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The Volcano Daughters
A saucy, searingly original debut about two sisters raised in the shadow of El Salvador’s brutal dictator, El Gran Pendejo, and their flight from genocide, which takes them from Hollywood to Paris to cannery row, each followed by a chorus of furies, the ghosts of their murdered friends, who aren’t yet done telling their stories.
El Salvador, 1923. Graciela grows up on a volcano in a community of indigenous women indentured to coffee plantations owned by the country’s wealthiest, until a messenger from the Capital comes to claim at nine years old she’s been chosen to be an oracle for a rising dictator—a sinister, violent man wedded to the occult. She’ll help foresee the future of the country.
In the Capital she meets Consuelo, the sister she’s never known, stolen away from their home before Graciela was born. The two are a small fortress within the dictator’s regime, but they’re no match for El Gran Pendejo’s cruelty. Years pass and terror rises as the economy flatlines, and Graciela comes to understand the horrific vision that she’s unwittingly helped shape just as genocide strikes the community that raised her. She and Consuelo barely escape, each believing the other to be dead. They run, crossing the globe, reinventing their lives, and ultimately reconnecting at the least likely moment.
Endlessly surprising, vividly imaginative, bursting with lush life, The Volcano Daughters charts, through the stories of these sisters and the ghosts they carry with them, a new history and mythology of El Salvador, fiercely bringing forth voices that have been calling out for generations.
El Salvador, 1923. Graciela grows up on a volcano in a community of indigenous women indentured to coffee plantations owned by the country’s wealthiest, until a messenger from the Capital comes to claim at nine years old she’s been chosen to be an oracle for a rising dictator—a sinister, violent man wedded to the occult. She’ll help foresee the future of the country.
In the Capital she meets Consuelo, the sister she’s never known, stolen away from their home before Graciela was born. The two are a small fortress within the dictator’s regime, but they’re no match for El Gran Pendejo’s cruelty. Years pass and terror rises as the economy flatlines, and Graciela comes to understand the horrific vision that she’s unwittingly helped shape just as genocide strikes the community that raised her. She and Consuelo barely escape, each believing the other to be dead. They run, crossing the globe, reinventing their lives, and ultimately reconnecting at the least likely moment.
Endlessly surprising, vividly imaginative, bursting with lush life, The Volcano Daughters charts, through the stories of these sisters and the ghosts they carry with them, a new history and mythology of El Salvador, fiercely bringing forth voices that have been calling out for generations.
368 pages, Hardcover
First published August 20, 2024
About the author
Gina María Balibrera
2 books96 followersGina Balibrera earned an MFA in Prose from the University of Michigan’s Helen Zell Writers' Program, where she was also a postgraduate fellow. She’s been awarded grants from the Gould Center, the Rackham Institute, a Tyson Award, the Aura Estrada Prize, the Under the Volcano Sandra Cisneros Fellowship, and is currently a member of the inaugural Periplus Fellowship cohort.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 308 reviews
August 15, 2024
Perhaps the best way to summarize this novel is to just say, One Hundred Years of Solitude. Of course, this doesn’t span a century and the narrating ghosts make sure neither the MCs or you are ever alone. But I think you get the point: sweeping magical realism set in the jungles and towns of Latin America - in this case, El Salvador.
It takes about fifty pages to figure out the main characters: Consuelo and Graciela. We learn their story from their friends who are, um…dead. And that’s not a spoiler, since in the very first chapter, they tell us they’re dead, of some horrible political massacre. It’s set in a series of small towns, a coffee economy, on the side of a volcano. Eventually, it moves to California and Paris.
Tremendous description here. Wow, what a setting! The author conveys both the danger and beauty of the jungle. Also, the voices are quite poetic. There’s nothing wrong with the occasional f-bomb here, since the interactions between characters are emotional, meaningful, and full of love. Ghosts are meant to be haunting, and these girls are experts.
Now, if you love magic (and not the romantasy kind), you’ll be in heaven (or wherever the ghosts are). There are named spirits that actually show up and swirl around the main characters. The General does something bad, and gets chased by a spectral legend. The dead girls visit the living, right when they needed it. Very cool.
However…
This is meant to be read slowly. And that’s not what I do. I prefer to be entertained, told a story I can easily follow. The first fifty pages here did the opposite. It was hard to understand who the narrators were. The timeline flies all over. The claims to be dead threw me off. There’s basically no direction. Again, beautifully described, but if you want to follow what’s happening, you need to read paragraphs over and over. The narrator will be telling us about Socorrito, but then digress into a story about a spirit, and not come back to the original story. This made it the writing less like Gabriel García Márquez and more like Thomas Pynchon or David Foster Wallace And certainly not Isabel Allende. Things just didn’t connect. For me, at least.
It gets better when Consuelo and Graciela meet in the General's home. Better still when they escape. But even there, the lack of a linear plot wrought havoc on my attention span. I admit, I skimmed the ending.
Also, have your Spanish-English dictionary handy. I have a rusty grip on the language, and even I had to Google translate a few words. In fact, the author goes full phrases in the language without offering a translation. I can see those who don’t speak or understand the language getting rather annoyed.
But that’s how magical realism goes. Usually. 100 Years remains one of my favorites, but the plot there is more traditional. It’s meant to flit in and out of consciousness, back and forth through time, circling what’s real and what’s not. The author does a good job of taking us to her worlds, both real and imagined. Telling where, when, and why we’re there, however, was a shortcoming.
I recommend this: recognize that I’m the wrong person to review this kind of book. My opinions probably ignore the features that make this book great. I could pick out things I like, but saying it’s bad based on my aversion of the genre just isn’t fair.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a complimentary copy in exchange for an honest review. The Volcano Daughters comes out Tuesday, August 20.
It takes about fifty pages to figure out the main characters: Consuelo and Graciela. We learn their story from their friends who are, um…dead. And that’s not a spoiler, since in the very first chapter, they tell us they’re dead, of some horrible political massacre. It’s set in a series of small towns, a coffee economy, on the side of a volcano. Eventually, it moves to California and Paris.
Tremendous description here. Wow, what a setting! The author conveys both the danger and beauty of the jungle. Also, the voices are quite poetic. There’s nothing wrong with the occasional f-bomb here, since the interactions between characters are emotional, meaningful, and full of love. Ghosts are meant to be haunting, and these girls are experts.
Now, if you love magic (and not the romantasy kind), you’ll be in heaven (or wherever the ghosts are). There are named spirits that actually show up and swirl around the main characters. The General does something bad, and gets chased by a spectral legend. The dead girls visit the living, right when they needed it. Very cool.
However…
This is meant to be read slowly. And that’s not what I do. I prefer to be entertained, told a story I can easily follow. The first fifty pages here did the opposite. It was hard to understand who the narrators were. The timeline flies all over. The claims to be dead threw me off. There’s basically no direction. Again, beautifully described, but if you want to follow what’s happening, you need to read paragraphs over and over. The narrator will be telling us about Socorrito, but then digress into a story about a spirit, and not come back to the original story. This made it the writing less like Gabriel García Márquez and more like Thomas Pynchon or David Foster Wallace And certainly not Isabel Allende. Things just didn’t connect. For me, at least.
It gets better when Consuelo and Graciela meet in the General's home. Better still when they escape. But even there, the lack of a linear plot wrought havoc on my attention span. I admit, I skimmed the ending.
Also, have your Spanish-English dictionary handy. I have a rusty grip on the language, and even I had to Google translate a few words. In fact, the author goes full phrases in the language without offering a translation. I can see those who don’t speak or understand the language getting rather annoyed.
