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A review by brennanaphone
The Hummingbird's Daughter by Luis Alberto Urrea
4.0
This book hooked me early on when a character "composed a greatly hilarious poem":
There was a young man from Parangaricutirimicuaro,
Oh to hell with it.
A really enjoyable read that blends historical fiction with magical realism. Urrea's realism is very real--he takes note of the flies, the lice, the ticks, the infections, the blood. But he's just as attuned to the humor and philosophy that can be found in a hard life. This is a long book (and the descriptions of it really only cover the second half), but it moves really well, dreamlike and musing. There is a lot of cruelty, but the author doesn't participate in it. All of his characters are human, and all of them are interesting.
There was a young man from Parangaricutirimicuaro,
Oh to hell with it.
A really enjoyable read that blends historical fiction with magical realism. Urrea's realism is very real--he takes note of the flies, the lice, the ticks, the infections, the blood. But he's just as attuned to the humor and philosophy that can be found in a hard life. This is a long book (and the descriptions of it really only cover the second half), but it moves really well, dreamlike and musing. There is a lot of cruelty, but the author doesn't participate in it. All of his characters are human, and all of them are interesting.