Los Santos de Agua Mansa, California (Still Water Saints) chronicles a momentous year in the life of Agua Mansa, a largely Latino town beyond the fringes of Los Angeles. It is home to the Botánica Oshún, where people come seeking charms, herbs, candles, and, above all, the guidance of the shop’s owner, Perla Portillo. Perla has served the community for years, advising people on all manner of crises, large and small. Among her customers are Juan, a businessman coming to terms with the death of his father; Nancy, a schoolteacher caught between the demands of her new husband and her parents; Shawn, an addict looking for peace; and Rosa, a teenager trying to lose weight and find herself. But when a customer with a troubled, mysterious past arrives, Perla must confront her unfulfilled hopes and doubts about her place in a rapidly changing world.
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"This was an amazing collection of character vignettes. I had met the author at a conference and he talked about how he set the novel up in the fictional town but how it is connected to his home town of Riverside. Very good book and just had me turning pages to find out more about these characters." — Rene (5 out of 5 stars)
"This was an amazing collection of character vignettes. I had met the author at a conference and he talked about how he set the novel up in the fictional town but how it is connected to his home town of Riverside. Very good book and just had me turning pages to find out more about these characters."
“Still Water Saints is charming, yet its charm is an uneasy one. Its whimsy has teeth. And that is absolutely a compliment.”
“Espinoza…brings a small southern California town to vivid and vibrant life in his magical debut. Espinoza is a refreshing new writer, and his first novel embeds itself indelibly into the reader’s memory.”
“[A] kaleidoscopic portrait of a southern California town…[Espinoza] demonstrates a deep understanding of his characters. Setting their lives against Perla’s provides an inventive way to reflect the community’s diversity as well as its shared needs. A well-crafted collection of vignettes, neatly stitched together.”
" I loved the writing of this book. Took me into many interesting lives. But I have to say I wanted more from each of the characters. So many just disappeared. I know it was a slice of life novel, but I liked the characters and wanted more. "
" SKIP this read! It jumps all over the place and I had a hard time keeping track of all the characters that were introduced throughout the book. "
" Powerful and nuanced. The main sections could have been used a little better, a little. "
" fairly good read..nothing spectacular though. "
" Loved it.. author teaches at UC RIverside "
" Alex Espinoza enters the minds of vastly different characters with such grace, wisdom and knowingness. Many of these interconnected stories broke my heart in the best way. "
" I was way too excited about this from reading the back cover...but once I got over my initial disappointment it was suprisingly entertaining. However, I did not learn much. "
" Enjoyed it, though it was difficult to follow in places. Loved the description of the botanica and how its crazy/diverse contents got woven into everyday lives. "
" i just finished this book and i loved it. absolutely loved it. i thought it was a beautifully interconnected set of stories, with the characters flowing effortlessly back and forth. this is a first novel and i cannot wait for him to write another. "
" Alex Espinoza has a great eye for detail and a generous literary spirit. Some of the vignettes in this collection of connected short stories touch down lightly, but others are intense--it's impressive that a voice so gentle can also be unblinking. "
" I thought that Espinoza's book was interesting in parts, but overall, I didn't think that it fit together very well or was particularly well-written. "
" i enjoyed this story. it reminded me much of my good friend kate. it's almost like several short stories woven together by the main character perla. "
" I don't really have anything negative to say about this book. My mind was blown. "
" The Spanish translation in this book is horrible! "
" I really enjoyed this novel. The author takes a place and develops the characters who live there. It is similar to Maeve Binchy novels when it comes to the development of characters, but such a different time and place! "
Alex Espinoza was born in Tijuana, Mexico, the youngest of eleven children, and later migrated to Southern California with his family and grew up in La Puente, a suburb of Los Angeles. He earned a BA with honors from the University of California at Riverside and an MFA from the University of California at Irvine, where he was editor of the university’s literary magazine.
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