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Rosarita
Win a free print copy of this book!
29 days and 23:39:52
10 copies available
U.S. only
'Anita Desai is a magnificent writer' - Salman Rushdie
From three times Booker-shortlisted author Anita Desai, Rosarita is a beautiful, haunting novel that explores memory, grief, and a young woman’s determination to forge her own path.
A young student sits on a bench in a park in San Miguel, Mexico. Bonita is away from her home in India to learn Spanish. She is alone, somewhere she has no connection to. It is bliss.
And then a woman approaches her. The woman claims to recognize Bonita because she is the spitting image of her mother, who made the same journey from India to Mexico as a young artist. No, says Bonita, my mother didn’t paint. She never travelled to Mexico. But this strange woman insists, and so Bonita follows her. Into a story where Bonita and her mother will move apart and come together, and where the past threatens to flood the present, or re-write it.
**Praise for Anita Desai**
‘The language is hypnotically beautiful and subtle and the characterisation quietly precise’ - Financial Times
‘Bewitchingly beautiful’ - The Times
‘Profoundly elegiac’ - New Statesman
From three times Booker-shortlisted author Anita Desai, Rosarita is a beautiful, haunting novel that explores memory, grief, and a young woman’s determination to forge her own path.
A young student sits on a bench in a park in San Miguel, Mexico. Bonita is away from her home in India to learn Spanish. She is alone, somewhere she has no connection to. It is bliss.
And then a woman approaches her. The woman claims to recognize Bonita because she is the spitting image of her mother, who made the same journey from India to Mexico as a young artist. No, says Bonita, my mother didn’t paint. She never travelled to Mexico. But this strange woman insists, and so Bonita follows her. Into a story where Bonita and her mother will move apart and come together, and where the past threatens to flood the present, or re-write it.
**Praise for Anita Desai**
‘The language is hypnotically beautiful and subtle and the characterisation quietly precise’ - Financial Times
‘Bewitchingly beautiful’ - The Times
‘Profoundly elegiac’ - New Statesman
112 pages, Hardcover
First published July 4, 2024
About the author
Anita Desai
76 books750 followersAnita Desai was born in 1937. Her published works include adult novels, children's books and short stories. She is a member of the Advisory Board for English of the National Academy of Letters in Delhi and a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature in London. Anita Mazumdar Desai is an Indian novelist and Emeritus John E. Burchard Professor of Humanities at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. She has been shortlisted for the Booker prize three times. Her daughter, the author Kiran Desai, is the winner of the 2006 Booker prize.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 94 reviews
July 13, 2024
I will always be amazed by how masterfully certain writers can capture the essence of the story in just a hundred pages. Anita Desai’s Rosarita ends before you can have your fill of the story, leaving you wanting more. But mostly, it leaves you with the ever important question of whether we truly ever know our mothers.
Our protagonist is a young Indian woman named Bonita who visits San Miguel to study Spanish. It is there, on one of the park benches that she meets an eccentric character, a woman who claims to be her mother’s friend. Bonita is instantly defensive because it’s an unthinkable thing for her mother to have traveled so far without anyone ever knowing about the journey. Her quiet, helpless mother who always lived under the presence of her ruthless and authoritarian father. How was it that she had had a secret life, one that sounded so vibrant and carefree like this stranger has described?
And thus Bonita sets off retracing her mother’s steps, both hopefully and apprehensively. She visits the places her mother once stepped on, takes in the views that she must have soaked in and meets people whom she must have acquainted herself with. This journey is both exciting and at times, a bit sad. Bonita is often overcome by indignation by her mother’s act of keeping her family in the shadows, about this enticing part of her life.
And she doesn’t know what to make of the woman who accompanies her. This woman with fiery eyes and colourful skirts, her eyes rimmed with kohl the colour of midnight. She makes gestures that are grand and at times theatrical. She is later termed as the Trickster by Bonita. A name that quite literally describes her personality.
Rosarita is about a mother’s daughter, a tale that both brings them together but also marks a line between the two. Much like how the waves come crashing against the shore, we see two women, one present and the other in spirit closing the gap between them.
I dare say that Rosarita is Anita Desai’s best work yet.
Thank you for giving me the opportunity to read this brilliant story @panmacmillanindia ✨
Our protagonist is a young Indian woman named Bonita who visits San Miguel to study Spanish. It is there, on one of the park benches that she meets an eccentric character, a woman who claims to be her mother’s friend. Bonita is instantly defensive because it’s an unthinkable thing for her mother to have traveled so far without anyone ever knowing about the journey. Her quiet, helpless mother who always lived under the presence of her ruthless and authoritarian father. How was it that she had had a secret life, one that sounded so vibrant and carefree like this stranger has described?
