LitPick Review
Quisqueya is the name of the land currently called Haiti, and the time now is 1490. Anacaona is a young lady, and heir with her brother Behechio to the throne of Xaragua, a section of Quisqueya. Anacaona gets her hair cut off, a Native American ritual sending her into adulthood. Now that she is in adulthood, she can marry. Caonabo', the chief of the land of Maguana, which is a different section of Quisqueya, is looking for a wife, and he chooses Anacaona. The leader of Xaragua accepts, hoping to extend the friendship with Maguana. Anacaona accepts, and leaves Behechio as heir to rule rule over Xaragua. As she gets to Maguana, she is amazed at its beauty and the skills of its people. Shortly thereafter the ruler of Xaragua dies, and Anacaona comes to the funeral with Caonabo'. There Behechio is appointed the new ruler of Xaragua. Also, while in Xaragua, Anacaona becomes pregnant. After they return to Maguana, Anacaona has a girl. After the birth of her daughter her world is turned upside down when white men (Spaniards) come to the beach with weapons like lightning rods. Caonabo', his brother, and some warriors decide to travel to a place where the Spaniards are encamped, and attack them, hoping to get rid of them for good. Will the island of Quisqueya survive this new threat?
Opinion:
This book is a diary written by Anacaona and each day is a new heading. Sometimes the day can be boring and dull, and at other times the day could be so exciting that I could not put the book down. So there were slow parts and fast- moving parts to the story and you had to stick with the book through this variation. Despite this, I really liked this book a lot. Of the 13 Flamingnet books I have reviewed so far, this would rank in the top 5. This book also is very historical. It taught me a lot about the ancient people, and what their ways of life was like. I also learned about their fears, and what they thought about the Spaniards.
