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“Santiago’s
storytelling is thrilling…Conquistadora is a triumph.”
— Washington Post
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“A splendid
expedition into colonial history complete with enrapturing suspense to the very
end.”
— O, The Oprah Magazine
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“Ana [is] an
unconventional, ambitious woman whose attitudes toward children, slaves, and
lovers perplex and engross…A guided tour of the history of sugar and empire.”
— New York Times Book Review
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“An author in full
command…In Santiago’s hands, Ana is a woman to remember and Puerto Rico a
country to cherish.”
— Miami Herald
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“Lusty, ambitious
women are staples of epic fiction, and [here] Santiago has created a
ferociously seductive character…Read this absorbing, impeccably researched
novel for its lush history and for the way Santiago’s narrative constantly
surprises—just as its protagonist does, confronting the gender limitations of
her day.”
— More
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“If, as the proverb
goes, history is written by the hunters, then Esmeralda Santiago has imagined
history as written from the point of view of the lions. A remarkable story for
its detail, imagination, meticulous research, and wisdom, this is history
written by a lion at the height of her powers.”
— Sandra Cisneros, author of The House on Mango Street
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“Conquistadora is a wonderful and richly drawn novel…A grand
achievement from one of our finest writers.”
— Oscar Hijuelos, Pulitzer Prize–winning author of The Mambo Kings Play Songs of Love and Beautiful Maria of My Soul
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“Part romance, part portrait of a woman struggling against the constraints
of her time and class. Santiago’s writing often surprises with its sly humor.”
— Dallas Morning News
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“Extraordinary…An
outstanding story, full of pathos, tropical sensuality, and violence—but it also
poses uncomfortable moral questions readers are forced to consider…Storytelling
genius…Conquistadora is a book-group
must.”
— Booklist (starred review)
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“Ana will inevitably
bring to mind thoughts of that other imperious plantation dweller, Scarlett
O’Hara…Conquistadora can be enjoyed
as a grand romantic adventure tale, complete with plenty of sex and violence.
But author Esmerelda Santiago…doesn’t ignore the political and economic
realities of Ana’s life.”
— Columbus Dispatch
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“Readers may not
sympathize with Ana…but her unflinching devotion to her dream of living with
the valor and beauty of her conqueror ancestors is compelling.”
— BookPage
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“Santiago brings
passion, color, and historical detail to this Puerto Rican Gone with the Wind, featuring a hard-as-nails heroine more devoted
to her plantation than to any of the men in her life…The richness of
[Santiago’s] imagination and the lushness of her language will serve saga
enthusiasts well.”
— Publishers Weekly (starred review)
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“The multitalented
author of When I Was Puerto Rican
offers a big, bold novel about life on a Caribbean sugar plantation in the
mid-nineteenth century…With drama, adventure, and even a bit of magical
realism, Conquistadora may remind
readers of Isabel Allende’s novels of Latin America.”
— Library Journal