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3.8 AVERAGE
3.8 AVERAGE
Really wanted to like this one, but the middle portion of the story was very drawn out (the beginning and ending was very engaging in comparison) and I wasn't really a fan of the ending. Felt more like a soap opera and while I enjoy some soap opera-like books... this just didn't click with me. I am very interested in reading more books about the Philippines/Filipino culture by Filipino authors, both fiction and non-fiction.
emotional
sad
tense
fast-paced
This book is an old-fashioned teleserye novelized, but with much better writing. It has the usual trappings of those long-running TV shows your mothers and aunties and lolas used to watch: the evil doña, her adulterous husband, the long-suffering maid who was a better mother to the señoritos and señoritas than the doña ever was, a hidden child, domestic and social scandals, and inevitably quite a lot of violence and misery to go around. Behind all these, however, Marivi Soliven has written an harrowing and important story of quiet strength and fortitude. The Mango Bride is not a perfect novel by any means, and some narrative and thematic choices don't quite sit right with me, but Beverly and Amparo are such engaging characters that one can forgive its faults.
I enjoyed it. It would have 4 stars but I found some of the timeline jumps confusing. More significantly was a mention of a website when it was allegedly 1988- um, I don't think so!
I found this book through the StoryGraph Reads the World challenge. I'm glad to have gotten this little glimpse into Filipino culture. I guess wealth and religion are corrossive influences everywhere. I wonder whether/how attitudes towards women and morality have changed in the past 30 years. I wish there had been a happy ending for Beverly.
challenging
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Not a great book, but it was good enough to keep me reading and certainly picked up in the latter half. the first part was meant to draw you in but i found it annoying and boring. the way some of the characters were so obsessed with having children was also off putting and overdone. but i will say that i did not see some of the plot twists coming u til way later. i wish Beverly could have had a different fate at the end and it feels unfair that Amparo gets the ending she does after everything Beverly went through. i would have liked it to go a different way.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Abortion, Death of parent
Moderate: Domestic abuse, Racism, Violence
As a new(ish) Filipino immigrant in California's Bay area, this novel has resonated so much.
I don't get really get homesick, but after reading this novel I felt each character's longing for home. Where is home? Is it the place where you grew up but looks so much at others' pasts, or is it this land that people come to to make a new start?
It's not just about home, but also the little nuances that a lot of Filipino expatriates experience. Berkeley Bowl--- seeing Manila mangoes and that cornucopia of fresh produce, senior veterans that don't get support, mail-order brides dreaming of a whole new life but instead live lives eating fists for breakfast, rich Filipinos flung from grace living a servant-less life in America, the jar of bagoong and good memories... the list goes on.
Additionally, the author has pictured the Manila and Bay area experience so profoundly; you'd be transported to experience the real picture of the places.
Also, I saw from the writer's Facebook page that this is going to be a Filipino movie soon. Happy to have read the book before the movie, yay!
I don't get really get homesick, but after reading this novel I felt each character's longing for home. Where is home? Is it the place where you grew up but looks so much at others' pasts, or is it this land that people come to to make a new start?
It's not just about home, but also the little nuances that a lot of Filipino expatriates experience. Berkeley Bowl--- seeing Manila mangoes and that cornucopia of fresh produce, senior veterans that don't get support, mail-order brides dreaming of a whole new life but instead live lives eating fists for breakfast, rich Filipinos flung from grace living a servant-less life in America, the jar of bagoong and good memories... the list goes on.
Additionally, the author has pictured the Manila and Bay area experience so profoundly; you'd be transported to experience the real picture of the places.
Also, I saw from the writer's Facebook page that this is going to be a Filipino movie soon. Happy to have read the book before the movie, yay!
Actual Rating: 3.5 stars
Amparo had come away from her fortnight’s visit convinced she was right to abandon Manila. She had become, as her mother said, one of those people with nothing to lose.
The Mango Bride is a faithful and heartrending story about the many facets of Filipino diaspora.
The story-telling timbre of The Mango Bride is something you’d usually observed in a teleserye. There is a heavy emphasis on familial responsibilities, our conservative and somewhat limiting values and of course, food.
This book touches a lot of things most of us – Filipinos shy away from, such as anti-blackness (racism, colorism), the hierarchy within our nation, abortion and premarital sex, migration, poverty and more.
I like the pacing of the plot, though I find some of the particular scenes boring. Hence, a less star. And, I have to admit Soliven has a knack of crafting well written characters with plenty of dimension to explore.
Highly recommended to Filipino readers who want to reconnect with their roots and to everyone who’s looking for a harrowing story about reality.
P.S. I was highly entertained with the random Tagalog phrases.
Amparo had come away from her fortnight’s visit convinced she was right to abandon Manila. She had become, as her mother said, one of those people with nothing to lose.
The Mango Bride is a faithful and heartrending story about the many facets of Filipino diaspora.
The story-telling timbre of The Mango Bride is something you’d usually observed in a teleserye. There is a heavy emphasis on familial responsibilities, our conservative and somewhat limiting values and of course, food.
This book touches a lot of things most of us – Filipinos shy away from, such as anti-blackness (racism, colorism), the hierarchy within our nation, abortion and premarital sex, migration, poverty and more.
I like the pacing of the plot, though I find some of the particular scenes boring. Hence, a less star. And, I have to admit Soliven has a knack of crafting well written characters with plenty of dimension to explore.
Highly recommended to Filipino readers who want to reconnect with their roots and to everyone who’s looking for a harrowing story about reality.
P.S. I was highly entertained with the random Tagalog phrases.
It's very rare that I find a well-written novel written by a Filipino starring Filipino characters in an American setting. Mango Bride was a gem to read.
This soap opera-like novel eventually comes full circle, focusing on the lives of the rich Guerrero family and the Obejas women. The story starts with a mystery--why did the Guerrero's trusted cook Nanay Marcela stab the bitchy matriarch Senora Concha during breakfast? We are then launched into the history of the clan, answering questions along the way. Why is Concha's daughter Amparo exiled in the United States with her Uncle Aldo? What is Marcela's role within the family, besides being their cook? Who is Beverly?
The story tackled women's issues in the late 80's and early 90's, as well as explored the diaspora of Filipinos immigrants. We are introduced to multi-faceted characters such as Manong Del, whom Amparo befriended on the train; Josiah Stein; Lisa and her fiance Lydell; Mateo and Seamus, among others. All the characters undo some sort of change throughout the story, and all for different interesting reasons.
For a short book, Mango Bride was brimming with rich details (and prose) and a whirlwind of events. A must-read for sure.
This soap opera-like novel eventually comes full circle, focusing on the lives of the rich Guerrero family and the Obejas women. The story starts with a mystery--why did the Guerrero's trusted cook Nanay Marcela stab the bitchy matriarch Senora Concha during breakfast? We are then launched into the history of the clan, answering questions along the way. Why is Concha's daughter Amparo exiled in the United States with her Uncle Aldo? What is Marcela's role within the family, besides being their cook? Who is Beverly?
The story tackled women's issues in the late 80's and early 90's, as well as explored the diaspora of Filipinos immigrants. We are introduced to multi-faceted characters such as Manong Del, whom Amparo befriended on the train; Josiah Stein; Lisa and her fiance Lydell; Mateo and Seamus, among others. All the characters undo some sort of change throughout the story, and all for different interesting reasons.
For a short book, Mango Bride was brimming with rich details (and prose) and a whirlwind of events. A must-read for sure.
This book reflects the roles of status and shame in the Philippines. It may feel a bit exaggerated but Filipino families tend to move like soap operas. There are always many secrets, which I have experienced within my own Filipino family.
emotional
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes