Damas, Dramas, and Ana Ruiz: A Quinceañera Club Novel

It's all about mothers and daughters in Acosta's debut novel. Misunderstandings, harsh words, and mega drama are on tap here, but in the end it is all about the LOVE. This book was funny without being corny, sexy without being raunchy. Great suggestions for music, food, art and even unique names. A very pleasant surprise, read it in five days, story moved swift. As a mom of a two teens, there was one unexpected story line that broke me down to tears, you just have to read the book to see what I mean. Great book!

DAMAS, DRAMAS, AND ANA RUIZ: A QUINCEAÑERA CLUB NOVEL by Belinda Acosta was quite the funny and moving read. Full of moments that any mother or daughter can relate to, this story pulled at my heart while leaving me chuckling at the same time. I would highly recommend this book to any lady looking for a nice read, a good laugh and a general feeling of happiness. All Ana wanted was a nice celebration to mark her daughter's transition into womanhood. How then, did she end up with mass chaos and destruction? The party is in shambles, her daughter hates her and the world is likely about to end. Where did she go wrong? DAMAS, DRAMAS, AND ANA RUIZ follows the story of Ana and her daughter Carmen beginning with the day of the big party. The narrator adds quite a bit of humor as she pauses the event and takes us through the chaotic events that are about to happen. To better understand it all, before the whole party explodes, the narrator brings us back to the day that Ana first decided to throw a Quinceañera for her daughter. Of course Carmen is none too pleased, still blaming Ana for her father leaving and makes life fairly miserable. The story leading up to the party is full of bratty teenage behavior, tender moments, hilarious moments, and an overall story that makes you think that there just might be hope for all distanced mothers and daughters out there. I found DAMAS, DRAMAS, AND ANA RUIZ to be highly entertaining and actually quite touching. This is definitely a book that earned a treasured spot on the bookshelf. As I've mentioned, there are quite a few bits of humor thrown throughout the book. Much like the beginning, Acosta writes the story in such a way that you can pause the images in your head and shudder as you know the disaster that's about to happen. I wouldn't say that the story is necessarily predictable, but there are times when it's obvious that something is going to happen. This just made the story that much more enjoyable to me. It added to the humor aspect and then also allowed us to focus on the deeper aspects of the book such as the character's emotions and the reasons that things are happening the way they are. Another great aspect of DAMAS, DRAMAS, AND ANA RUIZ for me was the characters. A lot of work obviously went into the creation of each of the characters, including any minor characters. I felt that the reader really got to know each person and become acquainted with them throughout the entire story. The characters were complex, adding a nice amount of depth to the story and giving us more to ponder. Acosta did a great job with this and really managed to bring her characters to life. One great thing that I found about DAMAS, DRAMAS, AND ANA RUIZ was how much I got to learn about another culture through reading the story. Through the language and customs, Acosta seemed to stay fairly true to Ana and Carmen's culture. I imagine this would be a great read for many girls wanting to learn a little b

I remember about 10-15 years ago, there had been an episode of that old PBS program Wonderworks that dealt with the story of a young Mexican-American girl and her quincenera. I had never heard of this celebration before so I was fascinated with the culture and the representation of what it meant. Ever since then, I've been eager to learn more. This book gives a wonderful insider's look to what goes behind the scenes of the makings of a quincenera. People seem to think it's a Hispanic version of a sweet 16 party, when in reality it involves so much more. I really liked the scene when Ana goes to the quincenera convention at the civic center and is pretty much bombarded with all types of vendors and sellers. It was almost like being at a wedding trade show. The relationship between Anna and Carmen is one that is familiar to those of all cultures. You have a mother who's trying to show the daughter that she loves her and will do anything for her. Meanwhile though the daughter constantly blames the mother for her parents' divorce and is blind to the faults of her father. My favorite character would have to be Ana's son. He's not in the book that much but he has the most compassionate personality and is the most understanding. He is protective of his mother and tries to defend her to his sister. He knows the truth about his father but due to his sister blaming their mother, he can't get her to see the light. The author writes in "Spanglish" a mixture of English and Spanish and doesn't offer any translation for any unknown words. Thanks to my 9 years of Spanish from high school and college (I'm still not fluent though!), I was able to read without major problems. However for someone unfamiliar to the language, while it is possible to read the story without missing any major plot lines, it can be a bit difficult to pick up on little details. Perhaps maybe a glossary in the back of the book for translation might benefit the next book. Overall, I did enjoy reading this book very much. It gave a great insight into the Hispanic culture as well as giving a good mother-daughter story. If you're looking for a multi-cultural book with a dash of chick lit as well, this is the perfect book for you. I will be looking forward to reading the next book in the series!

Synopsis: At the start of Damas, Dramas and Ana Ruiz, we meet fourteen year old Carmen and her young mother Ana Ruiz. Ana struggles to handle her recent separation from her husband, the demands of her work, and her daughter Carmen's increasing volatility. Carmen blames her mother for her parents' separation and doesn't hesitate to tell her so. Ana suggests the quinceanera as a way to breach the growing divide, but Carmen doesn't seem interested in the quinceanera and takes every opportunity to exclude her mother. It is fortunate that Ana's niece Bianca steps up to act as peacekeeper and party planner. Carmen's older brother Diego, also plays a big role keeping the peace as he comes to terms with his father's absence. The planning and the quinceanera serve as a backdrop to the ongoing family drama of Ana and her husband Esteban, their children Carmen and Diego, the lovely Bianca, and the rest of their family. Review: Before I started Damas, Dramas and Ana Ruiz, I had suspected that the book would spend much of its time with teenagers and their concerns. It was a delightful surprise to find that the novel followed the mother Ana Ruiz and not the daughter Carmen. Belinda Acosta's writing is funny, heartwarming and touching at the same time. The characters are carefully and sympathetically drawn - you can't help but care for each of them. I particularly enjoyed reading about the close friendship between Ana Ruiz and her childhood friend, Bianca and her love for her family, Diego and his kindness towards his mother. Belinda Acosta does a wonderful job giving you each person's story and hinting at how things work out for them in the future. The book was beautifully done - and I am so looking forward to the next in the series. Note: There are a few Spanish phrases in the novel. I had a few semesters of Spanish close to twenty years ago and recall very little, but you don't need any knowledge of Spanish to understand the few phrases sprinkled in the book. You can make out the expressions from their context in the book. Enjoy!

"Damas, Dramas, and Ana Ruiz" is an insightful, touching, and sympathetically humorous novel. I loved all of the characters, which were complex and acted in realistic and understandable ways. The problems they faced were also realistically complex. The world-building was nice, and the pacing was very good. The story is written with Spanish words and short Spanish phrases mixed in with the English. It helps if you know some Spanish, but the meaning was often clearly implied by the context or was made clear in the next sentence. Don't let the Spanish hold you back from reading the novel. Occasionally, mild cuss words were used, and there were a few instances of swearing. There were some sexy descriptions and lustful thoughts, but no sex. (Well, technically, there was, but it's implied rather than explicit.) Many of the characters were Catholic to various degrees, but faith played little role in the story. If any cussing, swearing, etc., bothers you, then you'll probably not enjoy this book. If you want every female main character who encounters a gorgeous and willing man to jump in bed with him, then you probably won't enjoy this book. The characters in this novel have their own beliefs and way of doing things; they don't act in a stereotypical fashion. I'd highly recommend this well-written, fairly clean read to anyone who thinks it sounds interesting. --Review by Debbie from Genre Reviews