Scan barcode
A review by rachelherway
The Barefoot Queen by Ildefonso Falcones
Did not finish book.
1.0
WOMEN WRITTEN BY MEN, EXHIBIT A
I was so excited to read about Spanish culture and history and gyspsies! I really was. But when I read the first few pages, I was absolutely disgusted.
This book is centered on two women. And it is written by a man. And trust me when I say, you can tell….
The book opens on the point of view of the recently freed enslaved woman, Caridad. Here are the descriptions of caridad, in order. Keep in mind that these are all in the point of view of the men around her, even though this chapter is supposed to be in caridads mind.
Description 1: how tall caridad is (because seeing a tall woman is crazyyy)
Description 2: large, firm breasts. (yay we’re already sexualizing her like crazy. I know nothing about this woman except she was a slave and she’s tall and she has sexy hips)
Description 3: Caridad’s vOlUptUoUs hIpS :’)
Description 4: small brown eyes, flattened nose, and “thick, fleshy lips”. (By this time I wanna barf. Tell me if I’m wrong, but I feel like this is such a racist depiction of a Black woman. thick fleshy lips???? What the hell man)
Don’t worry, it gets worse :)
It’s still the first chapter, and we know virtually nothing about Caridad: not her personality, her emotions, not even her thoughts about getting recently freed and sent to Seville, Spain. None of it!
But look, here comes the priest’s point of view. Something we all need in our lives. Here, the author has much more experience with being a man and writing men, so the priest has a lot more personality (which turns out to be not much of a good thing).
The priest reminisces that he was so turned on by Caridad that he masturbated in front of her while she was asleep…
And then Caridad wakes up and sees him staring at her and touching himself. And she is completely expressionless.
This is the the fourth or fifth page and already a man is masturbating to a woman.
But something that gets me… is WHY DID YOU GIVE THIS WOMAN NO PERSONALITY? No spirit??? I’m sure as a recently freed woman, she is done with going along with men’s sexualizing and dehumanization and is ready to test out her freedom.
But no.
Lesson learned: be careful about picking a book written by a man, and the main characters are women.
Prepare to be offended and disgusted as Ildefonso falcones tries to enter a woman’s point of view but instead describes her from the men around her in the most dehumanizing way possible.
I was so excited to read about Spanish culture and history and gyspsies! I really was. But when I read the first few pages, I was absolutely disgusted.
This book is centered on two women. And it is written by a man. And trust me when I say, you can tell….
The book opens on the point of view of the recently freed enslaved woman, Caridad. Here are the descriptions of caridad, in order. Keep in mind that these are all in the point of view of the men around her, even though this chapter is supposed to be in caridads mind.
Description 1: how tall caridad is (because seeing a tall woman is crazyyy)
Description 2: large, firm breasts. (yay we’re already sexualizing her like crazy. I know nothing about this woman except she was a slave and she’s tall and she has sexy hips)
Description 3: Caridad’s vOlUptUoUs hIpS :’)
Description 4: small brown eyes, flattened nose, and “thick, fleshy lips”. (By this time I wanna barf. Tell me if I’m wrong, but I feel like this is such a racist depiction of a Black woman. thick fleshy lips???? What the hell man)
Don’t worry, it gets worse :)
It’s still the first chapter, and we know virtually nothing about Caridad: not her personality, her emotions, not even her thoughts about getting recently freed and sent to Seville, Spain. None of it!
But look, here comes the priest’s point of view. Something we all need in our lives. Here, the author has much more experience with being a man and writing men, so the priest has a lot more personality (which turns out to be not much of a good thing).
The priest reminisces that he was so turned on by Caridad that he masturbated in front of her while she was asleep…
And then Caridad wakes up and sees him staring at her and touching himself. And she is completely expressionless.
This is the the fourth or fifth page and already a man is masturbating to a woman.
But something that gets me… is WHY DID YOU GIVE THIS WOMAN NO PERSONALITY? No spirit??? I’m sure as a recently freed woman, she is done with going along with men’s sexualizing and dehumanization and is ready to test out her freedom.
But no.
Lesson learned: be careful about picking a book written by a man, and the main characters are women.
Prepare to be offended and disgusted as Ildefonso falcones tries to enter a woman’s point of view but instead describes her from the men around her in the most dehumanizing way possible.