Happy Tuesday! I have a review for Fruit of Drunken Tree publishing today by Doubleday.
My Thoughts:
When I saw Fruit of the Drunken Tree compared to Isabel Allende and Gabriel Garcia Marquez, I knew it was a must-read for my list.
Ingrid Rojas Contreras’ debut is set in Colombia in the 1990s. It is focused on the Santiago family living in Bogota in a gated community. Gates are necessary because of the extreme political unrest in the country at the time. While the children are insulated from the world, just outside those protective bars are kidnappings, bombings, and other violence, all at the hands and orders of a drug lord named Pablo Escobar.
A new housekeeper, Petrona, is hired by the mother, Chula Santiago, and Petrona has been living in a guerrilla-occupied slum. Petrona is overburdened working to care for her family, while also being pulled by love to the “wrong side,” the dangerous side. Both Chula and Petrona’s families are seeking stability and safety in a time of outright upheaval and abject terror.
The author was inspired by her own life in her writing of Fruit of the Drunken Tree. Rojas Contreras uses the voices of Chula and Petrona as her narrators to capture the essence of the disparities between their lives and their means to survive. Chula and Petrona will be forced to make incomprehensible choices in their desire to keep their families intact.
Overall, Rojas Contreras’ writing is exquisite. The contrast between the beauty of the area and the horrific violence and turmoil is executed with sensitivity. Like I mentioned above, I was very much looking forward to reading this book, and it most certainly delivered in its storytelling.
Thank you to Doubleday for the complimentary copy to review. All opinions are my own. The Fruit of the Drunken Tree will be published on July 31, 2018.
Synopsis:
In the vein of Isabel Allende and Gabriel Garcia Marquez, a mesmerizing debut set against the backdrop of the devastating violence of 1990’s Colombia about a sheltered young girl and a teenage maid who strike an unlikely friendship that threatens to undo them both
The Santiago family lives in a gated community in Bogotá, safe from the political upheaval terrorizing the country. Seven-year-old Chula and her older sister Cassandra enjoy carefree lives thanks to this protective bubble, but the threat of kidnappings, car bombs, and assassinations hover just outside the neighborhood walls, where the godlike drug lord Pablo Escobar continues to elude authorities and capture the attention of the nation.
When their mother hires Petrona, a live-in-maid from the city’s guerrilla-occupied slum, Chula makes it her mission to understand Petrona’s mysterious ways. But Petrona’s unusual behavior belies more than shyness. She is a young woman crumbling under the burden of providing for her family as the rip tide of first love pulls her in the opposite direction. As both girls’ families scramble to maintain stability amidst the rapidly escalating conflict, Petrona and Chula find themselves entangled in a web of secrecy that will force them both to choose between sacrifice and betrayal.
Inspired by the author’s own life, and told through the alternating perspectives of the willful Chula and the achingly hopeful Petrona, Fruit of the Drunken Tree contrasts two very different, but inextricable coming-of-age stories. In lush prose, Rojas Contreras sheds light on the impossible choices women are often forced to make in the face of violence and the unexpected connections that can blossom out of desperation.
Have you read Fruit of the Drunken Tree? Have you read any great reads involving a culture different from your own? Happy Reading! ~ Jennifer THR
Lovely review ♥♥
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Thank you, Priyasha! ♥️
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Love picture. Awesome review. Have not read this one. I am reading Silent Hearts which takes place in Kabul.
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Thanks so much, Virginia! Silent Hearts was a great read. I hope you are enjoying it as much as I did. 💗
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Beautiful review, Jennifer. I love reading stories about cultures other than my own as it always widens my views and perspectives. I read Isabel Allende’s Daughter of Fortune many years ago and recently added In the Midst of Winter to my shelf. I’ve also read Jhumpa Lahiri’s Interpreter of Maladies, a collection of short stories featuring Indian culture. Highly recommend.
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Thanks, Jonetta! Those are great recs! I loved Daughter of Fortune, and I recommend to your Allende’s House of the Spirits. I had to read that in Spanish in college- still can’t believe I was able to do that now… (am no longer fluent in Spanish), but I have since read it in English and loved it just as much. I have In the Midst of Winter but have not picked it up yet. I hope we both love it! I am not sure if I have that one from Lahiri…I know I have something from her, but I will check. I have definitely taken note. Thanks so much, Jonetta!
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Beautiful picture Jen! Lovely review as always! Have a wonderful Tuesday!😊💖
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Thanks, Sus! This was one I was really looking forward to taking the picture! I hope you have been having a great Tuesday! 💗
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Wonderful review! I have this one on my TBR..Doubleday hates me for some reason and always denies my ARC requests, so I didn’t ask. So funny. But I’m definitely going to read this one! I generally teach one Interpreting Literature class a semester that is entirely focused on cultural diverse books, and this might be a great addition! Enjoy your day! ❤
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Ah, I want to take your class, Stephanie! I majored in Anthropology (and Psych), so I gobble up anything culture-related. I got this on EW. Have you tried EW for Doubleday yet? I hope you’ve had a good day! 💗
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I don’t think I’m in the right mood for the horrors of drug wars at the moment, but I’ll bear this one on mind for the winter months when I usually seem to be happy to read darker stuff. Did you think the comparison to Allende and Marquez was justified?
