Rating: 
Summary: I loved it!
Review: This is the best book I have read in a long time. It captured me from the beginning.
Rating: 
Summary: An end with a bang
Review: This is the first book I have read by Sandra Benitez. I have done much research on the the 1932 matanza in El Salvador and some on the civil war. I am Salvadoran and began reading the book critically and from a historical point of view. It began quite slow for me and somewhat sided, but as I read on I began to feel as I knew the characters and their realities. This is an excellent book. The realities of life, love, family, death, and war are presented strongly and passionately. The ending is gripping and seems unlikely, but definately portrays the difficult times of the civil war. Read it, it will provide a fictional story of the lives of some in a war torn country.
Rating:
Summary: Very impressive
Review: This was a very impressive tale covering three generations of women of different classes in the history of El Salvador. Even if you have never been to that country nor know a lot of the history the story is gripping. The relations between the various women are beautifully drawn and are good and interesting enough to overcome the sometimes tedious effort to tell the history of the country. The book contains many jewels of small and simple things people do for and with each other. The letter of Caecilia at the end of the book is an example of absolute literary beauty and I will not forget that scene for a long time.In the best traditions of Isabel Allende and G.G.Marquez. A book which I not only enjoyed reading but one that I will give friends as a present.
Rating: 
Summary: I can't agree
Review: Wow, I can't believe all the great reviews this got. Although I must admit the book starts out with a bang and drew me in quickly, it quickly fizzled into a soap opera and I soon felt like I was reading a script from one of those overly-dramatic soap operas you see on Univision. I was hoping to read a novel that would provide me with some rich insight into the history of El Salvador. Instead, I was given an unoriginal family drama that could have really taken place anywhere. Although the book does use a realistic description of El Salvador as its BACKDROP, there was nothing in the writing that gave me any striking details into the economic or political history of the country or its people. Unwanted pregancies, cheating spouses, backstabbing friends, unrequited love...its all been done before. Just because it all takes place in El Salvador doesn't make it a historical novel. I also wasn't overly impressed with the writing. I guess it was technically adequate, but definatley not very sophisticated or poignant. Nothing in the book made me stop, put it down, and think. Nothing stuck with me. As a student of Spanish I also thought the author way abused the Spanish phrasing. She should learn to use it sparingly, and only when there is something deep to get across. She uses a Spanish phrase about 3 times a page and it quickly becomes seemlingly pointless. Bottom line: I could rattle-off a 100 historical novels that better than this.
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