But that’s how magical realism goes. Usually. 100 Years remains one of my favorites, but the plot there is more traditional. It’s meant to flit in and out of consciousness, back and forth through time, circling what’s real and what’s not. The author does a good job of taking us to her worlds, both real and imagined. Telling where, when, and why we’re there, however, was a shortcoming.
I recommend this: recognize that I’m the wrong person to review this kind of book. My opinions probably ignore the features that make this book great. I could pick out things I like, but saying it’s bad based on my aversion of the genre just isn’t fair.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a complimentary copy in exchange for an honest review. The Volcano Daughters comes out Tuesday, August 20.
February 21, 2024
The Volcano Daughters is the heartrending, compelling story of two sisters, born in Izalco, and their separate journeys after they escape genocide in El Salvador, each believing the other died in the massacre. Though their paths diverge, Consuelo and Graciela both experience prejudice and hardships as they try to find their place in the world. The sisters are watched over by their murdered friends (Lourdes, María, Cora, and Lucía), with each of these women interjecting their candid commentary into the narrative.
The beautiful prose and heavy topics demanded that I take my time with this book, and I lingered on many a passage while reading. I loved the way Spanish words and phrases were incorporated into the prose, and the references to myths like la sihuanaba.
This story triggered so many emotions in me; I found myself fighting back tears as Consuelo was stolen from her mother, and again and again as the women are subjected to infuriating, horrifying injustices. Knowing that this novel draws on historical events such as La Matanza (the masacre) makes the sisters' stories even more tragic. Still, there is light in this story; their friends watching over them, kind strangers, found family. This story profoundly affected me, and I know that I'll be thinking about it for a long time.
Note: This work includes content that may be upsetting, including but not limited to violence, murder, genocide, sexual assault, rape, kidnapping, grief, miscarriage, racism, self harm, and suicide.
The beautiful prose and heavy topics demanded that I take my time with this book, and I lingered on many a passage while reading. I loved the way Spanish words and phrases were incorporated into the prose, and the references to myths like la sihuanaba.
This story triggered so many emotions in me; I found myself fighting back tears as Consuelo was stolen from her mother, and again and again as the women are subjected to infuriating, horrifying injustices. Knowing that this novel draws on historical events such as La Matanza (the masacre) makes the sisters' stories even more tragic. Still, there is light in this story; their friends watching over them, kind strangers, found family. This story profoundly affected me, and I know that I'll be thinking about it for a long time.
Note: This work includes content that may be upsetting, including but not limited to violence, murder, genocide, sexual assault, rape, kidnapping, grief, miscarriage, racism, self harm, and suicide.
September 8, 2024
Thank you to Net Galley and Pantheon for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.
I was born and raised in El Salvador during the Civil War of El Salvador so I was looking forward to this book as it was written by a Salvadoran American who wanted to write about our country. Sadly this book was not what I expected it to be.
My biggest gripe with the book is the Salvadoran Slang and Spanish words sprinkled everywhere in this book. It’s excessive and it doesn’t add anything to the story, a lot of people won’t be able to understand any of these words and it ends up in googling the words instead of immersing in the story. One example is using carcajadas instead of just describing a loud laugh, it served no purpose and it disrupted the rhythm of the book.
Some of my favorite Salvadoran folklore legends get mentioned in this book like La Siguanaba, El Cipitio and El Cadejo but none of them are explained deeply as they’re just a mention in passing to further the story in one way or another instead of enriching it which I found very unfortunate as they’re such a huge part of El Salvador culture.
Another thing about the language is specifically using “Puchica” before a person, place or object. As far as I know that is not how Puchica gets used, I also ended up calling my mom and asked her since I thought maybe I was misremembering the slang but she also agreed that is not how it’s used. Puchica is used more as an expression as “Damn!” and not “this damn chair”. In the grand scheme of things it’s not a big issue to most that is used incorrectly but it did pull me out of the book everytime I found that word in the book (which was a lot, the author loves this word).
I found the story of a mother giving her two daughters to a dictator because she had no power was what I would have loved to see and to watch her mother’s journey to get her children back. I even thought Graciela’s story was interesting as she became sorta an advisor for the dictator but it just didn’t quite have more substance to me after that. I didn’t feel connected to any of the characters and the random interruptions from the dead friends didn’t add anything to the story.
I was born and raised in El Salvador during the Civil War of El Salvador so I was looking forward to this book as it was written by a Salvadoran American who wanted to write about our country. Sadly this book was not what I expected it to be.
My biggest gripe with the book is the Salvadoran Slang and Spanish words sprinkled everywhere in this book. It’s excessive and it doesn’t add anything to the story, a lot of people won’t be able to understand any of these words and it ends up in googling the words instead of immersing in the story. One example is using carcajadas instead of just describing a loud laugh, it served no purpose and it disrupted the rhythm of the book.
Some of my favorite Salvadoran folklore legends get mentioned in this book like La Siguanaba, El Cipitio and El Cadejo but none of them are explained deeply as they’re just a mention in passing to further the story in one way or another instead of enriching it which I found very unfortunate as they’re such a huge part of El Salvador culture.
Another thing about the language is specifically using “Puchica” before a person, place or object. As far as I know that is not how Puchica gets used, I also ended up calling my mom and asked her since I thought maybe I was misremembering the slang but she also agreed that is not how it’s used. Puchica is used more as an expression as “Damn!” and not “this damn chair”. In the grand scheme of things it’s not a big issue to most that is used incorrectly but it did pull me out of the book everytime I found that word in the book (which was a lot, the author loves this word).
I found the story of a mother giving her two daughters to a dictator because she had no power was what I would have loved to see and to watch her mother’s journey to get her children back. I even thought Graciela’s story was interesting as she became sorta an advisor for the dictator but it just didn’t quite have more substance to me after that. I didn’t feel connected to any of the characters and the random interruptions from the dead friends didn’t add anything to the story.
November 30, 2024
A story narrated by ghosts cannot be resisted.
The Volcano Daughters
has four of them!
Two indigenous sisters (Graciela and Consuelo) are reunited in an uncomfortable way in this tale that grows by inches and flashback in readiness for the horrific event that ensures they have no home to return to. . .based on real events in El Salvador, with the goal of paralyzing by terror and culture-murder. Villagers living in the shadow and lava burps of volcano Izalco were blamed for the protests against government, ultimately dooming whole communities. Thus begins the ghost lives of and tales told by the childhood friends of Graciela: Lourdes, Maria, Cora and Lucia, spirits who have taken it upon themselves to watch over Graciela (and Consuelo, albeit grudgingly). These tough girls tell of sisterhood, bonds, reconciliation, forgiveness and love - in the middle of this violent and traumatic story.
Gina María Balibrera's book brings to readers a tale that educates, told in a refreshing way, dropping many Salvadoran language references - opportunities for this reader to recall all those years of standard Spanish and see the differences therein.
*A sincere thank you to Gina María Balibrera, Knopf, Pantheon, Vintage, and Anchor, and NetGalley for an ARC to read and review independently.* #TheVolcanoDaughters #NetGalley 24/52:42
Two indigenous sisters (Graciela and Consuelo) are reunited in an uncomfortable way in this tale that grows by inches and flashback in readiness for the horrific event that ensures they have no home to return to. . .based on real events in El Salvador, with the goal of paralyzing by terror and culture-murder. Villagers living in the shadow and lava burps of volcano Izalco were blamed for the protests against government, ultimately dooming whole communities. Thus begins the ghost lives of and tales told by the childhood friends of Graciela: Lourdes, Maria, Cora and Lucia, spirits who have taken it upon themselves to watch over Graciela (and Consuelo, albeit grudgingly). These tough girls tell of sisterhood, bonds, reconciliation, forgiveness and love - in the middle of this violent and traumatic story.
