La casa de la laguna

Se hace evidente el talento de Rosario Ferré como novelista al leer "La casa de la laguna"; su lenguaje es sencillo pero apropiado, y la forma en que maneja temas como la dicotomía historia vs. literatura y la opresión a la que la sociedad a sometido a la mujer (reflejada en sus relaciones amorosas y sus resultados).


Sin embargo, no pude evitar sentir cierta antipatía frente a la visión sociocultural que esta mujer tiene de Puerto Rico. Ferré pasa la historia puertorriqueña por un lente artistocratico bastante distorcionado, que da como resultado una novela que presenta a una sociedad puertorriqueña practicamente inexistente. El rostro del Puerto Rico de Rosario Ferré es muy diferente al rostro real de la isla, que muy bien han logrado capturar otros escritores contemporaneos como Luis Rafael Sanchez, Ana Lydia Vega, Edgardo Rodriguez Juliá y Mayra Santos Febres, entre otros.


3 estrellas es lo máximo que le puedo dar, pues hay que admitir que está bien escrita la novela.

Esta novela nos recuerda que Puerto Rico es un pais latino, a pesar de la fuerte influencia estadounidense. Cuenta la historia de una familia a traves de los ojos de una mujer (es gracioso cuando la contrastan con el punto de vista de un hombre de la misma familia).
Es una novela ligera, entretenida y que recomiendo ampliamente.

Esta novela más que contar la vida de las familias Mendizábal y Monfort, nos da un recuento histórico, económico, político y social de 7 décadas de la historia de Puerto Rico a través de las tres generaciones presentes en la narración.

Ferre's novel documents the life of a prominent family in Puerto Rico shortly after the end of the Spanish-American War, and although she tries to write in a style similar to that of the great Isabel Allende, she doesn't even come close to it. There are many reasons this book never did well among the eyes of critics and readers. They include

(1) The book was written in English. Upon its' release, the book stirred controversy in Puerto Rico, due to that nation's use and respect for Spanish. Ms. Ferre's political connections (her father, Luis, was a former governor of the island who favored statehood) probably had a lot to do with this, and one thing writers know is not to mix a book's imminent success with cultural nationalism.

(2) The book's references to Spanish colonialism seems very negative and critical. Again, Ms. Ferre's leaning towards everything Pro-American can't undo the 400 years of colonialism Spain has left on the island, especially when it comes to its' language. As a Puerto Rican of Spanish descent, I found it both insulting and disturbing that although the Spanish were not perfect, Ms. Ferre decided to put down the country that gave Puerto Ricans many things that we can't erase or deny. Surnames, religion, place names, history, and culture are contributions that can't be undone.

(3) Ms. Ferre's characters seem to be out-of-touch with the common Puerto Rican. Although there are social elites who wield money (statehooders) and the ideologically elite who possess great knowledge and love for their nation (independence seekers), she really has never written about the "jibaro" and other traditional rural characters that gave Puerto Rico her identity. Truly this is her greatest mistake.

Ms. Ferre is no Julia de Burgos, nor she will never be. She is no Esmeralda Santiago who has written novels that are relevant to the Puerto Rican experience. She is no Julia Alvarez, the Dominican writer who is possibly the greatest Latina writer to come out of the Caribbean in recent years. Ferre is unique, and in my opinion is that unless she gives un-biased, apolitical accounts of Puerto Rican life in her future novels, she might as well pack up her typewriter and put it in the closet. Overall, a disappointing novel.

Este libro es excepcional. La novela esta llena de amor, comedia, tragedia y suspenso...todo lo que uno necesita para quedarse despierto hasta terminarla! El final te pide mas. El libro es una gran ventana mirando el pasado del Puerto Rico dividio en las clases sociales, ideologias politicas y morales. Presenta los problemas sociales de una manera real que hace a uno analizar sus ideas. Cada Puertorriqueno debe leerla. Rosario Ferre es una extraordinaria escritora. AAA+++!