The Hummingbird's Daughter

Urrea is a great writer. I cannot say enough good things about his book or his writing. The story alone is fascinating, and with his abilities, this story becomes a work of art. I agree that it is a modern classic.

I was a little bit unsure about this book. Magical realism often does not work for me-- I find the effect is often to distance me, or to gain unearned emotional credits. I was also nervous about the length. I was reading this for my book club, and it clocks in at 580 pages.

It did take me a little while to get into the book, but once I relaxed and stop worrying, I loved. it. The pages flew by quickly-- I had more problem with reading it too quickly than I did with it taking too long. The magic realism was not a problem-- it was essential to the book, and was well grounded in the plot and the subject matter. I got very quickly caught up in the book and the characters, and I was fascinated by Teresita and her emotional and spiritual journey.

I can believe that this is a book that took Urrea 20 years to research. It is worth reading the biographical note about the historical Teresita that is located on the author's web site. But only do this after you have read the book.

The Hummingbird's Daughter was the winner of the Kiriyama Prize, and rumor has it that there will be both a sequel and a film.

Recommended for virtually any reader.

This story was a great mix of history and interpretation. I loved the roughness as much as the sweetness. The bilingual consideration was well executud. The only drawback was the price on Kindle. I almost missed enjoying hours of entertainment because the price was a little more than I budget for optional reading.
I'm looking forward to reading "Into The Beautiful North" next.

I live in Sinaloa and have travelled in Sonora, where all of this book takes place. I also enjoy reading Mexican history; the painful and the joyous. This book as it all and if you let it, it will reach deep inside you.

Vivid characters plus a well-conveyed sense of place and time made this a wonderful literary journey. Ideas of family, gender, social justice and more were woven into the lives and actions of the characters, not imposed onto the story artificially just to make a point. Though set amidst the specifics of a part of Mexico, the characters' concerns have universal appeal.

This is a very well written novel. The historic nature is fascinating. The story is based on real ancestors of the author. The characters are quite colorful and their stories are vividly told. I thoroughly enjoyed the stories, but even more appreciated the author's style of writing. He was able to pull me right into the time period, the experiences, the emotions, the politics and the locations of the characters.

So magical. I love the writing style. I've lived in Mexico for 30 years ... Nobody has more surreal families than the Mexicans. I related to all the characters. I could relate them to the people I presently know and live in community with. I recommend this book as one of the best I've ever read. It has heart.

I loved this book. It was very interesting and the characters were believable. I liked reading about what this group of people went through and how they survived. I would definitely refer this book to others.

Gorgeous and poetic for large stretches; he describes all of Mexico in one brilliant passage about people drinking their morning coffee. Gets a little slow in the later chapters, but he's got a lot of story to tell. The lack of real resolution at the end is intentional - this is apparently only the first half of the saga. Stay tuned....

I know that this story is a historical fiction, but Mr. Urrea did his research. It is very descriptive of the times. I'm only reading the middle of the story right now and I can't wait to get to the end and then read the next book!

"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.

My friend raved about this book. So I was really looking forward to reading it. I liked it but some of it went on too long and although it was based on the life of a real woman, some of it was hard to believe. The part about their capture and then trip to the Gulf was a little too much.

Urrea's ability to merge fiction into what's known of the life of Teresita Urrea brought her to life for me. His accounting of the culture, the mode of life, and the rugged living conditions of Sinaloa and Sonora held me captive. A very good read. Richard L. Cole

A very well written book with very interesting historical information. That period of time was very chaotic and violent which is graphically portrayed. It was a bit hard to get through in a few places. Knowing that the author spent 20 years researching the information and was very thorough along with his emotional attachment considering he was related to the main character made it worth reading.
The characters came alive to the point you felt you really knew them.
I would not let a young child read it.

I enjoyed the story, and Urrea tells it with great wit and enthusiasm. This novel did something that few have done in recent years, which was to temporarily and completely transport me to another reality. Bravo, Luis!

Really loved this book. Very poetic and full of imagery that only some Hispanic writers can achieve. I was so inspired that I created 4 poems and probably could have done more if I was not so in to the book. I found it educational as well. Information about Mexico is so spare to us North Americans and that is not a good thing I believe.