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Loading... The Hacienda (edition 2022)by Isabel Canas (Author)
Work InformationThe Hacienda by Isabel Cañas
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Sign up for LibraryThing to find out whether you'll like this book. No current Talk conversations about this book. I was looking forward to this book quite a bit, based on the setting (1823 Mexico) and the description of Rebecca + spooky horror. Thus my disappointment that it just doesn't work for me is huge. To start, the additional marketing line that The Hacienda is at all similar to Mexican Gothic is just that - and laughable, too. They're both haunted house stories set in Mexico, but that's about it. I found Mexican Gothic much more sinister, and thrilling, and more pointed in its treatment of colonialism, religion, and the other usual Gothic themes. The Hacienda has some very good, evocative sections but mostly falls flat for me. I quit when on page 110, we get this paragraph: “I will be safe, Doña Beatriz.” Up to this point, there has been no indication that the house resents Beatriz because of her plans for it. In fact, we know that the housekeeper and Beatriz's husband's sister do as much as they can to avoid being in the house, but not that they have any plans for it. Though it's not stated outright, it's suggested that they are also harmed by the house - in fact, the housekeeper doesn't spend time in the kitchen without spells of protection. So where is this coming from, that the house resents people with plans for it? Does Beatriz completely ignore everyone else in San Isidro who says the house is bad news? She certainly seems to have a lot of disdain for absolutely everyone she meets, without much textual reason why. The paragraph above isn't much different from chapter 2, which I had to read three times before I could spot in the text indications that Beatriz was hungry to be in charge, and assumed she was hated by the residents of San Isidro for being the new patróness. (It was just so... mild, I didn't pick up on the grasping greed at all!) Most of the writing style is the same breathless short sentences for emotional emphasis, but it generally feels flat for me, without any real stakes behind them, thus far. Beatriz doesn't need to be a likable character, but I do want to care about what happens to her. Unfortunately, I don't. Juana, the patrón's older sister now displaced from her position in charge, is far more interesting to me than the bland new wife who doesn't seem to care about anything but shoving her new position into her aunt's face. This book could have been so interesting and compelling, but it has no real stakes and treats the more interesting secondary characters as not interesting, actually. (At least, as of page 110.) Such a pity. Beatriz marries to escape after her father is killed during the Mexican Revolution. She believes that marrying Rodolfo and moving into Hacienda San Isidro is the solution to all her problems. However upon arrival at the hacienda, things are not all that they seem. A domineering and skeptical sister, Juana disregards Beatriz’s fears - leading Beatriz to question her sanity. But she ultimately enlists the help of Padre Andres to exorcize the house. What follows is a classic tale of haunting, with twists and turns to keep you on the edge of your seat. Canas has done well here - reminiscent of Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier with a terrible haunting and an isolated heroine. Complete with era specific details, Canas evokes the fear and longing within Beatriz and her desires while also highlighting her strength. The character development was on point - the emotions felt for the characters ranged from deep hatred and disgust to respect and love. Excellent debut. no reviews | add a review
AwardsDistinctionsNotable Lists
Fiction.
Horror.
Romance.
Thriller.
HTML:Mexican Gothic meets Rebecca in this debut supernatural suspense novel, set in the aftermath of the Mexican War of Independence, about a remote house, a sinister haunting, and the woman pulled into their clutches... During the overthrow of the Mexican government, Beatriz’s father was executed and her home destroyed. When handsome Don Rodolfo Solórzano proposes, Beatriz ignores the rumors surrounding his first wife’s sudden demise, choosing instead to seize the security that his estate in the countryside provides. She will have her own home again, no matter the cost. But Hacienda San Isidro is not the sanctuary she imagined. When Rodolfo returns to work in the capital, visions and voices invade Beatriz’s sleep. The weight of invisible eyes follows her every move. Rodolfo’s sister, Juana, scoffs at Beatriz’s fears—but why does she refuse to enter the house at night? Why does the cook burn copal incense at the edge of the kitchen and mark the doorway with strange symbols? What really happened to the first Dońa Solórzano? Beatriz only knows two things for certain: Something is wrong with the hacienda. And no one there will save her. Desperate for help, she clings to the young priest, Padre Andrés, as an ally. No ordinary priest, Andrés will have to rely on his skills as a witch to fight off the malevolent presence haunting the hacienda and protect the woman for whom he feels a powerful, forbidden attraction. But even he might not be enough to battle the darkness. Far from a refuge, San Isidro may be Beatriz’s doom. No library descriptions found. |
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Google Books — Loading... GenresMelvil Decimal System (DDC)813.6Literature English (North America) American fiction 21st CenturyLC ClassificationRatingAverage:
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BIBLIOGRAPHIC DETAILS:
Available Print: COPYRIGHT:) 5/3/2022; PUBLISHER: Doubleday, First edition; ISBN 978-0593436691; PAGES 352; Unabridged
Available Digital: Yes
The version I listened to: *Audio: COPYRIGHT: 11/3/2009; ISBN: 9780593552681; PUBLISHER: Books on Tape; DURATION: 11:13:44; PARTS: 10; File Size: 320590 KB; Unabridged; (Overdrive: LAPL)
Feature Film or tv: No
SERIES: No
SUMMARY/ EVALUATION:
How I picked it: It was close to Halloween when a friend, Susan, recommended it.
What it was about: A young lady marries for convenience, thinking she has no other choice and knowing a nice home comes with the marriage that she imagines she can bring her mother to, to live. The family and servants of the man she has married are not welcoming, and then she finds that the house isn’t either. When she requests that the church assist her with blessing the house, trouble begins.
What I thought: Actually, this is the kind of story, that, were I to accidentally begin watching it on TV, I would instantly turn off. I am no longer the teenager that enjoyed ghost stories complete with gore and evil beings. (In fact, this one actually gave me nightmares.) But, because I didn’t have to endure the visuals, it had been recommended by a friend, and there was a strong enough plot, I completed it. For its genre it was great, for me it wasn’t. These are the times I struggle with ratings.
AUTHOR:
Isabel Canos
From Goodreads__ “Isabel Cañas is a Mexican-American speculative fiction writer. After having lived in Mexico, Scotland, Egypt, and Turkey, among other places, she has settled (for now) in New York City. She holds a doctorate in Near Eastern Languages and Civilizations and writes fiction inspired by her research and her heritage.”
NARRATOR(S):
Victoria Villarreal:
Sorry, I didn’t find any biographies online.
Lee Osorio
From AudioFile_ “Lee is an actor, audiobook narrator, and playwright based in Atlanta. He identifies as a queer, Latinx, Democratic Socialist, Christian with Buddhist leanings. Fall of 2021, Lee was one of 1600 applicants to be selected to participate in the first cohort of Penguin Random House Audio Narrator Mentorship Program. He has since recorded multiple titles with PRH.”
GENRE:
Fiction; Horror; Romance; Thriller
SUBJECTS:
Ghosts, witchcraft; Priests; haunted houses
RATING:.
3
STARTED READING – FINISHED READING
12-18-2022 to 12-24-2022 ( )