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anyaemilie 's review for:
The Inheritance of Orquídea Divina
by Zoraida Córdova
Thank you to the publisher for the ARC, which I won through a Goodreads giveaway
This was a beautiful, heart-wrenching book. The author has said she's waited her whole life to write this book, and I can tell she put everything into it. Generations of love, pain, secrets, magic, trauma and history all come together to form an epic story about what happens when Orquídea Divina Montoya sends letters to her family inviting them to her funeral and to collect their inheritance.
The book starts off in a quiet manner, describing the small town of Four Rivers where Orquídea appeared one day and where each member of the Montoya family was born. There is mystery surrounding Orquídea, but everyone, including the family, has learned not to ask too many questions.
In the present day, we get the story from the perspectives of three of the millennial members of the Montoya family: Rey and Marimar who live in New York, and Tatinelly who has settled in Portland with her husband Mike. They all grew up in Four Rivers with their grandmother and other extended family, but know very little of her life before she moved there. They just know she came from Ecuador, but know nothing of the circumstances. And they also always accepted the odd little happenings around the house, but never thought of any of it as magic.
When the whole family gathers together for Orquídea's funeral (even though she's still alive) is when the story really starts to get interesting. The magic that was always just below the surface comes front and center in the lives of Rey, Marimar and Tatinelly. They have to deal with things they don't understand and try to unravel the mystery of their grandmother's past.
The book jumps from present day to Orquídea's past, so we learn bits and pieces of her story while the grandchildren are trying to figure things out in the present. It works really well for this story, since it's part mystery, part family drama and part fantasy.
Overall this book is really well done and I can tell the story is deeply personal to the author. I definitely recommend it!
This was a beautiful, heart-wrenching book. The author has said she's waited her whole life to write this book, and I can tell she put everything into it. Generations of love, pain, secrets, magic, trauma and history all come together to form an epic story about what happens when Orquídea Divina Montoya sends letters to her family inviting them to her funeral and to collect their inheritance.
The book starts off in a quiet manner, describing the small town of Four Rivers where Orquídea appeared one day and where each member of the Montoya family was born. There is mystery surrounding Orquídea, but everyone, including the family, has learned not to ask too many questions.
In the present day, we get the story from the perspectives of three of the millennial members of the Montoya family: Rey and Marimar who live in New York, and Tatinelly who has settled in Portland with her husband Mike. They all grew up in Four Rivers with their grandmother and other extended family, but know very little of her life before she moved there. They just know she came from Ecuador, but know nothing of the circumstances. And they also always accepted the odd little happenings around the house, but never thought of any of it as magic.
When the whole family gathers together for Orquídea's funeral (even though she's still alive) is when the story really starts to get interesting. The magic that was always just below the surface comes front and center in the lives of Rey, Marimar and Tatinelly. They have to deal with things they don't understand and try to unravel the mystery of their grandmother's past.
The book jumps from present day to Orquídea's past, so we learn bits and pieces of her story while the grandchildren are trying to figure things out in the present. It works really well for this story, since it's part mystery, part family drama and part fantasy.
Overall this book is really well done and I can tell the story is deeply personal to the author. I definitely recommend it!