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Benjamin Percy: IMG The Roof People

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My sister slept with the light on until she was 27. She rightfully blames me. I would leap out of closets with my hands made into claws. I would... Continue »
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Conquistadora

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Conquistadora Cover

ISBN13: 9780307388599
ISBN10: 030738859x
Condition: Standard
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Synopses & Reviews

Publisher Comments:

An epic novel of love, discovery, and adventure by the author of the best-selling memoir When I Was Puerto Rican.

As a young girl growing up in Spain, Ana Larragoity Cubillas is powerfully drawn to Puerto Rico by the diaries of an ancestor who traveled there with Ponce de Leon. And in handsome twin brothers Ramon and Inocente — both in love with Ana — she finds a way to get there. She marries Ramon, and in 1844, just eighteen, she travels across the ocean to a remote sugar plantation the brothers have inherited on the island.

Ana faces unrelenting heat, disease and isolation, and the dangers of the untamed countryside even as she relishes the challenge of running Hacienda los Gemelos. But when the Civil War breaks out in the United States, Ana finds her livelihood, and perhaps even her life, threatened by the very people on whose backs her wealth has been built: the hacienda's slaves, whose richly drawn stories unfold alongside her own. And when at last Ana falls for a man who may be her destiny — a once-forbidden love — she will sacrifice nearly everything to keep hold of the land that has become her true home.

This is a sensual, riveting tale, set in a place where human passions and cruelties collide: thrilling history that has never before been brought so vividly and unforgettably to life.

Review:

"Santiago's storytelling is thrilling....Conquistadora is a triumph." The Washington Post

Review:

"An author in full command....In Santiago's hands, Ana is a woman to remember and Puerto Rico a country to cherish." The Miami Herald

Review:

"A splendid expedition into colonial history complete with enrapturing suspense to the very end." O, The Oprah Magazine

Review:

"Ana [is] an unconventional, ambitious woman whose attitudes toward children, slaves and lovers perplex and engross....A guided tour of the history of sugar and empire." The New York Times Book Review

Review:

"An enthralling family saga....Four stars." People

Review:

"If, as the proverb goes, history is written by the hunters, then Esmeralda Santiago has imagined history as written from the point of view of the lions. A remarkable story for its detail, imagination, meticulous research, and wisdom, this is history written by a lion at the height of her powers." Sandra Cisneros, author of The House on Mango Street

Review:

"Conquistadora is an expertly researched novel that fuses Antillean/Puerto Rican history and a spellbinding and action-packed storyline that will surprise and dazzle its readers....A crown jewel of Puerto Rican literature." Being Latino

Review:

"Lusty, ambitious women are staples of epic fiction, and in these pages Santiago has created a ferociously seductive character....Read this absorbing, impeccably researched novel for its lush history and for the way Santiago's narrative constantly surprises — just as its protagonist does, confronting the gender limitations of her day." More

Review:

"Conquistadora is a wonderful and richly drawn novel....A grand achievement from one of our finest writers." Oscar Hijuelos, Pulitzer Prize–winning author of The Mambo Kings Play Songs of Love and Beautiful Maria of My Soul

Review:

"Part romance, part portrait of a woman struggling against the constraints of her time and class. Santiago's writing often surprises with its sly humor." The Dallas Morning News

Review:

"Extraordinary....An outstanding story, full of pathos, tropical sensuality, and violence — but it also poses uncomfortable moral questions readers are forced to consider....Storytelling genius...Conquistadora is a book-group must." Booklist (starred review)

Review:

"Readers may not sympathize with Ana...but her unflinching devotion to her dream of living with the valor and beauty of her conqueror ancestors is compelling." BookPage

Review:

"Santiago brings passion, color, and historical detail to this Puerto Rican Gone with the Wind, featuring a hard-as-nails heroine more devoted to her plantation than to any of the men in her life....The richness of [Santiago's] imagination and the lushness of her language will serve saga enthusiasts well." Publishers Weekly (starred review)

Review:

"The multitalented author of When I Was Puerto Rican offers a big, bold novel about life on a Caribbean sugar plantation in the mid-19th century....With drama, adventure, and even a bit of magical realism, Conquistadora may remind readers of Isabel Allende's novels of Latin America." Library Journal

Synopsis:

As a young girl growing up in Spain, Ana Larragoity Cubillas is powerfully drawn to Puerto Rico by the diaries of an ancestor who traveled there with Ponce de Leon. And in handsome twin brothers Ramon and Inocente — both in love with Ana — she finds a way to get there. Marrying Ramon at the young age of eighteen, she travels across the ocean to Hacienda los Gemelos, a remote sugar plantation the brothers have inherited on the island. But soon the Civil War erupts in the United States, and Ana finds her livelihood, and perhaps even her life, threatened by the very people on whose backs her wealth has been built: the hacienda's slaves, whose richly drawn stories unfold alongside her own in this epic novel of love, discovery and adventure.
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About the Author