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Ack, I lost a really long reply, but maybe I can be more succinct the second time around! 😊 The author’s storytelling is strong. I don’t think I can do a fair comparison because when I think of Allende and Marquez, I think of their respective canons of work, and this is Rojas Contreras’ debut. I also read Allende and Marquez in Spanish and analyzed for a literature class, and this I read for pure pleasure. But all that said, FF, I think this author has great promise, and I will definitely be in line for her next book. 😊
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Wonderful review, Jennifer. I have not read this either. My TBR list is going to burst at the seems or I am going to crash the Goodreads website, LMBO! Have a wonderful day honey ♥
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Thanks, Jody! I think my TBR is in danger of both those things as well! 😂 I hope you have a great day too!
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Beautiful review Jennifer! I love learning about different cultures I should really read this!💕
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Thanks, Berit! Oh, you should! And it’s technically historical fiction because it took place in the 90s! ♥️
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Please tell me the 90s or not historical fiction, LOL 😂
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I looked up the definition, and it met the criteria. 😂 I was shocked the other day when I was posting my vintage book that a book I owned would be considered vintage! What the heck? 😂 ♥️
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Fabulous review Jenn!
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Thanks, Holls!
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Wow, what a powerful story this must be!!! Great review, Jennifer!
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Thanks, Mack! Definitely a powerful read! ♥️
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This sounds like a really beautiful book. Great review, Jennifer!
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Thanks, Sarah! It was dark, but beautiful at the same time.
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Ive had this on my TBR for a while and it looks wonderful ❤ So happy u loved it!
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Thanks, Annie! I hope you get a chance to read it. It was a wonderful read! 💗
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This sounds like a really wonderful read. I have never read anything set in Colombia though I have watched documentaries on Escobar. Fab review Jen.
On other cultures, the following come to mind; Love in the Time of Cholera, All Khaleed Hosseini books, Memoirs of a Geisha, Tea Girl of Hummingbird Lane and The Baghdad Clock.
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Thanks, Diana! Oh how fascinating that you’ve seen some documentaries on Escobar. I didn’t know much about him. You have hit on some of my favorite books, but also a great reminder that I need to read the other Hosseini books. I’ve only read The Kite Runner. I love that you have read The Baghdad Clock, too. What an important story. Memoirs of a Geisha is a huge favorite of mine, and I think I could do a re-read of that one! ♥️
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You really need to read Hosseini’s A Thousand Splendid Suns. I can’t even explain just how impactful that book is. Yeah, I loved Memoirs too so wouldn’t mind rereading it. The movie was also really well done. Which other such reads would you recommend?
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Ok, I am taking note of that one for sure. I have it on my Kindle already. I remember you saw my review for In the Shadow of 10,000 Hills. I highly recommend that one. Also a recent one I read that was amazing was Silent Hearts set in Afghanistan. Song of a Captive Bird set in Iran, Salt to the Sea. Just a few of my favorites. 😊
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Sorry took long to respond to this but thank you so much Jen. I wrote down this list and happy to say that I now have 10,000 hills. I can’t wait to read it. Hoping to get the other titles too. Thank you.
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No worries at all, Diana, and I’m so excited you have 10,000 Hills! Thanks to you for recs also!
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Wonderful review Jen this sounds fantastic! And never a bad thing being compared to those two giants of authors! 😍
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Thanks, Beth! It really is a great story. I can’t wait to see what she writes next. Two literary giants for sure! ♥️
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So happy to read your positive review, Jennifer. I do have this book coming up soon.
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Thank you, Marialyce! Ohhh, I can’t wait to read your thoughts on it! I hope it’s a love for you!
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Awesome review Jennifer! I have to say I was not expecting that content at all when first glancing at the cover and title. First glance seems something whimsical but instead sounds rather dark.
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Thanks, Carrie! Absolutely, I thought the same at first.
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You’re welcome! 🙂
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I really loved this book! I loved Chula’s voice, and she is one of my favorite characters that I’ve read this year. This book is one that I’ll always remember – the story and the way it was told was fascinating.
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Yay, that makes me so happy that you enjoyed it too! It was such a wonderful story, and I agree- I love Chula and how she protected and nurtured her family. You are right- completely memorable story! Thank you for sharing that with me! 😊
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I love a story that’s inspired by an author’s own life experiences. It’s so much easier to connect to know that someone actually went through something like this!
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So true, Nicole. It adds an honesty that draws you into the story that much more.
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