First, what a wonderful and profound discussion of this amazing (to me) book. My ability to give you the help you ask for is unfortunately not up to par with the questions you ask, I wish they were.
That said, I found this story to be engrossing, intelligently presented, beautifully written. The storyline was exceptionally well done, I thought. There is something very enticing to me about the blending of “current” religious beliefs/practices with “ancient” beliefs/practices. By current I refer to the beginnings of Judaism through Christianity and then obviously by “ancient” I refer to “religious “ beliefs far older, far different. I thought that juxtaposition in this book was incredibly well done. I can tell you that my leanings were deepened. Far different from the more carnival atmosphere in Seven Moons (my words) I felt the author held a deep respect for this as well.
I thought the main storyline could have been a little confusing at times (names too similar caused me to go back and see who it was being discussed, although I understand the why of similarity.)
I was touched, deeply on occasion, by the extremely hard life they led. The color of my skin, my gender, the comparative richness I was born into will never allow full comprehension of their experience which the author did such a tremendous job of making us feel.
I know none of that helps with your dilemma 😀but I do see and appreciate the differing possibilities of interpretation.
Perhaps more later, but for now, thank you again for the time and care that you present us with.
This is an extraordinary reflection. I too was so enchanted with the enchanted world of African spirits and Catholic saints, and the particularities of their syncretism. I LOVED that an encantada became a vehicle for their liberation and land redistribution. What better way to honor their ancestral religion as a charged lifeworld? There was so much reverence and beauty in the portrayal of their spirituality. The twinned/similar names did make the text more frustrating at times, but I can't help but feel hit over the head that we have to pay attention and dig deeper as to that choice. I am coming around to a variant of this argument that since the sisters were wounded together, they were fused and had no choice but to heal together and rescue / deliver their community. Maybe it's too pat and didactic, once again. I don't know! Love discussing it, haha. Thank you for discussing with me, Kenny.
First, what a wonderful and profound discussion of this amazing (to me) book. My ability to give you the help you ask for is unfortunately not up to par with the questions you ask, I wish they were.
That said, I found this story to be engrossing, intelligently presented, beautifully written. The storyline was exceptionally well done, I thought. There is something very enticing to me about the blending of “current” religious beliefs/practices with “ancient” beliefs/practices. By current I refer to the beginnings of Judaism through Christianity and then obviously by “ancient” I refer to “religious “ beliefs far older, far different. I thought that juxtaposition in this book was incredibly well done. I can tell you that my leanings were deepened. Far different from the more carnival atmosphere in Seven Moons (my words) I felt the author held a deep respect for this as well.
I thought the main storyline could have been a little confusing at times (names too similar caused me to go back and see who it was being discussed, although I understand the why of similarity.)
I was touched, deeply on occasion, by the extremely hard life they led. The color of my skin, my gender, the comparative richness I was born into will never allow full comprehension of their experience which the author did such a tremendous job of making us feel.
I know none of that helps with your dilemma 😀but I do see and appreciate the differing possibilities of interpretation.
Perhaps more later, but for now, thank you again for the time and care that you present us with.
Kenny, Ken, Mike to a now very limited few🤣🤣🤣
This is an extraordinary reflection. I too was so enchanted with the enchanted world of African spirits and Catholic saints, and the particularities of their syncretism. I LOVED that an encantada became a vehicle for their liberation and land redistribution. What better way to honor their ancestral religion as a charged lifeworld? There was so much reverence and beauty in the portrayal of their spirituality. The twinned/similar names did make the text more frustrating at times, but I can't help but feel hit over the head that we have to pay attention and dig deeper as to that choice. I am coming around to a variant of this argument that since the sisters were wounded together, they were fused and had no choice but to heal together and rescue / deliver their community. Maybe it's too pat and didactic, once again. I don't know! Love discussing it, haha. Thank you for discussing with me, Kenny.