Rosario Ferré's writing lends a legitimate and poignant voice to the issues of colonialism and modern day imperialism. A narrative exploration of such issues within the context of the author's native Puerto Rico, Maldito Amor illustrates the complexity of the post-colonial reality with decidedly exquisite prose. Not only is the novel informative and thematically rich, it carries great stylistic import as it manipulates literary aesthetics to problematize the dilemmas of the colonized conditon. Heavily grounded in historical and philosophical debates surrounding these issues, Maldito Amor will prove especially worthwhile to the informed reader. For the billingual, the oeuvre acquires new meaning when it is read side by side with Sweet Diamond Dust (the version of it translated by the author herself). This book should actually be seen as half of the text woven between Maldito Amor and its English version. Also recommended: The House on the Lagoon.

This book is deemed to be very forward concerning issues in Puerto Rico. Ferre is very informative about social issues and especially womens' issues. She narrates her own experiences along with superficial societal issues that is counting about. She higly counts about the problems in her native Puerto rico and states about how these problems can be resolved. I highly recommend this book to anyone who is interested in cultural and societal issues. Anyone who is also interested in womens' studies and issues should look into this book as well. I give it more than 5 stars. She is an author who speaks out about society and social ills.

Rosario Ferré is one of my favorite writers. This books is collection of essays that talk about a varied range of topics. Everything from briefs histories about some places in Puerto Rico to her life is included in this book. This books is an opportunity to look into the thoughts of Rosario Ferré. It is a very personal book and excelletly written. It is captivating, fun and interesting. Some essays also talk about some of her literary works. This is one of the best source for reference on Rosario Ferré.

I was somewhat lost as to what the aunt intended to do with the dolls. I mean were they given to the nieces to watch over them and protect them or were they just given to the nieces just because she loved them and wanted to give them the dolls out of love. Did she know (aunt) that the doctor was just using her for her money or did she find out when he tells his son in front of her this is how he paid his eductation. I was unsure of this I didn't know if she knew this from the beginning or found out as mentioned before.

I read this story in Spanish while in college, and I absolutely loved it. I believe there is a great deal of symbolism and everything is not what it seems. I think it's a strong commentary on Puerto Rican culture. (How a woman with a slight imperfection is destined to be alone; How the doctor only married the girl because of her status and displayed her, etc.) Maybe I read more into it than the author intended but it's one of my favorite stories.

Ferre's novel documents the life of a prominent family in Puerto Rico shortly after the end of the Spanish-American War, and although she tries to write in a style similar to that of the great Isabel Allende, she doesn't even come close to it. There are many reasons this book never did well among the eyes of critics and readers. They include

(1) The book was written in English. Upon its' release, the book stirred controversy in Puerto Rico, due to that nation's use and respect for Spanish. Ms. Ferre's political connections (her father, Luis, was a former governor of the island who favored statehood) probably had a lot to do with this, and one thing writers know is not to mix a book's imminent success with cultural nationalism.

(2) The book's references to Spanish colonialism seems very negative and critical. Again, Ms. Ferre's leaning towards everything Pro-American can't undo the 400 years of colonialism Spain has left on the island, especially when it comes to its' language. As a Puerto Rican of Spanish descent, I found it both insulting and disturbing that although the Spanish were not perfect, Ms. Ferre decided to put down the country that gave Puerto Ricans many things that we can't erase or deny. Surnames, religion, place names, history, and culture are contributions that can't be undone.

(3) Ms. Ferre's characters seem to be out-of-touch with the common Puerto Rican. Although there are social elites who wield money (statehooders) and the ideologically elite who possess great knowledge and love for their nation (independence seekers), she really has never written about the "jibaro" and other traditional rural characters that gave Puerto Rico her identity. Truly this is her greatest mistake.

Ms. Ferre is no Julia de Burgos, nor she will never be. She is no Esmeralda Santiago who has written novels that are relevant to the Puerto Rican experience. She is no Julia Alvarez, the Dominican writer who is possibly the greatest Latina writer to come out of the Caribbean in recent years. Ferre is unique, and in my opinion is that unless she gives un-biased, apolitical accounts of Puerto Rican life in her future novels, she might as well pack up her typewriter and put it in the closet. Overall, a disappointing novel.

