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dimples0508's review against another edition
3.0
As a mestizo youth, I was really excited when I found this book. I'm highly interested in tradition and ceremony that was introduced in my life through Navajo tradition. Reading this book gave me a serious sick feeling in my belly. The romantic angle it was trying to take with Malinche and Cortes was just wrong. One of my favorite professors from university told me that the mestizo race, and the conquering of Spain was the great tragedy, the great rape of Mexico. Mexico is such a beautifully complex place and I feel Laura Esquivel lacked that complexity. her language was beautiful- but at times it became confabulated in my head and didn't make much sense. Points for subject.
srcamacho93's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
informative
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
The beginning of the book was a bit slow. I love the metaphors and the playful words to make the reader come to join the magical world of Malinalli. For a second it felt like an anthropological research paper telling the story of Malinalli but I like it. I like the mentioned of the many indigenous trips and the use of the náhuatl language. I like how she describe the new generation of mestizos and how even though they are the new world they would fall into a limbo of identify. I didn’t like the romanization of Cortes and Malinalli but I do like the book focusing on her view. Trying to understand her and her actions.
diana_acc's review against another edition
3.0
Lo que se me viene a la mente al escuchar Malinche es traición a la patria, una mujer que por amor llevó a sus congéneres a la destrucción y caída de un imperio pero aqui nos muestra que fue más que eso.
Es un buen libro para conocer datos acerca de la vida de Malinalli, me declaro una ignorante de lo que pasó está mujer, en el libro nos la muestran de una forma totalmente diferente de a lo que comúnmente tienes relacionado con su nombre.
Me di un baño en la investigación de historia de la autora, aunque obviamente hay cosas que solo puedes imaginar, como que era realmente lo que estaba sintiendo, o tal vez el arrepentimiento que se muestra aquí.
Es un buen libro para conocer datos acerca de la vida de Malinalli, me declaro una ignorante de lo que pasó está mujer, en el libro nos la muestran de una forma totalmente diferente de a lo que comúnmente tienes relacionado con su nombre.
Me di un baño en la investigación de historia de la autora, aunque obviamente hay cosas que solo puedes imaginar, como que era realmente lo que estaba sintiendo, o tal vez el arrepentimiento que se muestra aquí.
navegandohistorias's review against another edition
2.0
2.5 La verdad no me terminó de gustar. Poca historia y lo que hay lo sentí muy romantizado.
eliathereader's review against another edition
3.0
Eksik hissettiren bir kitaptı. Malinche'nin kitabın yarısından fazla bir kısım boyunca ergen olmayışı beni şaşırttı açıkçası. Cortes'i, Malinche'yi istismarı inanılmaz rahatsız edici. Yazarın buna özellikle dikkat çektiğini düşünüyorum. Tarihi figür olarak tartışmalı bir isim ancak kitapta kadın olmaya daha çok odaklanılmış.
aggie2010's review against another edition
1.0
As a lover of Esquivel's "Like Water for Chocolate," I was very disappointed with this book. It was very slow and kind of a boring read. Malinche is not one of her best books.
laurnrose's review against another edition
3.75
I really, really wanted to love this book. I liked it. I respect the intention, which is to contextualize La Malinche's fabled "betrayal" and provide an alternate, more nuanced perspective of a woman maligned by history. But I think this book is less a nuanced narrative than it is an alternately simplistic one, or at least an underdeveloped one. It wasn't a bad read by any means - it's a compelling story, lovingly written - it just wasn't a knockout.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Rape
yesenianavaa's review against another edition
2.0
This was good writing of a bad story. I feel like someone took a short 5 minute story and they wanted to expand it, but tried to work around the fact that they only had 5 minutes of substance. I think Esquivel is talented and does a good job at vividly describing a setting and creating a mood for the reader. She does dive into the power of language and the way that Malinalli struggles with her role and analyzes the power of words and how they too can be used as weapons. However, the story moves from one scene to another and there's a lot of thinking and some talking, but nothing happens. The sex scenes between Malinalli and Cortes are spoken about in a sensual erotic tone, which is very uncomfortable considering that the first time they have "sex" Cortes is actually raping her.
belockwood's review against another edition
1.0
I couldn' t get into this book. The concept and premise are interesting but the prose felt contrived and disconnected to me.