Gina María Balibrera's book brings to readers a tale that educates, told in a refreshing way, dropping many Salvadoran language references - opportunities for this reader to recall all those years of standard Spanish and see the differences therein.
*A sincere thank you to Gina María Balibrera, Knopf, Pantheon, Vintage, and Anchor, and NetGalley for an ARC to read and review independently.* #TheVolcanoDaughters #NetGalley 24/52:42
September 8, 2024
A lover of historical fiction as well as reading to learn about a previously unfamiliar country, I was very much looking forward to reading Gina Maria Balibrera’s debut novel, The Volcano Daughters. The tale begins in El Salvador of the 1920s,in a small town at the edge of a volcano, where the inhabitants farm the land for meager survival as foreign interests reap the benefits. A railroad Is being built to assist the colonizers in faster transport of the goods.
Two sisters, whose father is the second in command and chief advisor to ruthless dictator, El Gran Pendejo, have never met each other. Consuelo, the eldest has been kidnapped to the capital by the tyrant’s orders. Graciela, significantly younger and very attached to her mother, is beckoned to the capital when her father dies. It is there that she is also stolen from her mother to live her life as the new advisor to El Gran Pandejo. The child learns quickly to report exactly what the tyrant wants to hear. As time passes, both sisters are able to escape the massacre in El Salvador as the story follows their lives to Los Angeles, San Francisco and Paris. The author examines, through her characters what it means to be an immigrant escaping massacre and brutality. It is a tale of resilience, courage, and survival.
The plot itself is compelling and important.. Yet it was a very difficult read and therefore not as enjoyable as I had hoped or expected. It was hard for an English speaker like myself to read this book as there is a great deal of unrecognizable Spanish that is not self explanatory in context: very frustrating. I lost much of the meaning. There is also a chorus of four ghosts that appears continuously throughout the book. They are dead friends of the main characters who give details and background as the story progresses. I found this chorus of voices distracting and prolonged, inserting an abundance of magical thinking that was overkill for me.
All of that said, I believe this is an author with talent. At its best, the writing is lyrical, poetic and engaging. Ms Balibrera is an author whose next work I am willing to attempt. Hopefully I won’t encounter a language barrier. Three stars for an interesting, original but at times slow and tedious read. My thanks to NetGalley and Knopf,Pantheon, Vintage and Anchor for providing me with an advance reader’s copy in exchange for my review. It was published on August 20,2024.
Two sisters, whose father is the second in command and chief advisor to ruthless dictator, El Gran Pendejo, have never met each other. Consuelo, the eldest has been kidnapped to the capital by the tyrant’s orders. Graciela, significantly younger and very attached to her mother, is beckoned to the capital when her father dies. It is there that she is also stolen from her mother to live her life as the new advisor to El Gran Pandejo. The child learns quickly to report exactly what the tyrant wants to hear. As time passes, both sisters are able to escape the massacre in El Salvador as the story follows their lives to Los Angeles, San Francisco and Paris. The author examines, through her characters what it means to be an immigrant escaping massacre and brutality. It is a tale of resilience, courage, and survival.
The plot itself is compelling and important.. Yet it was a very difficult read and therefore not as enjoyable as I had hoped or expected. It was hard for an English speaker like myself to read this book as there is a great deal of unrecognizable Spanish that is not self explanatory in context: very frustrating. I lost much of the meaning. There is also a chorus of four ghosts that appears continuously throughout the book. They are dead friends of the main characters who give details and background as the story progresses. I found this chorus of voices distracting and prolonged, inserting an abundance of magical thinking that was overkill for me.
All of that said, I believe this is an author with talent. At its best, the writing is lyrical, poetic and engaging. Ms Balibrera is an author whose next work I am willing to attempt. Hopefully I won’t encounter a language barrier. Three stars for an interesting, original but at times slow and tedious read. My thanks to NetGalley and Knopf,Pantheon, Vintage and Anchor for providing me with an advance reader’s copy in exchange for my review. It was published on August 20,2024.
November 29, 2024
this book gave me chills
November 24, 2024
2.5✨
The Volcano Daughters by Gina Maria Balibrera offers a vivid view of El Salvador’s unstable history by the women caught in cycles of violence, resilience, and survival. While the narrative is rich in cultural and historical details, the pacing and fragmented storytelling can make it difficult to follow. The characters felt underdeveloped. This book had so much potential and the beginning had strong promise. It felt like two different novels written about a similar subject.
The Volcano Daughters by Gina Maria Balibrera offers a vivid view of El Salvador’s unstable history by the women caught in cycles of violence, resilience, and survival. While the narrative is rich in cultural and historical details, the pacing and fragmented storytelling can make it difficult to follow. The characters felt underdeveloped. This book had so much potential and the beginning had strong promise. It felt like two different novels written about a similar subject.
January 16, 2024
The Volcano Daughters...woah.
First of all, the narrative perspective used to weave this story is so unique, but more than that, entirely captivating. The book is slow, as in it takes a while to get through, and typically books like this are hard for me. But The Volcano Daughters has had me hooked since the first page and I found myself waiting for moments to pick it up again-at work, waiting for my car to heat up, waking up early to read a few chapters and then staying up late to read a few more. I picked away at this book, wanting to savor every piece of it like a favorite meal.
I have always been and will always be a sucker for stories structured around women, but especially around sisters-blood related or not. Consuelo and Graciela had me laughing, had me crying, and had me waiting with baited breath the entire time and that's not even including their other sisters, the ones left behind, who's voice reach through to help give you the full picture of everything going on.
Despite knowing that certain things would happen base on the synopsis, I still found myself tearing up at particularly highly intense moments, namely when the daughters are stolen from their mother. It's the tragedy of knowing, of wanting so desperately to pull yourself into the story just to say "No, please, no." And THAT is a talent few writers possess. I could, but I wont, spoil the entirety of the story and you could read it yourself and still feel as if you were blindsided in a way.
God, I don't even have words outside of desperately wanting to read everything this author puts out.
Thank you to Netgalley for an early copy for review.
Merged review:
The Volcano Daughters...woah.
First of all, the narrative perspective used to weave this story is so unique, but more than that, entirely captivating. The book is slow, as in it takes a while to get through, and typically books like this are hard for me. But The Volcano Daughters has had me hooked since the first page and I found myself waiting for moments to pick it up again-at work, waiting for my car to heat up, waking up early to read a few chapters and then staying up late to read a few more. I picked away at this book, wanting to savor every piece of it like a favorite meal.
I have always been and will always be a sucker for stories structured around women, but especially around sisters-blood related or not. Consuelo and Graciela had me laughing, had me crying, and had me waiting with baited breath the entire time and that's not even including their other sisters, the ones left behind, who's voice reach through to help give you the full picture of everything going on.
Despite knowing that certain things would happen base on the synopsis, I still found myself tearing up at particularly highly intense moments, namely when the daughters are stolen from their mother. It's the tragedy of knowing, of wanting so desperately to pull yourself into the story just to say "No, please, no." And THAT is a talent few writers possess. I could, but I wont, spoil the entirety of the story and you could read it yourself and still feel as if you were blindsided in a way.
God, I don't even have words outside of desperately wanting to read everything this author puts out.
Thank you to Netgalley for an early copy for review.
