Once Upon a Quinceanera: Coming of Age in the USA by Julia Alvarez

[afterannabel.livejournal.com]

3) Once Upon a Quinceanera: Coming of Age in the USA by Julia Alvarez

I have mixed feelings about this book. My biggest complaint was that I was often frustrated by Alvarez's use of Spanish words and idioms, of which she rarely provided translation. I took Spanish on and off in high school and college, and some words' meanings are intuitive (familia) or obvious from the context, so that was helpful. But it made me stumble many times throughout the book. I really liked the fact that Alvarez dug deeper and explored how young Latina women in America struggle with incorporating both cultures into their lives in meaningful ways, without compromising themselves.

Comments

[b-writes.livejournal.com]

I would argue that the use of French is not so much to 'show off' but more to draw on a common vocabulary Christie, et. al would've had in common. Most European countries, not just England, do a better job with teaching other languages than our own does, and especially at the level of education Christie and her assumed readers would've had-- it's like using Netspeak today to convey a certain attitude or mood.

[harborshore.livejournal.com]

You're right about that, I expressed myself poorly. I'm European, so I'm well aware of the difference in language teaching; what I wanted to point out was a level of privilege that Christie's readers had, which Alvarez's readers would not have had. As in, Spanish is a language of lower status than English, whereas a use of French in the mystery novels of that era told your readers that you had a certain kind of education.