Rating: 
Summary: A beautiful work of art!
Review: This book was of the utmost enjoyment to me. The book draws you into the world of the hacienda and the beautiful people who lived there. Not to be missed. I give it six stars.
Rating: 
Summary: A wonderful read
Review: This is a book which warrants reading twice. This is because the first time you find yourself so anxious to learn the outcome of its human drama that you don't thoughtfully absorb the vivid descriptions of rural Venezuela. "The Hacienda" is a memoir that reads more like fiction than the actual experiences of a young woman. The author's naivete and the reality of her husband, and the other central characters both seem implausible and from another era; one could imagine this story being written by Emily Bronte. It is hard to believe that a contemporary from London could have gotten herself into such a situation, and I found myself checking several times to verify that what transpired actually occurred in the '70's. Additionally, it was hard to imagine that any part of Venezuela would remain this feudal, much less an affluent, "aristocratic" family largely anchored in Caracas. This is a tale of ongoing abuse, brutality, resilience, and survival. One gets the impression that the author must be made of granite; however, the reader also feels incredible frustration that she could have allowed herself to remain mired for so long in such an oppressive, primitive, and menacing environment. The author depicts her daily plight through oblique correspondence to her mother in England, and reveals a stoic, pragmatic approach of day to day coping, while ignoring and indirectly enabling the ugly brutality of her schizophrenic husband. Perhaps this is primarily a memoir of how victims sustain the conditions which subject them. Her descriptions of "el gente" at Hacienda Santa Rita are a fascinating glimpse of feudal rural Latin America. This is an interesting book, but a tense read. It is interesting and rivetting, but not a relaxing experience.
Rating: 
Summary: a tense tale of abuse and resilience
Review: This is a book which warrants reading twice. This is because the first time you find yourself so anxious to learn the outcome of its human drama that you don't thoughtfully absorb the vivid descriptions of rural Venezuela. "The Hacienda" is a memoir that reads more like fiction than the actual experiences of a young woman. The author's naivete and the reality of her husband, and the other central characters both seem implausible and from another era; one could imagine this story being written by Emily Bronte. It is hard to believe that a contemporary from London could have gotten herself into such a situation, and I found myself checking several times to verify that what transpired actually occurred in the '70's. Additionally, it was hard to imagine that any part of Venezuela would remain this feudal, much less an affluent, "aristocratic" family largely anchored in Caracas. This is a tale of ongoing abuse, brutality, resilience, and survival. One gets the impression that the author must be made of granite; however, the reader also feels incredible frustration that she could have allowed herself to remain mired for so long in such an oppressive, primitive, and menacing environment. The author depicts her daily plight through oblique correspondence to her mother in England, and reveals a stoic, pragmatic approach of day to day coping, while ignoring and indirectly enabling the ugly brutality of her schizophrenic husband. Perhaps this is primarily a memoir of how victims sustain the conditions which subject them. Her descriptions of "el gente" at Hacienda Santa Rita are a fascinating glimpse of feudal rural Latin America. This is an interesting book, but a tense read. It is interesting and rivetting, but not a relaxing experience.
Rating:
Summary: a blue bearded husbund
Review: This is a modern version of the ancient story of blue beard to me. A woman doesn't want to see the obvios signs of danger, and decides she wants to live her fantasy anyway: an handsome and welty man promises the life of queen to Lisa. The thruth is much different from her dream. But there is no escape, and she is forced to act, to become the care-taker instead of been taken care, and this is a tremendous story for any woman of any time. Despite her difficoulties she becomes not just a woman but a sage in dealing with life. I actually know Lisa personally and I can say she is one the most positive and strong person you can meet, and her account is absolutely real. This is what makes the book great, because the author has really lived the experiences of her book.
Rating:
Summary: A mesmerizing story--but it could have used editing.
Review: This story captures the reader and won't let go. I wasn't ready for it to end, and when I reached the end of the book, I felt I had been left hanging. What happens to the author and her daughter? Also, it could have used some editing in parts. Nonetheless it is a mesmerizing tale, which allows the reader to view a truly extraordinary adventure--not only in the temporal sense, but in the spiritual and emotional sense as well.
Rating: 
Summary: An ultimately disappointing book
Review: What could have been a truly wonderful book, by clearly a good writer, is written with a detachment that leaves one feeling cheated. Important details are utterly ignored, large chunks have been left out -- I was very let down. The setting, however, is rather wonderful, just that we never get to really know the people, so the story falls flat. Emotions are ignored, left out -- even the relationship of the protagonist with her baby. A shame, it really could have been a first class book.
Rating:
Summary: Truth is Strangeer than Fiction
Review: What happened to the review sent in earlier?
Rating:
Summary: The real South America - for fans of the Latino spirit
Review: With two chapters to go, I feel confident recommending this to anyone who wants to know what life in South America is really like - or was really like in the 1970's. The author was just a teenager when she found herself as a new bride on a sugar plantation, trying to survive the family, the farmworkers, and the forces of nature. The anecdotes recounted truly communicate the flavor of rural Venezuelan life and the privations that went with it. Read it for the cultural exposure, more than for outstanding writing. The author maintains a certain distance from her subject, even as she immerses herself in the hacienda's daily life. She alludes to her marital woes, and her husband's probable insanity; she begins by saying she is sterile but bears a child early on, then hardly mentions her (except for hospital emergencies). "La gente" provide the most interesting reading, with their superstitions and simple wisdom. The author's self-education in the ways of life on the farm, her gardening and growing menagerie, and her resilience despite setbacks kept me turning pages. My favorite characters were the twins who become her protectors! The areas that could use more detail perhaps were intentionally vague to protect Don Jaime's privacy and not make the author seem too pathetic as she endures the seven years of silence that he seemed to give her. Any fans of Garcia Marquez or Allende's House of the Spirits will enjoy this non-fiction foray into Latino living!
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