First of all, the narrative perspective used to weave this story is so unique, but more than that, entirely captivating. The book is slow, as in it takes a while to get through, and typically books like this are hard for me. But The Volcano Daughters has had me hooked since the first page and I found myself waiting for moments to pick it up again-at work, waiting for my car to heat up, waking up early to read a few chapters and then staying up late to read a few more. I picked away at this book, wanting to savor every piece of it like a favorite meal.
I have always been and will always be a sucker for stories structured around women, but especially around sisters-blood related or not. Consuelo and Graciela had me laughing, had me crying, and had me waiting with baited breath the entire time and that's not even including their other sisters, the ones left behind, who's voice reach through to help give you the full picture of everything going on.
Despite knowing that certain things would happen base on the synopsis, I still found myself tearing up at particularly highly intense moments, namely when the daughters are stolen from their mother. It's the tragedy of knowing, of wanting so desperately to pull yourself into the story just to say "No, please, no." And THAT is a talent few writers possess. I could, but I wont, spoil the entirety of the story and you could read it yourself and still feel as if you were blindsided in a way.
God, I don't even have words outside of desperately wanting to read everything this author puts out.
Thank you to Netgalley for an early copy for review.
Merged review:
The Volcano Daughters...woah.
First of all, the narrative perspective used to weave this story is so unique, but more than that, entirely captivating. The book is slow, as in it takes a while to get through, and typically books like this are hard for me. But The Volcano Daughters has had me hooked since the first page and I found myself waiting for moments to pick it up again-at work, waiting for my car to heat up, waking up early to read a few chapters and then staying up late to read a few more. I picked away at this book, wanting to savor every piece of it like a favorite meal.
I have always been and will always be a sucker for stories structured around women, but especially around sisters-blood related or not. Consuelo and Graciela had me laughing, had me crying, and had me waiting with baited breath the entire time and that's not even including their other sisters, the ones left behind, who's voice reach through to help give you the full picture of everything going on.
Despite knowing that certain things would happen base on the synopsis, I still found myself tearing up at particularly highly intense moments, namely when the daughters are stolen from their mother. It's the tragedy of knowing, of wanting so desperately to pull yourself into the story just to say "No, please, no." And THAT is a talent few writers possess. I could, but I wont, spoil the entirety of the story and you could read it yourself and still feel as if you were blindsided in a way.
God, I don't even have words outside of desperately wanting to read everything this author puts out.
Thank you to Netgalley for an early copy for review.
September 4, 2024
3.5 stars rounded up.
I have such mixed feelings about this book… Is it possible to simultaneously like something while disliking it at the same time?
Even though this is a tragic story (it does end in hope!), The Volcano Daughters is written in such beautiful, lyrical prose that conveyed so much historical informational that I couldn’t help being in awe of what I was reading. I learned so much about life in El Salvador in the early 1900s, especially in regards to race (being mestiza), living under a dictatorship, and life as a political refugee in the West.
While I know that this is fiction, there is a lot of truth in this story.
But next to all of that, the prose would sometimes become strangely basic and lowbrow. I understand that the story is told by ghosts of massacred girls (I actually didn’t mind their Greek chorus sections where they had dialogues with each other), but when the two FMCs, Consuelo and Graciela, grow up, it became kind of childish to still refer to the dictator as “El Gran Pendejo.”
Maybe it’s just me, but it felt jarring to read a passage that read sort of childish when a chapter before, there would be some passages on the massacre or a passage on what it means to be indio.
Besides that, this book is obviously meant to read as magical realism. It was hard to drum that into my head when Consuelo and Graciela’s lives (after escaping El Salvador) would sometimes seem too remarkable and fantastical and way too easy (I’m not sure if that’s the right word). Graciela almost becoming a movie star? Consuelo’s artsy life in France? Totally cool, but let’s be real here.
Despite all of that, I’m interested in reading more from Gina María Balibrera. I did love the more serious aspects of this novel.
Thank you to Pantheon and NetGalley for this arc.
I have such mixed feelings about this book… Is it possible to simultaneously like something while disliking it at the same time?
Even though this is a tragic story (it does end in hope!), The Volcano Daughters is written in such beautiful, lyrical prose that conveyed so much historical informational that I couldn’t help being in awe of what I was reading. I learned so much about life in El Salvador in the early 1900s, especially in regards to race (being mestiza), living under a dictatorship, and life as a political refugee in the West.
While I know that this is fiction, there is a lot of truth in this story.
But next to all of that, the prose would sometimes become strangely basic and lowbrow. I understand that the story is told by ghosts of massacred girls (I actually didn’t mind their Greek chorus sections where they had dialogues with each other), but when the two FMCs, Consuelo and Graciela, grow up, it became kind of childish to still refer to the dictator as “El Gran Pendejo.”
Maybe it’s just me, but it felt jarring to read a passage that read sort of childish when a chapter before, there would be some passages on the massacre or a passage on what it means to be indio.
Besides that, this book is obviously meant to read as magical realism. It was hard to drum that into my head when Consuelo and Graciela’s lives (after escaping El Salvador) would sometimes seem too remarkable and fantastical and way too easy (I’m not sure if that’s the right word). Graciela almost becoming a movie star? Consuelo’s artsy life in France? Totally cool, but let’s be real here.
Despite all of that, I’m interested in reading more from Gina María Balibrera. I did love the more serious aspects of this novel.
Thank you to Pantheon and NetGalley for this arc.
October 3, 2024
Audiobook (12 hours) narrated by:
Gisela Chipe
Elena Ray
Alma Cuervo
E.A. Castillo
Inés del Castillo
The audio and narration are very good, without distortion, erroneous noise, or obvious edits.
The story flows nicely, is paced well, and is an easy read.
The issue is that it is also forgettable, so forgettable in fact that I already forgot what I read.
Gisela Chipe
Elena Ray
Alma Cuervo
E.A. Castillo
Inés del Castillo
The audio and narration are very good, without distortion, erroneous noise, or obvious edits.
The story flows nicely, is paced well, and is an easy read.
The issue is that it is also forgettable, so forgettable in fact that I already forgot what I read.
March 6, 2024
Compulsively readable and beautifully written, The Volcano Daughters genuinely left me wondering, “at what point does writing about our histories turn into exoticism?” For while Gina María Balibrera writes beautifully, and often poignantly while inserting Spanish into her writing in a way that doesn’t read as Spanglish, though this may be a difference in Spanglish’s. Irregardless of that, Balibrera still seems like she’s trying to make the world of the 1800s El Salvador as foreign and mystical as possible, particularly lingering on the lush jungles, and constantly talking Indica with a chorus of dead Indigenous women as the backup chorus to their childhood friend who’s now assisting a dictator, and her sister. It’s clear Balibrera loves magical realism in the breadth of the 100 Years of Solitude, and Jorge Luis Borges, but those were written by people who were living in the middle of the colonial era, in these colonized Latin American countries. Balibrera is not.
Thus at the end of it all I’m just left wondering, how much do we show ourselves and our traditions and the “mystical magical unknown” of our families off for an audience, before it becomes exoticism? I don’t know, but The Volcano Daughters feels as if it’s maybe crossed that line.
Thus at the end of it all I’m just left wondering, how much do we show ourselves and our traditions and the “mystical magical unknown” of our families off for an audience, before it becomes exoticism? I don’t know, but The Volcano Daughters feels as if it’s maybe crossed that line.
August 30, 2024
"Volcano Daughters" by Gina Maria Balibrera is an astounding debut and work of literary historical fiction. The story centers around two young sisters raised during the reign of El Gran Pendejo, the brutal dictator of El Salvador from 1931 to 1944. I'm ashamed to say that I was largely unfamiliar with the history and so I was shocked and horrified as the book detailed the massacre of thousands of indigenous people under the guise of a response to a communist uprising. The main characters fled to the United States, accompanied by the ghosts of their friends who perished in the genocide.
