Summer of the Mariposas by Guadalupe Garcia McCall

I guess that’s one of the sad things about reading a book about a completely different culture unless you have an already existing knowledge of it, as much as you want to it’s sometimes difficult to not see it through your own eyes that you are used to seeing your own world through.ĭoes that make sense? I’m not sure if it does but I can’t think of how else to explain it.īut I did learn something from this book and I will always adore stories that are steeped in tradition and folklore and superstition. Also, they kind of got a tiny bit repetitive. They were wonderfully incorporated into the girl’s adventure but some of them just didn’t really stick with me. That’s not to say that Ms Garcia McCall skimped on the detail and just threw random Aztec beliefs at you left, right and centre. I took as much from this story as I could but I can’t help but think the reason why I didn’t love this story as much as I wanted to was because it lacked the magic that I found with Under the Mesquite. And, I guess, a lot of the magic went with it. Unfortunately, I have limited (read: zilch) experience and knowledge in Mexican or Aztec culture so I have a feeling that a lot of the references went over my head. The Mexican and Aztec influences absolute thrum through this story, weaving all the other threads of character and plot and creating a rich and gorgeous book. I’m not sure whether it was because I’ll always have a soft spot for well-written, beautiful verse novels, or because it was just a gorgeous and very affective story, but it’s wonderful and I would recommend it to you all in a heartbeat.Īnd while I didn’t have the same love for Summer of the Mariposas, I still really enjoyed it.

Under the Mesquite by Ms Garcia McCall was one of the most underrated books I read last year.

Summer of the Mariposas by Guadalupe Garcia McCall