzeitig auch die Geschichte dreier Generationen in Portugal. Alle drei sind wahnsinnig spannende Charaktere mit einer faszinierenden, elegant miteinander verwobenen Lebensgeschichte, mit Sehnsüchten, Wünschen und Träumen und Liebesbeziehungen. Das Ende lässt einen mit einem Gefühl von bittersüßer Sehnsucht und Befriedigung zurück, aber auch mit dem Wunsch sein eigenes Leben zu packen und besser zu leben, mehr und inniger zu lieben und mutiger zu sein.
Einziger (wirklich kleiner) Kritikpunkt ist, dass ich es sehr verwirrend fand, dass die Anrede "Du" in Jennis Tagebuch bei mehreren Personen gebraucht wird und es dadurch manchmal unmöglich war rauszufinden, ob sie nun Camila meint oder doch Antonio. Ich habe mich gefragt, ob das an der Übersetzung liegt, bzw ob es im portugiesischen sowas wie ein "männliches Du" und ein "weibliches Du" gibt, so dass es da vielleicht leichter zu erkennen ist?
Aber das ist auch wirklich schon alles, was ich zu bemängeln hätte.
Jetzt möchte ich losgehen und mich mit der Geschichte Portugals im 20. Jahrhundert beschäftigen, über die ich traurigerweise fast gar nichts weiß.
Also Fazit - ein wirklich tolles Buch, sehr empfehlenswert. Der Schreibstil ist nicht immer leicht zugänglich, aber wenn man sich einmal darauf einlässt, wird man definitiv belohnt.
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