Esta novela nos recuerda que Puerto Rico es un pais latino, a pesar de la fuerte influencia estadounidense. Cuenta la historia de una familia a traves de los ojos de una mujer (es gracioso cuando la contrastan con el punto de vista de un hombre de la misma familia).
Es una novela ligera, entretenida y que recomiendo ampliamente.

Esta novela más que contar la vida de las familias Mendizábal y Monfort, nos da un recuento histórico, económico, político y social de 7 décadas de la historia de Puerto Rico a través de las tres generaciones presentes en la narración.

Eccentric Neighborhoods is a family story written in a magical and poetic fashion. A love story , a family history as well a history of Puerto Rico unfolds for the reader.

The stories told by the narrator, Elvira, about several generations of her family, make you wish she had more aunts, uncles, grandparents, and parents for us to meet. The author has a slightly quirky way of introducing the reader to each of Elvira's colorful ancestors and of telling what ultimately is Elvira's story. This is not a novel, per se, but a collection of short, connected stories that, when all told, form a complete picture.

I stumbled on Ms Ferre's work and quickly became addicted to it. The intimations of Puerto Rican history here are subtle and artistically wrought. Comparisons to Garcia Marquez are unfair but probably inevitable. She's not in that league, neither in imagination nor narrative gifts. But she's still one heck of a storyteller and her characters are wonderfully evoked. Unputdownable, especially if you know a bit about Puerto Rico and its history.

Esta novela escrita al estilo de una colección de cuentos es digna de lectura. Su forma de trabajar con dos familias aisladas y unirlas para asi contar una sola novela es magnifica.

En "La bella durmiente," una novelita del libro Papeles de Pandora, Rosario Ferré nos cuenta una historia por medio de (en lugar de la narración típica) varias voces significantes y no significantes en la vida de la personaje principal, una bailarina aspirante. La historia de María de los Ángeles es triste en que podemos ver cómo la joven se ahoga-rapidamente aunque no sin mucho dolor-tratando de obtener la vida que sólo ella quiere por su misma-la vida de una bailarina. Las cartas entre el padre rico de María y una monja, una carta por Felisberto el esposo de la joven, y también editoriales de un periódico de la clase alta, demuestran como María de los Ángeles está arrastrada en cada dirección menos la que ella misma quiere. Uno quiere que sea madre, otro que sea esposa, otro que sea monja, otro que sea bella. Su vida es perfecta en la mente del público y tal vez su propia familia, pero cuando entramos en los pensamientos de la bailarina, vemos una joven confundida, infantil, soñadora, alguien que con tiempo se está enloqueciendo por un sueño increiblemente vivo en su mente aunque muerta al mundo de afuera. La incorporación de Ferre de unos balletes famosos es nada menos que muy interesante en que podemos ver cómo la joven María se convierte en las personajes de esos cuentos. Lo que no entiendo es por qué la autora escogió el título "La bella durmiente" para representar la vida de María de los Ángeles cuando nuestra bailarina tiene un desenlace mucho mas trágico que la bella durmiente-más como ella de "Las zapatillas rojas," que baila hasta la muerte. En total, aun cuando en realidad no sabemos mucho de la vida de María (sólo sabemos lo que esta esperado de ella), la novelita no parece faltar nada, y me dejó contenta y satisfecha. Ferré presenta una crítica bien fuerte de la "vida perfecta" de la clase alta en una manera creativa, fascinante, y aun un poco misteriosa. Se la recomiendo a todos.

Dentro el libro de cuentos, Papeles de Pandora, hay un cuento muy interesante que se llama "La bella durmiente." Este cuento no es un tipico cuento de hada porque Rosario Ferré incorpora este cuento de hada junto con el cuento de hada de "Las zapatillas rojas" para contar la vida oprimida de la joven bailarina María de los Angeles. Ella es la unica hija de una familia poderosa de la burguesía puertorriqueña y por eso está atrapado entre su propio proyecto, ser bailarina, y los proyectos de sus padres y de su nuevo marido Felisberto, casarse bien y tener hijos para proveer un heredero. Durante su vida, María de los Angeles experimenta los dos destinos de los cuentos de hada: el renacimiento desde un "sueno" por el beso de su príncipe azul, Felisberto, y su muerte con sus zapatas a causa de su pasión por el ballet y su desatención por las reglas sociales y religiosas. Recomiendo este libro solamente porque este es un cuento magnífico. Está escrito en un estilo que está basado en la palabra escrita que incluye cartas, articulos del periódico y otras cosas escritas. Desde este punto de vista, uno puede entender los sentimientos de todos de los personajes y la posición de María de los Angeles, quien representa la opresión de las mujeres latinamericanas de la clase alta. La incorporación de los cuentos de hada hacen esta historía parece común porque la situación de la mujer de la burguesía en Latinoamérica es una situación muy común. Sólo queda por decir que este cuento puede capturar el interés de todos que eligen leerlo.