This is a story of incredible anguish, but also of the powerful desire to live. It certainly is an ambitious debut, not shying away from intense topics such as sexual abuse, genocide, racism, and sexism. However, it is beautifully crafted, with lyrical prose and vivid characters. I was moved to tears as I read of the sisters' hardships and celebrated with their successes. This is not a book to be read quickly; instead it should be savored. I loved the inclusion of folklore and Spanish slang (hijueseismilputas being one of my favorites). The chorus of tragic child ghosts lends a touch of child-like innocence and humor to this very heavy story.
This book will be an award winner for sure and fans of Gabriel Garcia Marquez and Isabel Allende should add this book to their Autumn reading lists.
Many thanks to NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for the privilege of reading an advanced copy of this marvelous debut novel. Five stars!
This is a story of incredible anguish, but also of the powerful desire to live. It certainly is an ambitious debut, not shying away from intense topics such as sexual abuse, genocide, racism, and sexism. However, it is beautifully crafted, with lyrical prose and vivid characters. I was moved to tears as I read of the sisters' hardships and celebrated with their successes. This is not a book to be read quickly; instead it should be savored. I loved the inclusion of folklore and Spanish slang (hijueseismilputas being one of my favorites). The chorus of tragic child ghosts lends a touch of child-like innocence and humor to this very heavy story.
This book will be an award winner for sure and fans of Gabriel Garcia Marquez and Isabel Allende should add this book to their Autumn reading lists.
Many thanks to NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for the privilege of reading an advanced copy of this marvelous debut novel. Five stars!
July 5, 2024
THE VOLCANO DAUGHTERS by Gina Maria Balibrera
Thank you to NetGalley and Knopf, Pantheon, Vintage, and Anchor for the ARC ebook to read.
3.5 stars rounded up.
A debut set in early 20th century El Salvador. Graciela and her four friends live a simple life along with their mothers on a volcano in a community of indigenous women indentured to a coffee plantation. Most of the children don’t even know who their fathers are. Graciela’s father, who was second-in-command and spiritual advisor to the the general, El Gran Pendejo, has died. Graciela, along with her mother are summoned to the capital to pay their respects. Upon arrival in the capital, the sister, Consuelo, who was kidnapped years ago is reunited with her mother and Graciela.
This story spans decades and follows the two sisters and their quest to flee the genocide in El Salvador, under the rule of El Gran Pendejo. A massacre of indigenous people following El Gran Pendejo’s coup d’etat leaves their childhood friends and families killed. The novel is cleverly narrated by the four childhood friends beyond the grave. The author did a brilliant job of having these four ghosts doing the narration. The sisters each believing the other is dead have crossed the globe, and reinvented their lives; ultimately reconnecting.
This is a difficult review for me to try and condense, as so much happens when spanning decades. I was pleasantly impressed by this authors debut and style of writing. A novel of resistance, survival, sisterhood, political history, lyrical, and mythical. I will definitely be following her to see what she does next.
Thank you to NetGalley and Knopf, Pantheon, Vintage, and Anchor for the ARC ebook to read.
3.5 stars rounded up.
A debut set in early 20th century El Salvador. Graciela and her four friends live a simple life along with their mothers on a volcano in a community of indigenous women indentured to a coffee plantation. Most of the children don’t even know who their fathers are. Graciela’s father, who was second-in-command and spiritual advisor to the the general, El Gran Pendejo, has died. Graciela, along with her mother are summoned to the capital to pay their respects. Upon arrival in the capital, the sister, Consuelo, who was kidnapped years ago is reunited with her mother and Graciela.
This story spans decades and follows the two sisters and their quest to flee the genocide in El Salvador, under the rule of El Gran Pendejo. A massacre of indigenous people following El Gran Pendejo’s coup d’etat leaves their childhood friends and families killed. The novel is cleverly narrated by the four childhood friends beyond the grave. The author did a brilliant job of having these four ghosts doing the narration. The sisters each believing the other is dead have crossed the globe, and reinvented their lives; ultimately reconnecting.
This is a difficult review for me to try and condense, as so much happens when spanning decades. I was pleasantly impressed by this authors debut and style of writing. A novel of resistance, survival, sisterhood, political history, lyrical, and mythical. I will definitely be following her to see what she does next.
August 31, 2024
[3.5/5 stars]
El Salvador - Graciela and Consuelo are THE VOLCANO DAUGHTERS, two sisters from a community of Indigenous women and separated. The story follows as they survive a political massacre and are haunted by the ghosts of their murdered friends.
Balibrera incorporates historical facts in the story, which leave heavy imprints in these volcano daughters. The tragic events will certainly devastate one and as Graciela and Consuelo go on separate paths, their sole desire is to survive. I was on the edge while wondering what would happen to these women, who dream of a future together against all odds.
More than their own misery, there's spirited commentary from those who are not forgotten throughout the narrative that offer glimpses of hope, in addition to the found family and kind-hearted people. With evocative prose, the emotions are tangible and Balibrera captures themes of colorism, racism, privilege, war and power. One of the things that I appreciate is the authenticity, enhanced by Spanish words.
The plot can feel meandering in the beginning, plus the POVs/timelines might be challenging to follow. Therefore, patience is essential to sink into this book, demanding reader's undivided attention.
Who gets to tell the stories? Infused with magical realism, THE VOLCANO DAUGHTERS is a tale of resilience with a pinch of historical background. This is not an easy read, however a beautifully written and unconventional historical fiction.
cw: violence, genocide, murder, rape, grief, miscarriage
[ I received an ARC from the publisher - Pantheon books . All thoughts are my own ]
El Salvador - Graciela and Consuelo are THE VOLCANO DAUGHTERS, two sisters from a community of Indigenous women and separated. The story follows as they survive a political massacre and are haunted by the ghosts of their murdered friends.
Balibrera incorporates historical facts in the story, which leave heavy imprints in these volcano daughters. The tragic events will certainly devastate one and as Graciela and Consuelo go on separate paths, their sole desire is to survive. I was on the edge while wondering what would happen to these women, who dream of a future together against all odds.
More than their own misery, there's spirited commentary from those who are not forgotten throughout the narrative that offer glimpses of hope, in addition to the found family and kind-hearted people. With evocative prose, the emotions are tangible and Balibrera captures themes of colorism, racism, privilege, war and power. One of the things that I appreciate is the authenticity, enhanced by Spanish words.
The plot can feel meandering in the beginning, plus the POVs/timelines might be challenging to follow. Therefore, patience is essential to sink into this book, demanding reader's undivided attention.
Who gets to tell the stories? Infused with magical realism, THE VOLCANO DAUGHTERS is a tale of resilience with a pinch of historical background. This is not an easy read, however a beautifully written and unconventional historical fiction.
cw: violence, genocide, murder, rape, grief, miscarriage
[ I received an ARC from the publisher - Pantheon books . All thoughts are my own ]
February 26, 2024
“That’s the problem with a myth or story. It’s what we’re always trying to warn La Yinita about. If you don’t tell it properly, if you say it too quietly, you erase everyone’s face as you go.”
*The Volcano Daughters* is a decades-spanning story following two sisters and their escape from a brutal dictatorship in early 20th century El Salvador. Consuelo and Graciela are estranged and re-united across time, continents, and different groups of power wanting to use them as means to an end.
