XIMENA AT THE CROSSROAD

by Laura Riesco ‧ RELEASE DATE: May 30, 1998

This prize-winning Peruvian first novel records the emotional and intellectual growth of an enfeebled, frequently bedridden young girl whose imagination is nourished by stories: the novels she devours, and the folktales of the nearby Andean Indians--whose revolt against their masters (during the latter WWII years) sends the eponymous Ximena and her wealthy family into exile. Riesco credibly shows how Ximena's love of stories makes her deeply sensitive to the lives of others less fortunate than she, and also confirms her determination to live and grow stronger, and become a writer. Ximena is a superb character: pampered, romantic, faintly ridiculous, but gifted with a steely resolve and formidable intellectual and imaginative powers. One wonders if Riesco thought of Virginia Woolf when creating her.

Pub Date: May 30, 1998

ISBN: N/A

Page Count: 272

Publisher: White Pine

Review Posted Online: N/A

Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 1998

Categories: FICTION