This is book to put it in one word is amazing. It is an anthology of short stories with complimentary poems. Ferré crowns herself as a literary genious with this book. She uses techniques like stram of consciousness to presnet the complicated life and portrayal of women in Puerto Rican society. This book approaches and captures Puerto Rican culture and society and maily the many phases of women. The stories are deliciously complicated and enthralling.

I am always on the look-out for hispanic female authors, so when I saw Rosario Ferre's books, I looked forward to enjoying them. But Ms. Ferre's writing is always just a little too convoluted, the stories too complicated, too involved. This book is a book within a book. The title character is trying to be an author, and her husband, also an author, takes apart her book, which she is hiding and he is finding. She knows he reads it and looks for his notes in her margins. He hates the book. She's angry with him.

Toward the end of the book, I got so confused regarding just what was happening to whom - was it Ferre's character, or her character's character? I actually went looking for the original Spanish to try and figure it out.

Too much work.

Although I feel that Ferre's ability to write in English has improved since she wrote The House in the Lagoon (still not comparable to her elegant and beautiful skill with her native tongue), my review responds to some comments made by Mr.Luis Hernandez in his review: "Close but not even close to Isabel Allende". First things first. Mr. Hernandez, comparing Ferre to Isabel Allende, Julia de Burgos (por Dios!) or the INFAMOUS Esmeralda Santiago (eek!) is neither here nor there. A writer, I believe, should be taken into consideration based on his/her own merits. But I guess that is not my biggest problem with this review. Actually, I think Mr.Hernandez, with all your travels and experiences in the small island of Puerto Rico, you seem to have only a very dim perception of the intricate diversity and complex make-up of the island's ever changing social, economic and racial dynamics.

Mr. Hernandez,you are all upset because Ferre's book deals with rich land owners and not the dirt poor barrio/slums communities, therefore, the book does not deal with "The Puerto Rican experience." The Puerto Rican experience??? Are you kidding me?

If anything Rosario Ferre brings to life another side of the island. You think it's fun reading about stereotypical dirt poor socially disadvantaged jibaros ALL THE TIME? I mean, that's fun for a while, I'm for that whole "learn from your history and your roots" and all that song and dance, but, COME ON!

I'm a young educated white upper class female from Puerto Rico, so according to you, Mr. Hernandez no one would EVER want to read a book I write. I'll have to keep that in mind so I don't even bother.

Nevertheless, I do believe every individual's experience is unique, valuable and worth the read if their style and content is pleasing to an audience. Ferre obviously has it. People have responded well to her books, she is a successful writer and, although being an independentista I may not always agree with her political biases, I'm absolutely PSYCHED her books have already been translated in seven languages and she's coming up with new stuff! So, bring it on!

It's really disturbing when people like Mr. Hernandez insist on categorizing and confining individuals to ridiculous generalizations: statehooders / rich, independentistas/poor. Apparently this guy knows very little about what is going on in the island and has obviously NEVER touched a history book! Ok, so let's play a game, dear readers,... only those who've had what Mr. Hernandez labels "The Puerto Rican experience" (whatever that is) raise your hand... Ok, only you guys can write successful books that people will read, respect and relate to, the rest of us may shut up now.

And by the way,those of you who CAN write, make sure you write like Julia de Burgos and Isabel Allende...

So to all of you, open minded souls out there, read about the rich people in the Caribbean, get mesmerized by all the political turmoil and marital struggle amidst the bewitching landscape of a place like no other on earth. It sure is a lot of fun! At the very least, a refreshing change of pace!

