The Hummingbird's Daughter
Book description
The prizewinning writer Luis Alberto Urrea's long-awaited novel is an epic mystical drama of a young woman's sudden sainthood in late 19th-century Mexico.It is 1889, and civil war is brewing in Mexico. A 16-year-old girl, Teresita, illegitimate but beloved daughter of the wealthy and powerful rancher Don Tomas Urrea, wakes…
Why read it?
2 authors picked The Hummingbird's Daughter as one of their favorite books. Why do they recommend it?
I devoured this book when it first came out in 2006, indulging in every delectable morsel of its language, culture, and history. I remember racing to finish the last hundred pages before my children (now grown) hopped off the school bus.
There are scenes from this novel that remain as fresh in my mind today as when I first read them. Urrea creates an immersive, lush, and lyrical setting for this story based on the life of his real great-aunt, Teresita, who had healing powers and was acclaimed as a saint.
I love reading historical fiction that transports me to…
From Caren's list on believing in magic again.
The Hummingbird’s Daughter is the first in a two-part book series about a real-life woman known as Teresita, a curandera (or Mexican folk healer) and revolutionary figure who was born in Mexico and lived in the U.S. for some time. Urrea, a descendant of Teresita, fictionalizes her life in the book. I hope readers fall in love with Teresita’s story and share it with others because she is one of many figures in North American history that we should all know.
The magical realism in this novel makes an appearance through Teresita’s healing powers as a curandera. I’ve been obsessed…
From Alex's list on magical realism that make me feel at home.
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