And thus Bonita sets off retracing her mother’s steps, both hopefully and apprehensively. She visits the places her mother once stepped on, takes in the views that she must have soaked in and meets people whom she must have acquainted herself with. This journey is both exciting and at times, a bit sad. Bonita is often overcome by indignation by her mother’s act of keeping her family in the shadows, about this enticing part of her life.
And she doesn’t know what to make of the woman who accompanies her. This woman with fiery eyes and colourful skirts, her eyes rimmed with kohl the colour of midnight. She makes gestures that are grand and at times theatrical. She is later termed as the Trickster by Bonita. A name that quite literally describes her personality.
Rosarita is about a mother’s daughter, a tale that both brings them together but also marks a line between the two. Much like how the waves come crashing against the shore, we see two women, one present and the other in spirit closing the gap between them.
I dare say that Rosarita is Anita Desai’s best work yet.
Thank you for giving me the opportunity to read this brilliant story @panmacmillanindia ✨
July 17, 2024
This book is the opposite of effortless. It's written with flourish, decoration of sorts. It feels the writer is showing off her way with words. The characters are thinly sketched. The idea of this story is powerful. Knowing a parent or making an effort to know them beyond the pigeonholes we see them through is alluring. But the treatment is too stretched. You are not invested in the characters. There's too much happening in the 96 odd pages. This could have been a meditative story. A murmur, a whisper, eloquent and deep. But here it is loud and shrill.
Bonita didn't know she was in Spain chasing a shadow. Rosarita remained a mystery, or not. Stranger turned trickster turned manic is a strong pillar of the story but you see her in flaky, shadowy light. It's ok if things don't add up. You are not necessarily looking at nice tidyings. The scatter is acceptable. Trouble is you are not motivated enough to thread it through.
You dive in with a lot of expectations. And I think that is where you go wrong. You are looking for Anita Desai. You find her in effusive, ornamental words, expansive imagery. You look for fine filigree. What you find is solid glitter. You could do with less adjectives and adverbs (in this review too). You were looking for soul, you found a carcass.
Bonita didn't know she was in Spain chasing a shadow. Rosarita remained a mystery, or not. Stranger turned trickster turned manic is a strong pillar of the story but you see her in flaky, shadowy light. It's ok if things don't add up. You are not necessarily looking at nice tidyings. The scatter is acceptable. Trouble is you are not motivated enough to thread it through.
You dive in with a lot of expectations. And I think that is where you go wrong. You are looking for Anita Desai. You find her in effusive, ornamental words, expansive imagery. You look for fine filigree. What you find is solid glitter. You could do with less adjectives and adverbs (in this review too). You were looking for soul, you found a carcass.
July 10, 2024
4.25 Stars -
what a quiet little melancholy book brimming with grief and sadness. all of it wrapped in beautiful (albeit a bit dense) writing. goes to show why anita desai is a name which is taken with reverence in the world of literature.
spanning themes like grief, memory and isolation this book tells a tale deeper than the words. it explores the lengths we go to get escape our life and what happens when we can’t go further. bonita (the main character) and her emotional felt tangible and they were heavy. but anita desai paints with her words in the most exquisite way.
the writing is atmospheric, takes you on a journey across mexico and india across times in past and present and paints a beautiful imagery with sadness in every understroke. the story is written in a second person perspective which is a first for me but after getting settled was quite refreshing to read. it really put me in the main characters head and made the book feel a lot impactful.
being a short book, this book definitely took me on an emotional ride which i enjoyed a lot.
what a quiet little melancholy book brimming with grief and sadness. all of it wrapped in beautiful (albeit a bit dense) writing. goes to show why anita desai is a name which is taken with reverence in the world of literature.
spanning themes like grief, memory and isolation this book tells a tale deeper than the words. it explores the lengths we go to get escape our life and what happens when we can’t go further. bonita (the main character) and her emotional felt tangible and they were heavy. but anita desai paints with her words in the most exquisite way.
the writing is atmospheric, takes you on a journey across mexico and india across times in past and present and paints a beautiful imagery with sadness in every understroke. the story is written in a second person perspective which is a first for me but after getting settled was quite refreshing to read. it really put me in the main characters head and made the book feel a lot impactful.
being a short book, this book definitely took me on an emotional ride which i enjoyed a lot.
June 17, 2024
Stunning, profound and incredibly beautiful. Also a masterclass in second-person narrative style.
May 15, 2024
3.5 idk it was beautiful scenes but i think somethin deffo went over my head
September 28, 2024
This poignant and engrossing novel involves a daughter's determination to find her mother, Rosarita, who is living in another country. The story begins with a lighthearted encounter between a young girl, Bonita, and a stranger at the park. Bonita is pursuing a language course when the stranger claims to have seen her mother due to their striking resemblance. The stranger recounts memories of Rosarita's past painting work.
