In a time period when there were few options for a woman, the main character Andrée, finds the courage to grow as a person and the strength to survive as a strong woman.
Through a series of life-threatening ordeals, Andrée's journey begins when she is abandoned by her family, with no other option she becomes a nun, and is assigned to a mission in Haiti. She soon has to flee for her life in order to survive a revolution between the Vodun and French farmers. With a priest, René, she finds refuge in the mountains in a Taíno Indian village, and without the Church to define her role, she falls in love with the rebel priest.
When their presence endangers the tribe, they escape Haiti by boarding a ship to Cuba. It is the beginning of the several intriguing deceptions in the story, when they abandon their positions in the Church and travel as husband and wife.
3 Amazon reviews 5star
I arrived in Haiti in the early hours before the dawn. The captain anchored offshore waiting for the morning light. The smell of fried tasajo and smoked fish let me know I was some place new. In the midst of seagulls and fishing nets, I stepped off the ship and onto the gangplank. Planting my feet on solid ground, I felt a freedom I hadn’t known for a while, a release after so much time at sea. The crew unloaded the cargo while I waited for my ride. I stood there on the busy dock and reflected on how I had gotten there and how much my life had changed since I left the farm.
My mother, a beautiful woman, named me Elizabeth, but everyone called me Beth. I was born and raised in Brittany, even though my parents were not Breton. My father was a Welshman. They were married in Naples and traveled around the Tyrrhenian Sea together, and had lived a life of freedom few enjoyed at that time. He had been an able-bodied seaman who settled down when he inherited his parents’ farm, which was west of Hennebont. His aging parents, my grandparents, had let the place run down. After they passed, he returned from Italy with my mother.
My dark skin and black hair were an inheritance from my mother’s Roman background. I was only fifteen when my father killed her for adultery. Late at night while I lay sleeping, I heard her cry out as he put a pillow over her face. Her muffled screams eerily filled the house. I Jumped out of bed and ran to my mother. I stood frozen in disbelief for a moment, and then I screamed at my father to stop, praying my brothers would hear me. My cries went unanswered; their room in the barn caused my pleas to diminish into the night. I ran into my parents’ room and grabbed his arms to free her, but he knocked me away, hitting my head on the armoire. I went to my knees barely conscious for a moment and struggled to stand up.
| Language | Status |
|---|---|
|
Spanish
|
Already translated.
Translated by Alejandra Martinez
|
|
|
Author review: Great translator. I had parts of it read by some friends and it was as expected. She was great about making a change that filled a hole in my plot. Much appreciated. |