This novel is cleverly narrated by a chorus of ghosts of the girls’ four childhood friends killed in the massacre of indigenous people following ‘El Gran Pendejo’s’ coup d'état. Lourdes, María, Cora, and Lucía interject throughout with jokes, context, and judgements, rooting the story in their personalities and histories. I really enjoyed this structure, as well as their breaking of the fourth wall to address the author, imploring her to tell the story properly.
This story melds magical realism with themes of identity, family, survival, and community. Consuelo and Graciela were real and imperfect heroines, and their approaches towards the mounting challenges they faced were well contrasted.
I really enjoyed Balibrera’s writing style, with lush and lived-in settings and evocative descriptions of the tragedies covered in this story. *The Volcano Daughters* is my favorite kind of historical fiction, allowing readers to inhabit characters in a space and time of lesser-known history. This book was ambitious in its breadth, covering colorism and prejudice against indigenous communities, class and land ownership, mysticism and paranoia, and mother and sisterhood.
Overall, I would recommend this book to fans of *The Vanishing Half, Silver Nitrate,* and *The Nightingale*, and I am definitely interested in checking out more by this author in the future!
Thank you to NetGalley and Pantheon for the early review copy.
*The Volcano Daughters* is a decades-spanning story following two sisters and their escape from a brutal dictatorship in early 20th century El Salvador. Consuelo and Graciela are estranged and re-united across time, continents, and different groups of power wanting to use them as means to an end.
This novel is cleverly narrated by a chorus of ghosts of the girls’ four childhood friends killed in the massacre of indigenous people following ‘El Gran Pendejo’s’ coup d'état. Lourdes, María, Cora, and Lucía interject throughout with jokes, context, and judgements, rooting the story in their personalities and histories. I really enjoyed this structure, as well as their breaking of the fourth wall to address the author, imploring her to tell the story properly.
This story melds magical realism with themes of identity, family, survival, and community. Consuelo and Graciela were real and imperfect heroines, and their approaches towards the mounting challenges they faced were well contrasted.
I really enjoyed Balibrera’s writing style, with lush and lived-in settings and evocative descriptions of the tragedies covered in this story. *The Volcano Daughters* is my favorite kind of historical fiction, allowing readers to inhabit characters in a space and time of lesser-known history. This book was ambitious in its breadth, covering colorism and prejudice against indigenous communities, class and land ownership, mysticism and paranoia, and mother and sisterhood.
Overall, I would recommend this book to fans of *The Vanishing Half, Silver Nitrate,* and *The Nightingale*, and I am definitely interested in checking out more by this author in the future!
Thank you to NetGalley and Pantheon for the early review copy.
August 20, 2024
4.25⭐
𝘖𝘶𝘳 𝘭𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘴 𝘥𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘰𝘺𝘦𝘥, 𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘣𝘰𝘯𝘦𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘩𝘢𝘳𝘷𝘦𝘴𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘢 𝘧𝘳𝘢𝘨𝘪𝘭𝘦 𝘦𝘨𝘰. 𝘖𝘶𝘳 𝘴𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘴 𝘸𝘳𝘢𝘱𝘱𝘦𝘥 𝘢𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘴𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘥𝘴.
•
𝘞𝘦 𝘵𝘰𝘰𝘬 𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘯𝘴 𝘪𝘮𝘢𝘨𝘪𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘧𝘢𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘣𝘦𝘤𝘢𝘶𝘴𝘦 𝘸𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘢𝘯 𝘶𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘰𝘧 𝘸𝘩𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘸𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘮𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘶𝘯𝘳𝘢𝘷𝘦𝘭 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘮𝘺𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘺 𝘰𝘧 𝘸𝘩𝘰 𝘸𝘦 𝘸𝘦𝘳𝘦. 𝘐𝘵 𝘥𝘪𝘥𝘯'𝘵. 𝘞𝘦 𝘸𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘮𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘴.
𝐌𝐢𝐧𝐢 𝐒𝐲𝐧𝐨𝐩𝐬𝐢𝐬:
Two Salvadoran sisters, separated in childhood, reunite under a dictator's brutal regime. They escape genocide, traveling the world separately. Their story, intertwined with ghostly voices of murdered friends, reimagines El Salvador's history and mythology.
•
•
•
Wow, Gina. María. Balibrera. What a debut! The Volcano Daughters is a mesmerizing journey that captivated me from the start. There's something so unique and enthralling about the way Gina writes. Her lyrical prose weaves a heartrending tale of sisterhood, survival, and the echoes of forgotten souls.
The story of Graciela and Consuelo is both devastating and enchanting, exploring themes of identity, family, and resilience with poetic intensity.
I absolutely loved that we are told their story through the ghosts of their friends that have passed during La Matanza. Their chorus was both comical and filled with chisme yet at the same time it was hauntingly beautiful in a way I've never encountered in another story before.
The story itself is filled with so many heartwrenching and emotional moments. It explores a cruel man's rise to power, the tragic and traumatic aftermath of his political machinations, new beginnings, and the unbreakable bonds of sisterhood.
Gina's passionate and evocative writing style brings El Salvador's history to vivid life in this debut. I know the carcajadas of these characters and their fantasmas will echo in my mind for a long time to come.
Thank you to NetGalley and Pantheon for gifting me this e-ARC in exchange for my honest review.
What to expect:
🇸🇻 Salvadoran history
🇸🇻 magical realism
🇸🇻 historical fiction
🇸🇻 sisterhood
𝘖𝘶𝘳 𝘭𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘴 𝘥𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘰𝘺𝘦𝘥, 𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘣𝘰𝘯𝘦𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘩𝘢𝘳𝘷𝘦𝘴𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘢 𝘧𝘳𝘢𝘨𝘪𝘭𝘦 𝘦𝘨𝘰. 𝘖𝘶𝘳 𝘴𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘴 𝘸𝘳𝘢𝘱𝘱𝘦𝘥 𝘢𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘴𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘥𝘴.
•
𝘞𝘦 𝘵𝘰𝘰𝘬 𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘯𝘴 𝘪𝘮𝘢𝘨𝘪𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘧𝘢𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘣𝘦𝘤𝘢𝘶𝘴𝘦 𝘸𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘢𝘯 𝘶𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘰𝘧 𝘸𝘩𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘸𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘮𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘶𝘯𝘳𝘢𝘷𝘦𝘭 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘮𝘺𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘺 𝘰𝘧 𝘸𝘩𝘰 𝘸𝘦 𝘸𝘦𝘳𝘦. 𝘐𝘵 𝘥𝘪𝘥𝘯'𝘵. 𝘞𝘦 𝘸𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘮𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘴.
𝐌𝐢𝐧𝐢 𝐒𝐲𝐧𝐨𝐩𝐬𝐢𝐬:
Two Salvadoran sisters, separated in childhood, reunite under a dictator's brutal regime. They escape genocide, traveling the world separately. Their story, intertwined with ghostly voices of murdered friends, reimagines El Salvador's history and mythology.
•
•
•
Wow, Gina. María. Balibrera. What a debut! The Volcano Daughters is a mesmerizing journey that captivated me from the start. There's something so unique and enthralling about the way Gina writes. Her lyrical prose weaves a heartrending tale of sisterhood, survival, and the echoes of forgotten souls.
The story of Graciela and Consuelo is both devastating and enchanting, exploring themes of identity, family, and resilience with poetic intensity.
I absolutely loved that we are told their story through the ghosts of their friends that have passed during La Matanza. Their chorus was both comical and filled with chisme yet at the same time it was hauntingly beautiful in a way I've never encountered in another story before.
The story itself is filled with so many heartwrenching and emotional moments. It explores a cruel man's rise to power, the tragic and traumatic aftermath of his political machinations, new beginnings, and the unbreakable bonds of sisterhood.
Gina's passionate and evocative writing style brings El Salvador's history to vivid life in this debut. I know the carcajadas of these characters and their fantasmas will echo in my mind for a long time to come.
