A bittersweet book about what happens when love and duty collide.
This historical fiction novel is a feminist retelling of Don Quixote from the point of view of Dulcinea, Quixote's love interest who never speaks for herself in the original book.
Told in a dual timeline, this book follows Dulcinea as a young girl who falls head over heels for Miguel, connecting over a mutual love of art. But Dulcinea marries another due to pressure from her family. Fated to never be together, Dulcinea and Miguel steal moments that add up to a lifetime of love and regret. Much later in life, Dulcinea embarks on a secret journey to attempt to reconcile with Miguel on his deathbed.
Dulcinea is an interesting yet flawed character. She's headstrong, often selfish, and torn between two worlds. Despite the prison of her family's expectations, she carves out for herself a life she enjoys, even if it moves pushing aside a love for the ages.
Thank you to the publisher for the advance review copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. Dulcinea Not at all my cup of tea, unfortunately. A few things to nitpick:
A) This is the sort of story about a Jewish/Converso family where I could immediately tell that the author had no idea what she was writing about. I'm no historian BUT a fun 'Shahar fact' is that in middle school I had an obsession with reading YA books about conversos & anusim in Spain. So I can tell you with confidence that there are many better tellings of this story, including ones where the author understands the basics of Ladino and of Sephardi/Jewish customs. This is such a small detail but when Nuria called it the Sabbath I was really annoyed... in both Ladino and Hebrew, it is Shabbat! And in general, I've never heard a Jew say Sabbath. We leave that to the Xtians...
B) Veciana-Suarez wrote Dolça as though she were living in 2024. A woman living in Spain during the Inquisition would not have the same morals and ethics that we have. This irks me because - to me - historical fiction is about understanding what people were truly like in the past. It is, of course, impossible to fully achieve this. But that doesn't mean we can impose 2024 girlboss feminism onto a medieval character. It frustrated me when Dolça was written with a 'distance' from her everyday customs and beliefs. For example, when Veciana-Suarez wrote about medical treatments from Dolça's POV, she does so with thinly veiled disdain and disbelief. Something along the lines of 'the doctor did this barbaric thing called bloodletting because he said it would help' or 'haha, how silly, they believe giving me this treatment will balance my humors.' The thing is that people back then knew it to be true that those treatments would work. It is only later that that knowledge was disproven. Not to mention that somehow Dolça is not at all homophobic, has not internalized any of the misogyny around her, and opposes the Inquisition... All despite coming from a wealthy, traditional Catholic family. I'm hesitant to praise Otessa Moshfegh but her latest, Lapvona, showcases her ability to inhabit the minds of her medieval characters. Lapvona embodies what I think authors should aim for when writing historical novels, in the sense that Moshfegh laid out each character's worldview so convincingly. Veciana-Suarez could have taken a page from that book.
C) The entire book was just so. fricking. trite. Dulcinea Well this is was such a big disappointment, when I saw the book I was so exited about hearing a story from Dulcinea point of view, and the cover was so beautiful. 10/10 on the Book cover and on the dust jacket stunning!!!!
Now the book was sooo boring you have to literally read 220 pages before getting to the good part and then its over. It felt so repetitive, Miguel will come to Barcelona they had sex, he leave she says she was gonna be a good wife, he will come back they will have sex and repeat like a million time over and over and over.
And she was such an awful main character, she disrespect her parents, her husband, her maid, her son, her self?!? Like she was so unlikable. I get romances where there are in between 2 lovers but at least they have something else going on for them but she was just awful to everyone, specially those who she said she loved (husband, lover & son).
Dulcinea When I read that Ana Venciana-Suarez had a new book coming out, I had to get my hands on it. She is a fellow Miami resident and a columnist I read almost daily in the Miami Herald. I even worked with her briefly when she judged a Florida college media awards group in which I was a member. I knew she would bring the same sense of perfection she brought to that job to writing Dulcinea. Set in Spain during Miguel de Cervantes’ time, and re-imagining the character of Dulcinea, it was extremely well-researched, true to the geography, culture, and language of the times. If I have anything to criticize, it would be what to me was the occasional overuse of Catalan. Most of the time, the Catalan words peppered in gave it the right amount of authenticity. Once in a (rare) while, words were sprinkled in without a real need or too many together, for example, “When the flabiolist of a three-member cobla ensemble played the introductory notes of the introit, we took the first steps of the tirade de curts for King Phillip…” Without having to look anything up, the reader can tell she’s writing about music and dance, but it can take many a reader away from the plot to processed that sentence. Because her use of language is something people interested in Catalan and its past culture would find fascinating, it’s not a deal breaker, and puts not a dent in her well-deserved five-star rating from me or anyone else. What great books do, is inspire more reading. Dulcinea made me want to tackle Don Quixote again. Dulcinea Thank you to Partner @bibliolifestyle @blackstonepublishing for the book and to LibroFM for the complimentary audiobook. These opinions are my own. This book published May 2, 2023.
I love historical fiction that tells me about an era that I am unfamiliar with. This book is especially unique, as it envisions the character who could have inspired Dulcinea in Miguel Cervantes' best known work.
Dolça is a wealthy young girl who becomes enamored with Miguel Cervantes when he is an unknown, aspiring poet and writer. The book is told in two timelines from her perspective: both when she first meets Miguel and later when she goes to visit him near the end of his life.
