I'm wobbling between three and four stars for this one. It's a quick, powerful story of a fascinating figure from Cuban history. I learned a great deal, and I loved the way Engle brought 19th-century Cuba too life. Tula's relationship with the family servant (previously slave), Caridad, was drawn out especially well.The main thing that bugs me about it is Engle's choice to write poems from the points of view of "the nuns" and "the orphans" as a group. They feel generalized, and considering how important Tula believes it is that each orphan should get to speak in her plays, it seems like a weird choice to make them speak in a single, agreeable chorus. (The nuns, meanwhile, felt like they were mostly there for exposition; they didn't get much character. They tell us they're allowed to read books other women may not, but they don't tell us how they feel about that, or how they feel about Tula and the other girls under their tutelage. How difficult must it be to watch them, knowing the small freedoms they can be offered at the convent will disappear as soon as their families marry them off to men they hardly know?) I would have preferred to see Engle create an individual voice from each of the groups and give it more depth. Alternatively, I'd have liked to see their poetry remain spoken in a group but have less concordance. If it was made clear in the text that not all the orphans or all the nuns felt the same way about X or Y, I wouldn't have found it as much at odds with the general emphasis on individual choice.There are places where the poetry could have been a little more immediate, too. For instance, I feel like a poem about slipping through the streets to visit secret poetry meetings could be powerful and suspenseful. Tula's brother, Manuel, tells us about doing just that in such a removed way, however, that I didn't feel the danger as strongly as I think I could have. It was clear from the poem's vantage point that it already happened and everyone was in the clear. That doesn't make for a gripping poem, in my opinion.I'm gonna go with three stars for now, I think. It's definitely worth a read, especially if you've never heard of Gertrudis Gómez de Avellaneda before now. But I can see places where I think it could use some improvement nonetheless. I think I would have enjoyed it more had I been looking for a verse novel, but it wasn't what I was expecting. Also, verse novels in general are not really my favorite genre to begin with because poems to me aren't supposed to be as blunt as verse novels usually are. I'm not saying that no one should read this book because there were excellent arguments made for both sides, even if the antagonists' were more vague. It also tells the time period we know for the Civil War and the Gettysburg Address from a completely different viewpoint, which is refreshing.
What do You think about Lightning Dreamer (2013)?
Words are powerful, and when saved for others, they can influence countless generations.
—Dani
Top 10 Historical Fiction for Youth 2013 (Booklist)2014 Best Fiction for Young Adults
—dave
What a beautiful story, and wonderfully told in verse...
—Bri