Thank you to NetGalley and Pantheon for gifting me this e-ARC in exchange for my honest review.
What to expect:
🇸🇻 Salvadoran history
🇸🇻 magical realism
🇸🇻 historical fiction
🇸🇻 sisterhood
Read
September 14, 2024This book is two things in one in the best possible way. Full review to come.
December 3, 2024
{3.5 stars}
Thanks to Pantheon Books for gifted access via NetGalley. All opinions below are my own.
I’m pretty sure this is the first book I’ve ever read set in El Salvador, so I am happy to have experienced a little of the culture of that country. The story follows two sisters from their childhood all the way through to adulthood. Their paths diverge drastically and we see the trials and tribulations of women of this time in this country, Paris, and the US.
This is one of those books that I am glad I read and felt like I enjoyed, but I’m not sure that I “got” it. There was obviously some themes around being a woman, some themes around communism and some about identity, but I’m not sure if that all pulled together into a cohesive message for me in the end.
Thanks to Pantheon Books for gifted access via NetGalley. All opinions below are my own.
I’m pretty sure this is the first book I’ve ever read set in El Salvador, so I am happy to have experienced a little of the culture of that country. The story follows two sisters from their childhood all the way through to adulthood. Their paths diverge drastically and we see the trials and tribulations of women of this time in this country, Paris, and the US.
This is one of those books that I am glad I read and felt like I enjoyed, but I’m not sure that I “got” it. There was obviously some themes around being a woman, some themes around communism and some about identity, but I’m not sure if that all pulled together into a cohesive message for me in the end.
October 17, 2024
The most compelling section is the beginning -- when the setting is the volcano village and when the girls (not Consuelo and Graciela) were alive and not ghosts. The story was not as interesting after El Salvador. The "after" appeared aimless or pointless...where was this all leading to? I liked the resolution of things but I wonder if that was inevitable or worthwhile given the meanderings before it.
The ghost device seemed to work in the village. But it got tiresome and superfluous... I think the author could have found a different way to tell the story, provide details, move the plot forward etc. besides having the ghosts filling in the blanks. The perspective is already in 3rd-person so having 4 ghosts talking among themselves or breaking the fourth wall was redundant (and yes, alienating or stifling).
The sarcastic humor (e.g., El Gran Pendejo) was intriguing at first but then it became expected and dull.
I found the writing to be beautiful at times. Please see my highlights.
I'll be mildly curious to see what this author writes next.
Unplanned, I read this during Latino/Hispanic Heritage Month, mainly thanks to the vagaries of the library waitlist.
The ghost device seemed to work in the village. But it got tiresome and superfluous... I think the author could have found a different way to tell the story, provide details, move the plot forward etc. besides having the ghosts filling in the blanks. The perspective is already in 3rd-person so having 4 ghosts talking among themselves or breaking the fourth wall was redundant (and yes, alienating or stifling).
The sarcastic humor (e.g., El Gran Pendejo) was intriguing at first but then it became expected and dull.
I found the writing to be beautiful at times. Please see my highlights.
I'll be mildly curious to see what this author writes next.
Unplanned, I read this during Latino/Hispanic Heritage Month, mainly thanks to the vagaries of the library waitlist.
August 24, 2024
In The Time of The Butterflies meets One Hundred Years of Solitude. Two sisters' survival through a dictatorship, genocide, communism, World War I, racial inequalities, Hollywood scandals, French artists... all of them surrounded by men. Men are the problem.
Great story that tied in magical realism, where two sisters take very different paths after one is kidnapped at a young age. Really cool story and I loved the Spanish phrases sprinkled throughout, I feel like I think like this daily.
Great story that tied in magical realism, where two sisters take very different paths after one is kidnapped at a young age. Really cool story and I loved the Spanish phrases sprinkled throughout, I feel like I think like this daily.
August 13, 2024
Haunting. Devastating. Beautiful. Those are three words I'd use to describe The Volcano Daughters.
You're transported back in time to the coffee plantations of El Salvador in the heart of volcano country. Through the voices of the dead, you're told the stories of Graciela and Consuelo, two sisters who were torn apart and brought back time and time again. At four years old, Consuelo was ripped from her village by her father and brought up in the capital. While she lived a luxurious life, Graciela was being raised to work. The death of their father brings Graciela to the capital where she's taken from her mother and forced to serve as the General's medium. Together, Graciela and Consuelo grow and plan an escape before tragedy stops them. Their lives get separated, but they're guided by the ghosts of their friends as they each seek out new lives.
Gina María Balibrera has illustrated the world in the 1920's and 30's through the eyes of Salvadorans, painting a picture of the challenges this culture faced. Weaved throughout is a message that we can look to our past to learn how to move forward in the future. Maybe we're not guided by the voices of the dead, but we can create a better world by telling these stories.
Balibrera's prose is beautiful and enchants you from the very first page. It immerses you into the emotions which run high throughout. Our characters face love and loss and grief. Consuelo and Graciela navigate those emotions differently as a result of their different upbringing, creating two vastly different, and equally enthralling, stories.
I'm so grateful to NetGalley and Pantheon for the opportunity to read an e-galley in exchange for an honest review!
You're transported back in time to the coffee plantations of El Salvador in the heart of volcano country. Through the voices of the dead, you're told the stories of Graciela and Consuelo, two sisters who were torn apart and brought back time and time again. At four years old, Consuelo was ripped from her village by her father and brought up in the capital. While she lived a luxurious life, Graciela was being raised to work. The death of their father brings Graciela to the capital where she's taken from her mother and forced to serve as the General's medium. Together, Graciela and Consuelo grow and plan an escape before tragedy stops them. Their lives get separated, but they're guided by the ghosts of their friends as they each seek out new lives.
Gina María Balibrera has illustrated the world in the 1920's and 30's through the eyes of Salvadorans, painting a picture of the challenges this culture faced. Weaved throughout is a message that we can look to our past to learn how to move forward in the future. Maybe we're not guided by the voices of the dead, but we can create a better world by telling these stories.
Balibrera's prose is beautiful and enchants you from the very first page. It immerses you into the emotions which run high throughout. Our characters face love and loss and grief. Consuelo and Graciela navigate those emotions differently as a result of their different upbringing, creating two vastly different, and equally enthralling, stories.
I'm so grateful to NetGalley and Pantheon for the opportunity to read an e-galley in exchange for an honest review!
March 15, 2024
No review I write could do this story justice, but on we go.
Readers, mark your calendars for the release of Gina María Balibrera’s debut novel, The Volcano Daughters, on August 20, 2024.
I’ll give you a second. Do you have your pen out yet? Your calendar open? (For those digital calendar users, you get the gist). Welcome back.
Ok, now how to write a review for one of your new favorite works of fiction… First, I’ll start by saying that The Volcano Daughters blew me away in the beginning. While reading the prologue, I immediately recognized this book as one that would stay with me long past reading the final page.
“And so now: All is silent and waiting. All is silent and calm. Listen to us. It begins.”
I read The Volcano Daughters slowly, savoring each page, each line, mostly because I did not want the book to end. Beautiful and vibrant, The Volcano Daughters is at once devastating and pee-your-pants hilarious (Lourdes, María, Cora, and Lucía, I’m looking at you).
Oh, and Balibrera’s narrative style is my newest obsession. There are many voices, and they are woven together powerfully, but even more brilliant is the way in which Balibrera differentiates each, especially the sisters Graciela and Consuelo.
Now that your calendars are marked, why not go ahead and pre-order The Volcano Daughters? You will not regret it, and you may even find yourself a new favorite book, or like me, a new favorite author.
