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MARAVILLA.
Fuego, Laura del. 1989 250 pgs. (pbk) ISBN: 0915745151 Ser.: La Mujer Latina
Series. $25.00 Price for class use $17.95
"I named you Consuelo," my mother said, "because you didn't stop screaming
for hours when you were born. I figured you needed hope." To Consuelo Concepción,
"Cece" Contreres, however, hope seems to be just about all she's got. So when
her boyfriend is cheating on her, her friends are doing drugs, and her parents don't
understand her, is it any wonder that the only person she can talk to is St. Teresa de
Avila? From the housing projects of East Los Angeles, Maravilla, to the lively scene of
San Francisco's Haight-Ashbury district in the 1960s, Laura del Fuego's novel tells the
absorbing and personal tale of a young Chicana, like many in real life, making her way in
turbulent times. It is a thoughtful and sometimes violent story about coming of age in the
heart of the barrio, discovering one's self in the midst of chaos and trying to make sense
of a troubled life. An outstanding young writer, del Fuego knits a complex weave whereby
her heroine progresses through the barrios of East Los Angeles during the effervescent
years of the 1960's. Unlike, García Márquez' narrative that centers on political turmoil
and violence, Del Fuego's bring us the asphalt jungle, violence in the inner city barrio,
which equally unsettle and destroy the Latino pathos. This new height of writing style and
drama is a welcome addition to the selected group of Hispanic women writers. Most highly
recommended.
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