Synopses & Reviews
Told from the perspective of an adolescent girl, this humorous and deceptively intuitive account of a Jewish family living in 1940s Buenos Aires tackles themes of identity and history through a flawlessly rendered colloquial style. Semi-autobiographical and charged with energy to match the young narrator's age, this episodic novel tackles issues of religious belonging, the first sparks of political awareness, budding sexuality, and the complications of an eccentric family.
Review
"A pungent, semi-autobiographical account of growing up Jewish in Argentina in the 1940s, this small gem of a novel (originally published in Spanish in 1971) is marked by Steimberg's distinctive voice—wittily irreverent, ironic yet warm, at once precocious and worldly-wise. . . . Labinger's translation is a delight, conveying the sights, sounds, misconceptions and dreams of an intensely experienced youth." —Publishers Weekly
Review
"[The novel] describes in deliciously wry comic accents the experiences of an Argentinian Jewish girl. . . . A delightful book." —Kirkus Reviews
About the Author
Alicia Steimberg is an Argentine author, an educator, and a translator. She was awarded a Fulbright grant to teach at the University of Iowa and has served as the director of books with the Argentine Secretariate of Culture. Andrea G. Labinger is an emerita professor of Spanish at the University of La Verne, where she is a former founding director of the university's honors program. She lives in the Los Angeles area.