WomenAuthors

Letters of a Peruvian Woman | Fran�oise de Graffigny

I finished this book this morning. The novel proper is quite short and readable, although I don't think I'll ever really enjoy a work where a writer uses a foreign narrator or character from a culture they don't actually know to further their plots or theories. However, the extra critical material does an excellent job of contextualising this 18th best-seller written by a blue-stocking with proto-feminist sensibilities.

illustration from the book

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Dilara

Letters of a Peruvian Woman | Fran�oise de Graffigny

I 1st heard of this book when researching #Peru for #FoodAndLit but it wouldn't do b/c it's all about France. It is an 18th-c. epistolary novel written by a French woman. The narrator is an Inca “virgin of the sun“ snatched by Spanish conquistadores, then taken by French soldiers to France. Her letters to her Inca fiancé describe France & its mores from the point of view of an outsider - a “Noble Savage“ - uncorrupted by European civilisation.

Dilara A best-seller in the 18th and 19th centuries, it was then forgotten, like many works by female authors, and rediscovered recently. As it is in the list of books studied for the French 2026 baccalaureate, there are plenty of editions with added commentary and material to choose from! Mine is quite well made for readers who need a lot of hand-holding: each occurrence of a potentially difficult or semi-difficult word is explained. 1w

Dilara Pic of an aclla, or virgin of the sun, in the public domain from https://short-history.com/the-acllas-inca-women-of-the-sun-2184999efe45 1w

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shanaqui

So Far, So Good: Poems 2014-2018 | Ursula K. Le Guin

pick

Man, Le Guin could really pick her images. Some of these are very slight, but some lovely ones. “Come to Dust“ and “On Second Hill“ stuck out for me. Here's the latter:

“Where on this wild hill alone
a child watched the evening star,
let these bits of ash and bone
rejoin the earth they always were,
the earth that let her sing her love,
the gift that made the giver
here on the lonely hill above
the valley of the river.“

lil1inblue 😍 😍 😍 2w

14 likes1 comment

Sharpeipup

Leaving: A Novel | Roxana Robinson

Safe bet - I‘m either that or reading…sometimes both!

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Gleefulreader

Fresh Dirt from the Grave | Giovanna Rivero

so-so

I read this book about a month ago and am just catching up on reviews now. I had noted it as a three star but… now I can‘t remember a single story in this collection. The stories are horror-tinged and dark is all I recall but nothing else made enough of an impact to linger. I guess that says everything.

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rabbitprincess

The Fallen Sparrow | Dorothy B. Hughes

bailed

This bail is more a reflection of my reading mood than the book. Dorothy B. Hughes has interesting plots and writes well, but I just couldn't find the headspace to get into this one.

18 likes