Hello dear Readers,
My book review of A Ballad of Love and Glory: A Novel by Reyna Grande.
Title: A Ballad of Love and Glory: A Novel
Rating: 4/5 Stars
Genre: Historical Fiction
Author: Reyna Grande
Publisher: Atria Books
Publication Date: March 15, 2022Language: English
Hardcover: 384 pages
Meet the Author: Reyna Grande
Buy Me: Amazon
Meet the Author: Reyna Grande
Buy Me: Amazon
Book Description
A Long Petal of the Sea meets Cold Mountain in this sweeping historical saga following a Mexican army nurse and an Irish soldier who must fight, at first for their survival and then for their love, amidst the atrocity of the Mexican-American War—from the author of the “timely and riveting” (People) Across a Hundred Mountains and The Distance Between Us.
The year is 1846. After the controversial annexation of Texas, the US Army marches south to provoke war with México over the disputed Río Grande boundary.
Ximena Salomé is a gifted Mexican healer who dreams of building a family with the man she loves on the coveted land she calls home. But when Texas Rangers storm her ranch and shoot her husband dead, her dreams are burned to ashes. Vowing to honor her husband’s memory and defend her country, Ximena uses her healing skills as an army nurse on the frontlines of the ravaging war.
Meanwhile, John Riley, an Irish immigrant in the Yankee army desperate to help his family escape the famine devastating his homeland, is sickened by the unjust war and the unspeakable atrocities against his countrymen by nativist officers. In a bold act of defiance, he swims across the Río Grande and joins the Mexican Army—desertion punishable by execution. He forms the St. Patrick’s Battalion, a band of Irish soldiers willing to fight to the death for México’s freedom.
When Ximena and John meet, a dangerous attraction blooms between them. As the war intensifies, so does their passion. Swept up by forces with the power to change history, they fight not only for the fate of a nation but for their future together.
Heartbreaking and lyrical, Reyna Grande’s spellbinding saga, inspired by true events and historical figures, brings these two unforgettable characters to life and illuminates a largely forgotten moment in history that impacts the US-México border to this day.
Will Ximena and John survive the chaos of this bitter war, or will their love be devoured along with the land they strive to defend?
My Thoughts
Every time I have read a book by Reyna Grande, it has been impossible not to feel at home, her writing is so unique, so warm, even if the topic is question is not necessarily a happy one, but it is really easy to immerse yourself in the story, and just let you be carried away in the character's world, and what they want to tell us.
I also always appreciate how much research and effort and care the author puts into her work, and A Ballad of Love and Glory is not the exception. A very different book from her others, but the same beautifully written and well thought, and for being considered historical fiction, personally it was fast-paced and hard to put down.
Thank you to the Publisher Atria Books and Netgalley, for the Advanced Free Copy, in exchange for an honest review.
Wendy
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