Eleni N. Gage

Secrets. Love. Loss. Passion. This richly-drawn novel weaves the life stories of three generations Nicaraguan women -- Isabella, a grandmother mourning the loss of her husband; her daughter Ninexin, the revolutionary turned stoic government official; and her grand-daughter Maria, an artist living in New York City trying to navigate her own complicated life. Each chapter is told in the first person from an alternating point of view, unfolding the story of the complex family dynamics between these three women. (Note: I found this alternating first person a bit confusing at first and it took me awhile to figure out who was who. I finally stopped at Chapter 3, and wrote out everyone's name, multiple nicknames and relationship to each other. Once I'd done this reading the story became much easier.)

Overall the characters were well developed, especially Isabella and Maria. I found it harder to relate to Ninexin as she seemed stilted and some of her behaviors incongruent. While all the men in the book take supporting roles, they present an interesting character study as they are vastly different from each other.

If you enjoy a good family drama, you will like this book and won't be disappointed.

Note to Boston-area friends, author Eleni Gage will have a book reading/signing for "The Ladies of Managua" at 7 p.m. at Brookline Booksmith, 279 Harvard St. in Brookline. on Thursday, May 7.

Thank you to NetGally and St. Martin's Press for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.… (altro)

If you follow my book reviews you know that “family dramas” set in the modern era are generally not what I tend to read. There was just something about this book’s synopsis that piqued my interest; I think that it was the setting in Nicaragua. I don’t know much about the culture of any of the countries south of us and I’m always looking to be educated a bit when I read a book. This one was very enjoyable – I read it on my flights from Missoula to Nashville and it made the time pass very quickly. Even when my butt was flying out of the seat due to turbulence.

It is the story (stories?) of three women in one family – grandmother, daughter and granddaughter and it’s told in alternating voices. The grandmother, Isabela cared for her granddaughter, Maria in Miami after fleeing Nicaragua during the revolution. Maria’s mother, Ninexin was a revolutionary who lost her husband when Maria was only 4 months old. They tell their tales in alternating chapters and while there is not much change in writing style between the three you can get a definite sense of their personalities from how they present their aspect of the ongoing story.

Of the three women I have to admit that it was Isabela I liked the most. Maria did not resonate with me at all. I seem to read a fair number of books with characters like her; wishy-washy, unsure of her life’s path, unsure of what to do about the man in her life. A still trying to figure it all out at 33 kind of girl. (Her boyfriend was a bit of a tough character for me as well.) I just don’t understand these characters but they must be popular if I keep running into them. It’s probably because I am not old enough to be a grandmother (did I just type that?!) and of a completely different generation than these kids today.

Despite not being able to relate to Maria her third of the book was integral to the tale and I did enjoy the book. It held a couple of good surprises that were revealed as the book reached its conclusion. The descriptions of the cities and towns in Nicaragua were very well written and I did enjoy learning a little bit about the culture of the country and its history.… (altro)