Esmeralda Santiago is the author of the memoirs When I Was Puerto Rican, Almost a Woman, which she adapted into a Peabody Award–winning film for PBS’s Masterpiece Theatre, and The Turkish Lover; the novel América’s Dream; and a children’s book, A Doll for Navidades. Her work has appeared in the New York Times, the Boston Globe, and House & Garden, among other publications, and on NPR’s All Things Considered and Morning Edition. Born in San Juan, Puerto Rico, she lives in New York. www.esmeraldasantiago.com
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What Our Readers Are Saying

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Average customer rating based on 1 comment:
Asiabel, January 1, 2013 (view all comments by Asiabel)
Even though I prefer to read my books in English, I decided to read this one in my native tongue (Spanish). I must admit it had been sitting in my shelves for quite some time. When I had nothing else to read, I decided to start "Conquistadora". Once I read the first pages I could not put it down. It simply 'conquered' me! The way Ms. Santiago writes, it is as if you are actually watching a movie. The description of the characters, of the places, of the emotions...Her way of interlacing historical facts with the stories of the charachters is immensely enjoyed by us, the reader.
On a scale of 1 to 10, I am giving this book a 11+, off the charts.
Be ready to enter a whole new world when you read this excellent novel.
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Product Details

ISBN:
9780307388599
Author:
Santiago, Esmeralda
Publisher:
Vintage Books
Subject:
General Fiction
Subject:
Literature-A to Z
Edition Description:
Trade paper
Publication Date:
20120731
Binding:
TRADE PAPER
Language:
English
Pages:
432
Dimensions:
8 x 5.13 x 0.88 in 0.7163 lb
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Related Subjects

Featured Titles » Literature
Fiction and Poetry » Literature » A to Z

Conquistadora Used Trade Paper
0 stars - 0 reviews
$10.95 In Stock
Product details 432 pages Vintage Books - English 9780307388599 Reviews:
"Review" by , "Santiago's storytelling is thrilling....Conquistadora is a triumph."
"Review" by , "An author in full command....In Santiago's hands, Ana is a woman to remember and Puerto Rico a country to cherish."
"Review" by , "A splendid expedition into colonial history complete with enrapturing suspense to the very end."
"Review" by , "Ana [is] an unconventional, ambitious woman whose attitudes toward children, slaves and lovers perplex and engross....A guided tour of the history of sugar and empire."
"Review" by , "An enthralling family saga....Four stars."
"Review" by , "If, as the proverb goes, history is written by the hunters, then Esmeralda Santiago has imagined history as written from the point of view of the lions. A remarkable story for its detail, imagination, meticulous research, and wisdom, this is history written by a lion at the height of her powers."
"Review" by , "Conquistadora is an expertly researched novel that fuses Antillean/Puerto Rican history and a spellbinding and action-packed storyline that will surprise and dazzle its readers....A crown jewel of Puerto Rican literature."
"Review" by , "Lusty, ambitious women are staples of epic fiction, and in these pages Santiago has created a ferociously seductive character....Read this absorbing, impeccably researched novel for its lush history and for the way Santiago's narrative constantly surprises — just as its protagonist does, confronting the gender limitations of her day."
"Review" by , "Conquistadora is a wonderful and richly drawn novel....A grand achievement from one of our finest writers." Oscar Hijuelos, Pulitzer Prize–winning author of The Mambo Kings Play Songs of Love and Beautiful Maria of My Soul
"Review" by , "Part romance, part portrait of a woman struggling against the constraints of her time and class. Santiago's writing often surprises with its sly humor."
"Review" by , "Extraordinary....An outstanding story, full of pathos, tropical sensuality, and violence — but it also poses uncomfortable moral questions readers are forced to consider....Storytelling genius...Conquistadora is a book-group must."
"Review" by , "Readers may not sympathize with Ana...but her unflinching devotion to her dream of living with the valor and beauty of her conqueror ancestors is compelling."
"Review" by , "Santiago brings passion, color, and historical detail to this Puerto Rican Gone with the Wind, featuring a hard-as-nails heroine more devoted to her plantation than to any of the men in her life....The richness of [Santiago's] imagination and the lushness of her language will serve saga enthusiasts well."
"Review" by , "The multitalented author of When I Was Puerto Rican offers a big, bold novel about life on a Caribbean sugar plantation in the mid-19th century....With drama, adventure, and even a bit of magical realism, Conquistadora may remind readers of Isabel Allende's novels of Latin America."
"Synopsis" by , As a young girl growing up in Spain, Ana Larragoity Cubillas is powerfully drawn to Puerto Rico by the diaries of an ancestor who traveled there with Ponce de Leon. And in handsome twin brothers Ramon and Inocente — both in love with Ana — she finds a way to get there. Marrying Ramon at the young age of eighteen, she travels across the ocean to Hacienda los Gemelos, a remote sugar plantation the brothers have inherited on the island. But soon the Civil War erupts in the United States, and Ana finds her livelihood, and perhaps even her life, threatened by the very people on whose backs her wealth has been built: the hacienda's slaves, whose richly drawn stories unfold alongside her own in this epic novel of love, discovery and adventure.
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