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Title: The Hacienda: A Memoir
ISBN: 0316816884
Author:
Lisa St. Aubin de Teran
Publicate Date: 1999-05-03
Publish: 1999-05-03
List Price: $19.99
Average Customer Rating: 3.5
Format: Paperback
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Amazon Lowest New Price: $2.95
Amazon Lowest Used Price: $0.01
Amazon Merchant Price: $17.99
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| Customer Review: |
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1: Not bad...
This was quite a unique book. It definitely had a surreal air to it. So many things happened so quickly in Lisaveta's life that it seemed that she was almost blindsided. As the reader, even, when she landed on the Hacienda, I thought to myself, "What just happened here?" I had trouble really understanding what made her fall in love with Jaime in the first place. That was never exactly clear to me.
I was shocked at how different life was on the Hacienda. I'm sure it seemed to Lisa that she had traveled back in time when she arrived. She did a good job of expressing what it was like to show up and have to learn to function in a completely different culture. Again, the days at the Hacienda felt decidedly surreal.
My only real complaint about the book is that it seemed somewhat choppy. The author was prone to tangents and did not really seem that concerned about the organization of her chapters or about a segue between topics. I would occasionally get to the middle of a paragraph and think, "What? Why are we talking about this now?"
I was surprised at how much free reign Lisa had over matters on the Hacienda. Even though she was the Don's (or whatever) wife, I would have expected that she'd really be more of a figurehead and the agricultural decisions left up to the foreman. But she was the one who made many decisions about what was grown and how things were done regardless of the fact that she had absolutely no training in the matters.
An interesting memoir about a woman forced to grow up quickly and face (a very foreign and strange) reality. It wasn't my favorite ever, but I don't regret reading it.
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2: Fantastic!
I loved this book. This true story is moving, intense, and a wonderful portrait of the coming of age of a young woman. I believe that men will also enjoy this book. The portraits of each individual in the book are well-drawn and the story is exciting.
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3: My neighbour's memoir
I do live a very few hours away from where the action of this book takes place. Since I read it I have not checked the place out but found some people that actually corroborated part of the story. This is why I reluctantly give it 5 stars. In spite of a certain inconsistency through the book, a few misplaced left leanings comment, a hard to believe naivete, the books stands firm as a good representation of Venezuelan rural mores, and a heartfelt memoir. Now, I do not want this to mean that Lisa Saint Aubin de Teran is an accurate reporter. She tries her best and only God knows how difficult it is to understand Venezuelan society. However she is very successful at conveying the spirit that moves things there, for good or bad. She is at her best when she shows how in spite of every hardship that falls on her, the country slowly gets into her and she cannot help but love it. I can relate with that, she is not making it up. And last but not least, in light of recent political turmoil in Venezuela, I can recommend this book highly: it will explain why a phenomenon like Chaves came upon Venezuela better than any long political analysis you might find around. Although Ms Saint Aubin kept her patrician acquired Teran she was unto something when she describes the "absentee landlord" mores of Venezuelan old elite families. Her comments on them are rather damming. But the reader needs not to worry, this is still a very strong personal memoir, that can also serve as a political memento.
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4: a blue bearded husbund
This is a modern version of the ancient story of blue beard to me. A woman doesn't want to see the obvios signs of danger, and decides she wants to live her fantasy anyway: an handsome and welty man promises the life of queen to Lisa. The thruth is much different from her dream. But there is no escape, and she is forced to act, to become the care-taker instead of been taken care, and this is a tremendous story for any woman of any time. Despite her difficoulties she becomes not just a woman but a sage in dealing with life. I actually know Lisa personally and I can say she is one the most positive and strong person you can meet, and her account is absolutely real. This is what makes the book great, because the author has really lived the experiences of her book.
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5: Uneven but worthwhile
This book is very uneven and slightly dispersed. When I started to read it, I found it a bit boring, and thought some of Lisa's narrations were heavy-handed and with a slight touch of drama. The time in England and Italy, where she lived in a sort of fantasy land with her husband and friends, and the first couple of years in the hacienda seemed especially so. One example of that is when her husband's cousin tells her that she needs to push her authority in order to get results, and pretty much blackmails her into doing so. Another example is her furtive trip into Los Pollos de Eladio. Both scenes, as described in the book, look staged, almost out of a soap-opera. She also used a very self-deprecating tone when describing herself in those early days, and in the distance that time brings, I wonder why she has not been able to forgive herself somehow. After all, she was so young, how could she know what she was doing? Midway through, the book started to take shape and develop into a very focused memoir. I think the break point was the episode with the green boy. After that, the flow changed and I found myself flipping pages anxiously, rushing to learn more and more. I was very taken by the letters to her mother interspersed here and there. They give the whole book a human and tender touch. I was less impressed by her poems, though. Some of her Spanish might have rusted out, or her translations lost some accuracy, like La Noche Buena (it is not Christmas, it is Christmas' Eve). But much of Lisa's writing is brilliant, like the story of the dying eaglet. That was beautiful, skilled writing, awesome. I also liked her very subtle references to physical abuse in hands of her husband. She describes these beatings in a way that could be described as elegant, which makes them even more horrific. I very much enjoyed the farming bits, the sheep, the avocado and sugar cane stories. I also enjoyed her transformation from a starry-eyed teenager into a woman assuming full responsibility for everybody and everything: her family, her farm, and the welfare of hundreds of people in it. I wouldn't go as far as describing her as a "powerful matriarch", like the book jacket does, but she certainly obtained a power that was more than anything emanating from herself. I was tremendously disappointed with the ending, though. Throughout the book there are many references to her seven years in the hacienda, so you know that at some point she leaves. The end was cliff-like: there is some elaboration to the circumstances that pushed her departure, and some of the obstacles she was facing. And then, that's it. She left. I was hoping for an epilogue, a mention of what happened to her, her daughter, her husband, la gente, no matter how brief. I was left yearning to know more, to wrap it up, because just by physically removing yourself from a place, you just don't automatically close that chapter of your life. In any case, this book is very much worth your while. Her vision and descriptions of all people, animals, plants and things were excellent and very poignant, even when referring to a simple object.
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