I became a fan of Ferre after reading her collection entitled, The Youngest Doll. Present in all of her tales, is the story of an island immersed in a constant struggle between race, language, religion, ownership, and histories which involve three continents. Intertwined within this struggle for identity, Ferre brings a woman, equally intertwined, and equally struggling. The House On The Lagoon is about one woman's attempt to understand and redeem the history of herself, and all of the women in her family, by writing a historical account of their lives (How accurate becomes an issue in the plot, however, it is her bravery in attemptng the rediscovery that is significant). It is also about a husband who is terrified of his wife laying claim to herself. Through this tale we are told stories of several generations-Spaniards, Africans, Corsicans, and Puerto Ricans. We are also given a sense of how the debate as to the island's independence or dependence on the United States has shaped every generation born in Puerto Rico this century. I love Ferre's innovative stories, and her sense of style. When I finished this novel, I felt haunted.

It may have clean verbage and a winning premise, but the story misses at every turn. The book attempts to cover Puerto Rican weather, politics, the social climate, and the main focus: a Russian ballerina and her dance troupe. But the novel fails to cover anything well. The book never fleshes out the characters. Every scene which might engage the reader and become exciting happens off stage so that we're left with a narrator's lackluster reference to it. We don't even really see the ballerinas warm-up, let alone feel their joy in dancing. I'm not sure what the writer's goal was since there's very little tension, and the story fails to have a clear plot.

This is the first book of Ferre's that I read and I found it just fine. I agree with Publisher's Weekly that the introduction of a new voice near the end was jarring. But as someone not familiar with Puerto Rico of the early 20the Century I thought it was interesting, and the descriptions of the ballet company were engrossing. Great literature? No. A good read about two subjects exotic to most readers -- old Puerto Rico and ballet? Yes. I think it would make a great movie.

I loved this book... I started reading it in the cobblestoned streets of Old San Juan, on my way to snack on a famous buttered "mallorca" accompanied by cafe con leche from La Bombonera bakery. Before I knew it, I was enthralled in the story. I found myself walking the same streets as the characters, sitting in San Juan's main plazas while I read about the characters strolling at night in the same streets.... This book does a fantastic job of combining Puerto Rican culture and its political turmoil at the turn of the 19th century with the struggles of Russia during their revolution. The main characters are russian and they slowly become "latinized"-- more universal symbols of political struggle, characters that are displaced from their homeland to face the struggle of a new culture, language, and political struggle. This is Rosario Ferre's best book.

Ever since 'When I was Puerto Rican', 'Dreaming in Cuban' and 'How the Garcia Girls Lost their Accents", it's become a fad for Latin immigrant writers to jump on the Latin Boom tidal wave with their nostalgic (and often misleading) reminicenses about their home land. Yeah, they all want to sound like Gabriel Garcia Marquez, and, according to some reviews in the U.S. ...they actually do (?) In the case of this book, I will limit myself to comment on the preface.

Her silly preface means to question the whole imaginary and referential codice of the 19th century Puerto Rican Romantic tradition and Modernism respecting the upper classes. Nothing wrong with that, certainly. However, this gesture was only successful in that it reflects the jaded register of her so-called 'irony' and eases the reader into a catalog of her narrow and outdated insights into her so-called 'Puerto Rican issues'. As an island dweller, I laughed my head off at some of her assertions:

1. Yes, this woman comes from a rich prominent family but that doesn't mean she (or her family)were experts on hacienda owners island-wide so that she can speculate and generalize the economics and living standards of everyone else 'in those days'to make a statement that implies only her family had money, the rest of us were dirt poor.

2. And sure, lots of Puerto Ricans migrate to the U.S. (back and forth and lots of them migrate to other places, like Europe, South America, and Easter Europe) but many of us tough it out at home and YES, happiness and fulfillment ARE possible without worrying too much about what happens in the U.S..

Just a few minor examples of why, even though her stories are beautifully written and fairly entertaining, her views on history aren't the least deserving full credibility. Her assumptions are incoherent, innacurate and show her own personal hangups and inferiority complexes with the U.S.

I'm a big fan of Ferre's so these statements were a little disappointing. Oh well, hope that in the future she limits herself to narrative and lays off the history lesson!