The Time It Snowed in Puerto Rico

I thoroughly enjoyed this novel. I thought McCoy captured the mind of an 11-year-old girl perfectly. I was able to relate to a lot of things that Verdita experienced, such as her first bad dye job. I experimented with a few dye jobs myself when I was around that age, none of which turned me into a beautiful young lady like I believed it would--the end results turned out to be at the opposite end of that spectrum.

The glimpse of Puerto Rico during the early 60's was also really fun to read about, making the novel a good beach read. It was so interesting learning about the different foods and folk tales. I enjoyed the fact that McCoy would often throw in Spanish words throughout the narrative which made it feel more authentic and allowed show more me to sink further into the island setting.

I hope the author plans on writing a book set in Puerto Rico during modern time. I'd be really interested in reading that. I'll be on the lookout for any new book she comes out with.

*I won my copy from Goodreads giveaways show less

Being of Puerto Rican descent myself, I could not help but connect with The Time it Snowed in Puerto Rico. Taking place during the early 1960's over the course of two years, we see this story through the eyes of eleven year old Verdita as she lives on the island.

This is a coming of age story for Verdita. Like so many girls her age, she has a strained relationship with her mother and she tends to put her father on somewhat of a pedestal. Verdita longs to be an American and live what she believes to be a glamorous life in the States. She is in that awkward phase caught between childhood and young adulthood. Wrapped up in the plot is also the issue of whether Puerto Rico will remain a commonwealth or become a State.

I felt like the author show more captured Verdita's voice well. Her feelings, emotions and actions felt realistic. One part of the story that I found both sad and comical is when Verdita wants to bleach her curly dark hair blond and she lies to the hair stylist, telling her she has her mom's permission to color and straighten her hair so drastically.
"This was it! I was going to be more beautiful than the girls in the States-more beautiful than Mama. Titi Lola brushed out the snarls, and my hair expanded, rising like a black sea sponge. I hated that reflection. Ugly and dark with island hair and island dirt. "
p.93

I have to admit, I had my trepidations about this book because I had high expectations. I've visited Puerto Rico several times both during my childhood and adulthood. The summers that I was twelve and thirteen I spent three weeks on the island, so needless to say, Puerto Rico is close to my heart. One thing I really appreciated about this book was that I never felt cheated as I read about the setting and customs.

Author Sarah McCoy captures the culture nicely, the sights and sounds came to life through her prose. The characters speak some Spanish words here and there throughout the story. I felt this was enough for native speakers to relate to, yet I don't think it would overwhelm those who don't speak the language.

However, my one qualm with The Time it Snowed in Puerto Rico is that I found myself somewhat bored towards the middle of the book. I lost interest in Verdita's story and the book never really picked up for me again.
Upon visiting the author's website I see that her mother is Puerto Rican and that she visited the island throughout her childhood. It shows well in her descriptive writing.
Everything from the piraguas, to Old San Juan, to the foods and sweets to her Papi, all conjured nice memories for me and I felt an instant connection with the story in that aspect. I just wish the storyline itself wasn't so slow going. I have to say, this book took me down memory lane a bit and I would try this author again.

Disclaimer: This review is my honest opinion. I did not receive any type of compensation for reading and reviewing this book. While I receive free books from publishers and authors, I am under no obligation to write a positive review. I purchased my copy of this book. show less

This book reoccurs in my mind quite often, surprisingly, when I least expect. The setting is tropical, humid, and cleverly written about a young lady who finds herself in the midst of the 1960's in Puerto Rico. There is something about the inner thoughts of adolescents that we want to ignore, but, when brought to life as Sarah McCoy so brilliantly does, we don't mind remembering those days. Vibrant descriptions of local food, colorful family and politics of the day, makes this a delightful and fun read.

The Time It Snowed in Puerto Rico by Sarah McCoy is a coming of age novel about a young girl, Maria — also known as Verdita — in Puerto Rico during the debate about whether or not the nation should become a member of the United States or remain independent. Part of Maria Ortiz-Santiago’s family lives in the United States and part lives on the island in a little barrio, and readers get a taste of the differences between the two lives when Omar, her cousin, comes back to visit. As the two grow older and grow apart, Verdita continues to ramp up her competitive spirit when he’s near to retain her hold on her father. She’s always had a fear that a boy would usurp her father’s affections, especially after her mother becomes show more pregnant.

Read the full review: http://savvyverseandwit.com/2012/05/the-time-it-snowed-in-puerto-rico-by-sarah-m... show less

I finished this all in one sitting as well. It really did remind me of House on Mango Street. House on Mango Street was more of a vignette style though, and this was a cohesive story. It was very well done, the images were descriptive and not cliche.

Slow. Read it on the beach in Puerto Rico so the mindlessness was fine.