The characters are complicated and nuanced. I especially appreciated the insight into the inquisition and her experiences of it. And I was pleased by the varying kinds of diversity incorporated with Judaism and a gay man. The backdrop of Don Quixote was fascinating and made me want to re-read that book.
January LaVoy did an amazing job alternating the male and female voices. She is such a talented audiobook narrator.
3.5 stars rounded up Dulcinea
The Book of Longings meets Ahab's Wife and the work of Geraldine Brooks in Dulcinea, Ana Veciana-Suarez's beautiful homage to Don Quixote.
Dolça, mistress, muse, and lifelong love of Miguel de Cervantes de Cortinas, paints her story against the rich backdrop of Spain as she travels from Barcelona to Madrid at the behest of her dying paramour.
The daughter of a wealthy merchant, young Dolça was besotted with the dashing, bootstrapping author from their first meeting. Despite Miguel's entreaties, the ever-practical Dolça, with her love of luxury and her devotion to her own art, repeatedly refused to upend her life for him, although she always welcomed his attentions on her own terms. However, when Miguel renders her as the lowly Dulcinea in his great Quixote, creating a scandal and revealing their association, he commits an unforgivable offense and their decades-long affinity is severed, until he reaches out to her one last time. Dulcinea
FREE READ à TEXASBEERGUIDE.COM ó Ana Veciana-Suarez
Dulcinea by Ana Veciana-Suarez unfolds in two alternating timelines. The first timeline takes place in the 1570s in Barcelona with Dolca as a young girl who meets and falls in love with Miguel Cervantes. The second timeline takes place in 1616 with Dolca married to a man chosen for her by her parents. Although her husband loves her and although she claims to love him, she cannot shake off her love for Cervantes. The two threads intertwine connected by the illicit on-again, off-again, love affair between Dolca and Miguel.
The focus is on Dolca, her childhood, her married life, and her love affair with Cervantes. They steal time to be together, with Cervantes insisting she run away with him and Dolca insisting she can’t because of her obligations. When Cervantes publishes his Don Quixote to wide acclaim, Dolca is incensed. Because of the close resemblance of her name with Dulcinea, she anticipates she will be associated with his unflattering portrait of Dulcinea. The two lose touch until the now widowed grandmother Dolca receives a letter from the dying Miguel. She embarks on a hazardous journey to see him before he dies.
Veciana-Suarez sets the novel against the backdrop of the Spanish Inquisition. The strength of the novel lies in the setting. The historical details vividly capture Renaissance Spain. But the characterization is weak and the plot line predictable. The novel reads like a generic historical romance with a self-absorbed protagonist who vacillates between her two loves to the point of becoming tedious. Those hoping for a greater connection with Don Quixote or a more prominent role for Cervantes will be disappointed.
My book reviews are also available at www.tamaraaghajaffar.com Dulcinea Audiobook…. read by January
LaVoy
……10 hours and 4 minutes
“Dulcinea”…..
“is a feminist reclamation of Don Quixote’s Dulcinea that explores what happens when the woman who inspired the character is able to confront the writer”. The premise is interesting. Can you image somebody writing a book about you?
Imagine your thoughts reading it? Clearly not everything representing the truth and experience of yourself?
Dolca Llull Prat is a fictional character in this biographical/ historical novel. She is invented from the imagination of Miguel de Cervantes novel Don Quixote.
With captivating storytelling….. we come to learn quite quickly, that Dolca had an easy but often suffocating life.
She was the daughter of wealthy merchant. (who preferred to pick his daughter’s husband than allow Dolca to make her own choices)….
but Dolca’s a smart woman —multifaceted- strong - vulnerable to a world different from all she has known.
Yet — she’s resilient.
She will figure things out — and learn to please herself — yet not at the cost of hurting others.
This is a somewhat complicated story — (yet we feel the challenges, conflicted feelings, awkwardness, and fears that our noblewoman faces throughout her life.
The writing vibrants passionately……(showing great attention to self-love, devotion, dreams lost, found, denied, and found again.
Dolca meets the handsome debonair, Miguel Cervantes — who is enchanted with her— she with him too. With their natural chemistry so begins their secret affair.
However, Dolca doesn’t want to give up her art - her books - her writing - her own ambitions - to trounce or chastise herself to him.
She’s not interested in being the perfect woman — but Don Quixote thinks differently.
Author Ana Veciana-Suarez gave me a window-view into history that I’m not very schooled in — it’s written well. Researched well ….
….colorful characters …. with a wonderful female protagonist showing great strength.
Dulcinea This is another one I wish I liked more. I think I came into it wrong. I expected more of a Don Quixote connection, but it felt more like a generic historical romance with a few recognizable names as Easter eggs. Not necessarily bad, just not what I was hoping for. Dulcinea An evocative and engaging historical fiction novel with a complex main character. I loved how well the author described the places, culture, and traditions of the period. I also enjoyed reading the author’s note at the end explaining what inspired the novel and the sources she used for research. Highly recommend! Dulcinea There comes a time in every woman's life where she must dismantle the present to determine the future.
Adored this feminist homage to Don Quixote. Dulcinea
