The Hummingbird's Daughter

"The Hummingbird's Daughter" by Luis Alberto Urrea is one of the best books I have ever read. Period. And I'm not even in Urrea's target demographic! Nonetheless, I absolutely loved it. Without divulging too much of the plot, the story follows Teresita Urrea, a distant relative of the author's from the late 1800's, as she transforms from a poor indian in Mexico to a quasi-saint. Urrea's writing is fantastic. He paints a great story and landscape of the old west. The pace is good, quick-moving, and never stalls. The character development is extraordinary; there are some truly unforgettable people in this tale. Overall, in a word, this book is "magical". It is truly a great story. I cannot recommend this book enough.

I read a lot of books. Some are just for fun, some are silly, some are educational, some are not very good. But, every now and then, I find one that is so special that I will read it again, and probably again a few more times. You can read a "summary" of the book in other reviews, both publishers' and readers'. So, why did I like it and why should you read it. First, the story is incredible. A child born in poverty begins to show amazing intelligence, skills...and grows to womanhood having had profound effect on her country of birth. Truth is indeed "stranger than fiction". Second, the author has an amazing talent with words. He gives you the sights, sounds, smells of the world in which Teresita lived. He also uses words to bring each person to life. I actually called a friend to share a quote...Tomas Urrea to Lauro Aguirre...."Although it is true that you are insufferable and irritating, and rightly famed for your endless posturing and platudinous pontificating..." (don't worry, potential reader, though, the book is not full of big words, just, occasionally, one creeps in...I loved that quote because it reminded me of someone.) Third, I was able to experience a time and place distant from me. Some of what happened was horrific, but, it happened. I was able to begin to understand. Finally, I loved this book, and will read it again because it contains a message of love and hope that I can understand. Books do many things, entertain, enlighten and sometimes enrich. This book enriches, enlightens and entertains.

I can't begin to express my love for this book! I saw a brief review in the Denver papers and thought that I would give it a try. I had never read anything by Urrea before and knew nothing about him. It was such a delicious surprise to be able to read a fresh, crisp and truely 3 dimensional story. The characters are believeable, the "bad" ones and the heros. The descriptions are complete and so vivid that you can imagine that you are there. The Spanish words add flavor to the story and are either understood by context or explained. I read alot and I have to say that this is one of my top 5 favorite books of all time! Maybe just my favorite. If you want a real novel with believable characters then you will love this book.

I picked this book on a whim, knowing absolutely nothing about the author. I opened the pages and became transfixed by the magic I found there. I couldn't put this book down. Urrea created a world filled with characters that mirrored my own latina background with such wit and sympathy that even pobre Tomas captured my heart, rake that he is. I was thrilled to find the author's notes about his take on an actual relative. The Mexican penchant for "polishing up" history is brilliantly put together here and I have found a new favorite author!

In the harsh yet thriving landscape of Mexico, circa 1880, the poor, illiterate and unmarried Yaqui woman (known by her tribe as The Hummingbird), gave birth to Teresita with the help of the town's healer, the curandera called Huila. Huila-one of Urrea's most remarkable creations-is as cantankerous as she is powerful. So powerful in fact that she lives in a room behind the kitchen of the great hacienda owned by the wealthy Don Tomás Urrea. Don Tomás does not care much for religion but he knows that Huila is an asset and puts up with her magic as much as Huila puts up with her patrón's habit of spreading his seed despite having a beautiful, attentive wife and several children who populate the hacienda. Teresita eventually-and literally-wanders into Don Tomás's life and is subsequently taken under Huila's wing. Huila notices two things about this unusual girl: she resembles the Urrea family and she possesses the power to heal. Don Tomás ultimately owns up to paternity and is determined to make a lady out of this barefooted urchin. But as Teresita matures, her powers grow until all know that she is the curandera women should go to when they are about to give birth or when a child becomes ill. Then one day, when Teresita goes out to the fields, she is raped, beaten and eventually dies. But on the third day, at the end of burial preparations, in the midst of five mourning women, Teresita awakes. The town is abuzz with news of this miracle. With her resurrection comes greater healing powers and, of course, fame. The Yaquis, as well as other native tribes, mestizos, and even Americans, make pilgrimages to the Urrea hacienda. The Catholic Church views this "saint" as a heretic, the vicious and corrupt government of Porfirio Díaz considers the girl a threat, and revolutionaries want to insinuate themselves into her sphere of influence for their own political cause. The climax brilliantly mirrors the immigrant's experience of seeking safe passage to a foreign land while relying on loved ones as well as fate. Urrea, who is the award-winning author of ten books-fiction, non-fiction and poetry-tells us in an author's note that Teresa Urrea "was a real person"-his aunt. The Hummingbird's Daughter is his fictionalization of family lore based on twenty years of intense research and interviews. The result resonates with such passion and beauty that it doesn't matter whether Teresita's legend is based more on a people's wishful thinking than truth. The Hummingbird's Daughter is a sumptuous, dazzling novel to which no review can do justice; one simply must read it. [The full review first appeared in The Elegant Variation.]