La reina descalza
Ildefonso Falcones
Publicado: 2013 | 625 páginas
Novela Histórico

En la España del siglo XVIII, una conmovedora historia de amistad, pasión y venganza une dos voces de mujer en un canto desgarrador por la libertad. En enero de 1748, una mujer negra deambula por las calles de Sevilla. Atrás ha dejado un pasado esclavo en la lejana Cuba, el hijo al que nunca volverá a ver y un largo viaje en barco hasta las costas españolas. Caridad ya no tiene un amo que le dé órdenes, pero tampoco un lugar donde cobijarse cuando se cruza en su camino Milagros Carmona, una joven gitana de Triana por cuyas venas corre la sangre de la rebeldía y el arte de los de su raza. Las dos mujeres se convierten en inseparables y, entre zarabandas y fandangos, la gitana confiesa a su nueva amiga su amor por el apuesto y arrogante Pedro García, de quien la separan antiguos odios familiares. Por su parte, Caridad se esfuerza por acallar el sentimiento que está naciendo en su corazón hacia Melchor Vega, el abuelo de Milagros. Pero cuando un mandato real convierte a todos los gitanos en proscritos, la vida de Milagros y Caridad da un trágico vuelco. Aunque sus caminos se separan, el destino volverá a unirlas en un Madrid donde confluyen contrabandistas y cómicos, nobles y villanos; un Madrid que se rinde a la pasión que emana de las voces y bailes de esa raza de príncipes descalzos.

[Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book from Blogging for Books in exchange for an honest review.]

When Caridad's master dies en route from Cuba to Spain, her entire life changes. She suddenly finds herself a freed black slave in a new land with nowhere to go. And she quickly finds that things don't get easier just because she's free. When she crosses paths with Milagros, a young gypsy woman, she is somewhat surprised to find someone who shows her compassion. Milagros invites Caridad to come and stay with her and her family--a decision that means changes for Milagros, Caridad, and everyone else around them. What follows is a period of trials and tribulations that causes both women to learn things about themselves and each other they might never have learned otherwise but needed to know. Through tragedy and triumph, love and loss, they find themselves and the true freedom that was waiting just beyond their grasp.

This is an incredibly well-written book. The characters are real and dynamic and Falcones seems to effortlessly paint the world in which they live right onto the page. The range here is great and the story is more than interesting.

That said--this book is LONG. Coming in at 656 pages, one really needs to be committed for the long haul to get through this. Which can be challenging when one gets into some of the more-difficult-to-stomach scenes. And there are some moments where it seems to drag, which made me wonder if it could have been shored up by about 100 pages or so and still have been just as impactful (or even more so).

Definitely worth a read it you're interested at all in historical fiction--especially 1700s Europe.

CONTENT WARNINGS: violence/murder, sexual abuse/rape, spousal abuse ( )

Dit meesterwerk over de zigeuners in Sevilla, hun trots, hun sterke overlevingsvermogen zijn met dit boek haarscherp neergezet. Ik heb het met heel veel plezier en interesse gelezen, leefde helemaal mee met de hoofdpersonen, liet hier en daar zelfs een traan om het lot wat hen is aangedaan. Het heeft bijna de positie van mijn all-time favoriet (De Kathedraal van Ken Follet) verstoten. ( )

Caridad, a freed Cuban slave, is left alone in Spain with nowhere to go and no idea what to do with herself. When Melchor, a gypsy, stumbles upon her, he brings the woman home. Caridad makes friends with Milagros, Melchor's granddaughter. When Spain declares the gypsies to be outlaws, the community is split up, some of the gypsies are arrested, and everyone else flees.

Although I thought this was a fascinating book, I almost didn't make it through. The beginning was extremely slow and it was hard to juggle all of the characters and story lines. What kept me reading was Caridad. She was such a well developed character. She grew so much during the story, it was just fascinating to watch. I would pick up another book by this author, but I don't know if I would re-read this one. ( )

I received a copy of this book from Blogging for Books. I love a good historical fiction yarn that an author actually researches the period in which he sets his characters. While reading this book, I was transported to 18th century Spain. I highly recommend this book for readers who enjoy a strong female protagonist in a setting that stays true the era it takes place in. ( )