Her Mother's Mother's Mother and Her Daughters

Engaging story of Brazilian history through a long line of men and women who participated in various ways in the building of the country. The chapters are short and exposition-heavy; there is not a lot of dialogue but instead we get each woman's story narrated by an unseen speaker and it all comes together beautifully (if somewhat predictably) in the end. Still it's a rewarding and satisfying read and you'll learn about Brazil's history in a neat way.

What a absolutely wonderful novel that pulled me in from page one. 500 years of Brazilian history told though the family line of women. Each chapter about a woman, her life, family and placed solidly in the history of her time. The next chapter about her daughter, and so on, from the arrival of the first European ships to current day. Reads like a series of short stories and is told in a conversational tone by a grandmother? Mother? to her daughter.

delightful. full of humanity. read it.

Ao acompanhar uma linhagem de mulheres indomáveis, A mãe da mãe de sua mãe e suas filhas reconta de forma feminina e nada usual a história do Brasil, compondo um retrato fiel através dos pequenos – e ao mesmo tempo mais emblemáticos – detalhes de sua sociedade. As mulheres de Maria José Silveira sobreviveram à exploração desenfreada do pau-brasil, da cana-de-açúcar e do ouro, à dominação e à opressão não apenas dos colonizadores e das ditaduras, mas também de seus parceiros, maridos e amantes. A história se desenlaça por mais de quinhentos anos até chegar à sua última descendente, nascida no início do século XXI, que vai de encontro a um futuro de luz e sombra, de problemas crônicos e grandes esperanças.