Belinda Acosta
Grand Central Publishing
298 pg.
All Ana Ruiz wanted was to have a traditional quinceañera for her daughter, Carmen. She wanted a nice way to mark this milestone year in her daughter's life. But Carmen was not interested in celebrating. Hurt and bitter over her father Esteban's departure, she blamed Ana for destroying their happy family, as did everyone else. A good man is hard to find, especially at your age Ana was told. Why not forgive his one indiscretion? Despite everything, Ana didn't want to tarnish Carmen's childlike devotion to her beloved father. But Ana knows that growing up sometimes means facing hard truths. In the end, Ana discovers that if she's going to teach Carmen anything about what it means to be a woman, it will take more than simply a fancy party to do it...
No time to finish this novel but so far it's good. It's as if you are looking in on another life but with similar problems, if you are a divorced mom. The book is peppered with cultural phrases that are explained in context or in another sentence later. This was slightly distracting at first because I wanted to know what the words or phrases meant, but once I learned my curiosity would be rewarded shortly, I relaxed into the book.
About the Author
Belinda Acosta lives and writes in Austin, Texas where she is a columnist for the Austin Chronicle. Her non-fiction has appeared in Poets & Writers, Latino USA, the radio journal of news and culture, AlterNet, the San Antonio Current, and Latino Magazine. She is a member of Macondo, the writers' collective launched by acclaimed writer Sandra Cisneros. She loves knitting, BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER, chips & salsa, mariachi (good, make your soul leap from your body, mariachi); conjunto music (todo old school), and given the opportunity, will square dance. DAMAS, DRAMAS, AND ANA RUIZ is her first novel.
Find Belinda Acosta
Blog - Damas, Dramas, and Ana Ruiz
Fan Page - La Quinceanera Club
Tour hosts
http://www.frommipov.blogspot.com/
http://dreyslibrary.blogspot.com/
http://ajourneyofbooks.blogspot.com/
http://locacrazywriter.blogspot.com/
This sounds really good. I like that it is a coming of age story not just for the teen but also for the mom. Can't wait for you to finish it!
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