Thank you to Pantheon and NetGalley for an advanced readers copy of The Volcano Daughters (August 20, 2024). And thank you to Gina María Balibrera for this incredible, incredible book.
Readers, mark your calendars for the release of Gina María Balibrera’s debut novel, The Volcano Daughters, on August 20, 2024.
I’ll give you a second. Do you have your pen out yet? Your calendar open? (For those digital calendar users, you get the gist). Welcome back.
Ok, now how to write a review for one of your new favorite works of fiction… First, I’ll start by saying that The Volcano Daughters blew me away in the beginning. While reading the prologue, I immediately recognized this book as one that would stay with me long past reading the final page.
“And so now: All is silent and waiting. All is silent and calm. Listen to us. It begins.”
I read The Volcano Daughters slowly, savoring each page, each line, mostly because I did not want the book to end. Beautiful and vibrant, The Volcano Daughters is at once devastating and pee-your-pants hilarious (Lourdes, María, Cora, and Lucía, I’m looking at you).
Oh, and Balibrera’s narrative style is my newest obsession. There are many voices, and they are woven together powerfully, but even more brilliant is the way in which Balibrera differentiates each, especially the sisters Graciela and Consuelo.
Now that your calendars are marked, why not go ahead and pre-order The Volcano Daughters? You will not regret it, and you may even find yourself a new favorite book, or like me, a new favorite author.
Thank you to Pantheon and NetGalley for an advanced readers copy of The Volcano Daughters (August 20, 2024). And thank you to Gina María Balibrera for this incredible, incredible book.
April 13, 2024
This book took me from El Salvador, 1914, to Hollywood, to Paris during the Nazi invasion and then ending in San Francisco. The entire way it was filled with the incredible story of Graciela and Consuelo, the daughters of Socoriitto; they all lived on the volcano, briefly. Consuelo was taken at an early age with Graciela, unfortunately following in those footsteps. This fictional novel by Gina Maria Balibrera had me riveted from beginning to end. What a story. It has it all! Two beautiful women, the sisters, torn apart from each other for years, men in and out of their lives, friends that become family, children, art, libraries and spirits that follow them all their lives are this book! I loved it!
August 24, 2024
3.5 stars. Thank you to Net Galley and Pantheon for the ARC in exchange for my honest review. This is the story of two sister who are living near the volcano (or the wrong side of the tracks) in El Salvador. Graciela and Consuelo are two sisters who come from a community of indigenous women indentured to work on the coffee plantations of the wealthy. At nine years old, Graciela is called to be an oracle for a dictator, El Gran Pendejo, and will help to foresee the future of the country. Consuelo is already at the Capital and she and Graciela have never met as Consuelo was kidnapped from their home before Graciela was born. The economy tanks and a genocide begins, killing most of their community in the process. Both Consuelo and Graciela escape unbeknownst to each other. It become clears to Graciela that she has had a hand in this horrible time. We follow each of the sisters around the world as they try to make their way. This story tells a part of the story of El Salvador through the eyes of two women and the voices of those who were killed which they carry with them through their lives.
September 14, 2024
This is a beautiful and heart-wrenching story of two sisters of the Pipil, the indigenous peoples of El Salvador, living on the side of the Izalco volcano until they are brought into the orbit of a military dictator, the General. Younger Graciela and her sister Consuelo are caught up in the brutality of this era, set during and after the time of La Matanza, a massacre of El Salvadoran peasants in the early 1930s that still impacts the country and the greater Central American region today. I had to go hunting down the historical figures and the background for the story, because debut author Gina María Balibrera isn't focused on the history itself - in fact, the General is never given a specific name, instead he is referred to as El Grand Pendejo by the sisters for most of the book.
Instead, Balibrera focuses on the lives of the characters, and she does it in a beautiful, almost mythological way, with her focus on the language, the beauty of the landscape, and the relationships between mothers and daughters. Adding to the poignancy and lyricism is a chorus of ghost girls, young girls who grew up with Marciela and were killed in the General's massacre of the indios.
I was completely enraptured with this book, and with the lives of Maricela and Consuelo as they escape their country and flee to various parts around the world. This should be a movie.
My thanks to Netgalley, the author, and the book publishers for an ARC of this book. My thoughts are my own.
Instead, Balibrera focuses on the lives of the characters, and she does it in a beautiful, almost mythological way, with her focus on the language, the beauty of the landscape, and the relationships between mothers and daughters. Adding to the poignancy and lyricism is a chorus of ghost girls, young girls who grew up with Marciela and were killed in the General's massacre of the indios.
I was completely enraptured with this book, and with the lives of Maricela and Consuelo as they escape their country and flee to various parts around the world. This should be a movie.
My thanks to Netgalley, the author, and the book publishers for an ARC of this book. My thoughts are my own.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 8, 2024
I don’t know what I expected to read for this historical fiction, but this wasn’t it. I did enjoy it, however it was a much slower read than I anticipated, it focused on things I wasn’t expecting it to, and then it glazed over parts I thought there would be a lot more detail in. Even though it was told in the timeline, it still felt a little all over the place to me with the narrator's commentary. It did have a very interesting plot that kept me reading though.
*Provided a DRC (digital review copy) from the publisher for review. All opinions are my own.
*Provided a DRC (digital review copy) from the publisher for review. All opinions are my own.
October 27, 2024
This book has such an interesting summary, there was no way I wasn't looking forward to reading. It explores the personal and familial struggles of two sisters in El Salvador in 1923. Garciela and Consuelo were raised separately, to be rejoined later in life, to then be torn from each other again. Living in a war-torn country, under the rule of a brutal dictator, they both understand the meaning of loss at an early age. I feel like the storytelling was a bit chaotic and made for a harder read.
August 27, 2024
Disappointing. I'd be hard-pressed to recap the plot, such as it was. If this author writes more I'd give her another chance. But only one. Ha.
January 30, 2024
An absolutely beautiful story that follows two sisters as they experience the tumultuous political environment of 1920's El Salvador and later the racial tension of the United States. Graciela and Consuelo are compelling characters, very different as sisters but both drawing the reader's sympathy and support as they move through live, both separate and together at various points throughout the story. The history of El Salvador's persecution of indigenous peoples and and its subsequent political effects is not something that I had any background knowledge of and seeing it through Graciela and Consuelo's perspectives was compelling and tragic. After fleeing their home country the sisters embark on different paths, both thinking that the other had not survived La Matanza, the Massacre. In the United States (and for Consuelo, France), they continue to experience prejudice as a result of their indigenous features, facing discrimination, limited job opportunities, and stereotyping. Despite this, the sisters grow and change as they follow the path their lives have taken them, leading to a touching ending where the reader can feel the support amongst the sisters and the women who have become their found family.
While the story focuses on Graciela and Consuela, their other sisters offer their voices throughout the story and even their support through memory. At times it was slightly difficult to follow these added narratives but this was minor. The story is character-driven and presents several stages of history from perspectives not often seen. Overall a beautiful story that I will be thinking about for a long time. I can't wait to read other works by this author and hope to purchase a physical copy of this book when it is officially published.
Thank you to Netgalley for the ARC.
While the story focuses on Graciela and Consuela, their other sisters offer their voices throughout the story and even their support through memory. At times it was slightly difficult to follow these added narratives but this was minor. The story is character-driven and presents several stages of history from perspectives not often seen. Overall a beautiful story that I will be thinking about for a long time. I can't wait to read other works by this author and hope to purchase a physical copy of this book when it is officially published.
Thank you to Netgalley for the ARC.
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