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A review by book_concierge
Bless Me, Ultima by Rudolfo Anaya
3.0
3.5***
Opening Lines: Ultima came to stay with us the summer I was almost seven. When she came the beauty of the llano unfolded before my eyes, and the gurgling waters of the river sang to the hum of the turning earth. The magical time of childhood stood still, and the pulse of the living earth pressed its mystery into my living blood. She took my hand, and the silent, magic powers she possessed made beauty from the raw, sun-baked llano, the green river valley, and the blue bowl which was the white sun’s home.
Antonio Marez (Tony) narrates this coming-of-age story as he recounts the several years that Ultima lived with his family in the mid 1940s. She was elderly and her small New Mexico village virtually deserted when Tony’s parents decided to bring Ultima to live with them. She had been a great friend to his mother’s and father’s families; a curandera, she had healed the sick and prayed with them to ward off evil. Her knowledge of plants and herbs is frequently sought out, but also results in some residents calling her “una bruja” (a witch). With her calm demeanor she helps Tony make sense of the world and the evil in it. She helps him to find his own inner strength and to recognize the power of goodness, love and forgiveness.
This is a magical, mystical story that reminds me of the oral story-telling traditions of my grandparents. It is a spiritual journey as much as a journey from babyhood to childhood. Antonio relates many of his vivid dreams – some quite disturbing – which Ultima helps him to interpret. He tries to puzzle out the realities and meanings in the teachings of the Catholic Church as he prepares for his first confession and first communion. He embraces education and learning, although other students make fun of him, and develops a good relationship with his first teacher. He begins to recognize the differences between his parents’ wishes for his future; his father is a man of the plains, a vaquero, and wants this free life for his son, while his mother hopes Antonio will be a priest. He loves and learns from his uncles on both sides of the family – ranchers and farmers. He witnesses some violent and disturbing scenes, but also marvels at the inner strength of his father, mother and Ultima, and learns about loyalty and friendship.
Over the course of the novel (about two years) Tony and his friends also figure out some lessons for themselves. At one point he and his friend Cico have to run from a group of bullies. He asks Cico why the gang attacked them. “I don’t know,” Cico answered, “except that people, grown-ups and kids, seem to want to hurt each other – and it’s worse when they’re in a group.”
I really liked the way in which the adults in the novel tried to explain the world to the child in ways he could understand, and in ways which helped him feel more secure and less troubled. Towards the end, Antonio realizes Ultima’s great lesson: “That the tragic consequences of life can be overcome by the magical strength that resides in the human heart.”
In Anaya’s writing the landscape becomes as important as any character. In fact, it is alive with movement, promise, danger, strength, and forgiveness. It can shelter you or injure you. It can nourish you or kill you.
The novel includes quite a lot of Spanish language words, phrases and even sentences. Non-Spanish speakers may feel a little lost, though I believe context and later paragraphs serve to explain everything pretty clearly. (Curse words are NOT translated, however.)
Opening Lines: Ultima came to stay with us the summer I was almost seven. When she came the beauty of the llano unfolded before my eyes, and the gurgling waters of the river sang to the hum of the turning earth. The magical time of childhood stood still, and the pulse of the living earth pressed its mystery into my living blood. She took my hand, and the silent, magic powers she possessed made beauty from the raw, sun-baked llano, the green river valley, and the blue bowl which was the white sun’s home.
Antonio Marez (Tony) narrates this coming-of-age story as he recounts the several years that Ultima lived with his family in the mid 1940s. She was elderly and her small New Mexico village virtually deserted when Tony’s parents decided to bring Ultima to live with them. She had been a great friend to his mother’s and father’s families; a curandera, she had healed the sick and prayed with them to ward off evil. Her knowledge of plants and herbs is frequently sought out, but also results in some residents calling her “una bruja” (a witch). With her calm demeanor she helps Tony make sense of the world and the evil in it. She helps him to find his own inner strength and to recognize the power of goodness, love and forgiveness.
This is a magical, mystical story that reminds me of the oral story-telling traditions of my grandparents. It is a spiritual journey as much as a journey from babyhood to childhood. Antonio relates many of his vivid dreams – some quite disturbing – which Ultima helps him to interpret. He tries to puzzle out the realities and meanings in the teachings of the Catholic Church as he prepares for his first confession and first communion. He embraces education and learning, although other students make fun of him, and develops a good relationship with his first teacher. He begins to recognize the differences between his parents’ wishes for his future; his father is a man of the plains, a vaquero, and wants this free life for his son, while his mother hopes Antonio will be a priest. He loves and learns from his uncles on both sides of the family – ranchers and farmers. He witnesses some violent and disturbing scenes, but also marvels at the inner strength of his father, mother and Ultima, and learns about loyalty and friendship.
Over the course of the novel (about two years) Tony and his friends also figure out some lessons for themselves. At one point he and his friend Cico have to run from a group of bullies. He asks Cico why the gang attacked them. “I don’t know,” Cico answered, “except that people, grown-ups and kids, seem to want to hurt each other – and it’s worse when they’re in a group.”
I really liked the way in which the adults in the novel tried to explain the world to the child in ways he could understand, and in ways which helped him feel more secure and less troubled. Towards the end, Antonio realizes Ultima’s great lesson: “That the tragic consequences of life can be overcome by the magical strength that resides in the human heart.”
In Anaya’s writing the landscape becomes as important as any character. In fact, it is alive with movement, promise, danger, strength, and forgiveness. It can shelter you or injure you. It can nourish you or kill you.
The novel includes quite a lot of Spanish language words, phrases and even sentences. Non-Spanish speakers may feel a little lost, though I believe context and later paragraphs serve to explain everything pretty clearly. (Curse words are NOT translated, however.)