Told through an introspective voice, the novel delves into the complex relationship between the girl and her absent mother. The old paintings depicting violence linger in Bonita's mind, drawing her back into the past effortlessly. Raised without her mother's presence, Bonita seeks to reconnect with her lost love and break free from the despair holding her back. She evaluates her mother's character and consciously tries to distance herself from what she sees as her mother's failure in fulfilling her familial duties. From a young age, she takes the actions of adults seriously and dreams of a fulfilling life, determined not to let fate dictate her future.
The author's writing skillfully explores the damaging dynamics within families, the impact of personal issues on individuals, and the challenges of maintaining loving relationships while fulfilling parental duties to establish a strong identity in society. The novel primarily focuses on the balance between care and the pursuit of love and happiness.
Determined to find her mother, Bonita decides to follow the stranger to the places her mother has travelled in the hope of reuniting with her. She embarks on a journey, joined by a companion, visiting spots from her mother's past. The novella's narrative weaves in historical events, including the separation between two United Nations, which influenced her mother to relocate to a new nation and pursue her hobby without familial support. The stranger, who was guiding the search, takes unexpected and unreadable actions, adding a layer of suspense to the story.
The author's exceptional writing style captivates readers with its lyrical prose, well-developed characters, and attention to detail. This novella is a compelling literary work that delves into the complexities of human behaviour and nature. It offers a deep exploration of love, life, ambition, and the pursuit of distant connections.
Told through an introspective voice, the novel delves into the complex relationship between the girl and her absent mother. The old paintings depicting violence linger in Bonita's mind, drawing her back into the past effortlessly. Raised without her mother's presence, Bonita seeks to reconnect with her lost love and break free from the despair holding her back. She evaluates her mother's character and consciously tries to distance herself from what she sees as her mother's failure in fulfilling her familial duties. From a young age, she takes the actions of adults seriously and dreams of a fulfilling life, determined not to let fate dictate her future.
The author's writing skillfully explores the damaging dynamics within families, the impact of personal issues on individuals, and the challenges of maintaining loving relationships while fulfilling parental duties to establish a strong identity in society. The novel primarily focuses on the balance between care and the pursuit of love and happiness.
Determined to find her mother, Bonita decides to follow the stranger to the places her mother has travelled in the hope of reuniting with her. She embarks on a journey, joined by a companion, visiting spots from her mother's past. The novella's narrative weaves in historical events, including the separation between two United Nations, which influenced her mother to relocate to a new nation and pursue her hobby without familial support. The stranger, who was guiding the search, takes unexpected and unreadable actions, adding a layer of suspense to the story.
The author's exceptional writing style captivates readers with its lyrical prose, well-developed characters, and attention to detail. This novella is a compelling literary work that delves into the complexities of human behaviour and nature. It offers a deep exploration of love, life, ambition, and the pursuit of distant connections.
July 20, 2024
3,5
An intriguing little novella about a young Indian language student taking Spanish classes in Mexico. By pure chance, she meets an old woman who claims, unbelievably, to have known her mother. The two women go on to explore the mother's past as an artist, but all the while it remains doubtful whether the old woman is telling the truth.
From the Afterword the story appears to be inspired by the scholarship of Indian artist Satish Gujral and the parallels he drew between India's Partition and the Mexican revolution of the 1910s.
An intriguing little novella about a young Indian language student taking Spanish classes in Mexico. By pure chance, she meets an old woman who claims, unbelievably, to have known her mother. The two women go on to explore the mother's past as an artist, but all the while it remains doubtful whether the old woman is telling the truth.
From the Afterword the story appears to be inspired by the scholarship of Indian artist Satish Gujral and the parallels he drew between India's Partition and the Mexican revolution of the 1910s.
August 23, 2024
epigraphs from Pessoa and Tabucchi but no Portugal anywhere in it? for shame
gorgeous first paragraph, then alternates very good sentences with very bad ones, and extremely clunky dialogue-writing. not much more to say about it than that.
gorgeous first paragraph, then alternates very good sentences with very bad ones, and extremely clunky dialogue-writing. not much more to say about it than that.
July 23, 2024
This was my first time reading Anita Desai. The book ended as soon as it began. It was beautiful to read. Brimming with sadness, longing, and grief. While reading I hoped to have more clarity, more facts, something more to keep it going, but now that it is finished, I do not mind not knowing more so much. I loved how vivid the descriptions of Mexico were. It was a joy.
August 10, 2024
After a decade-long hiatus, the thrice shortlisted Booker Prize three author, has published a new book at the age of 87, showcasing their mastery of evocative and historically rich storytelling.
In a stream-of-consciousness narrative, we follow Bonita’s journey as a language student in Mexico, where a chance encounter in a park sets her on a path of discovery. A vibrant Mexican woman reveals that she knew Bonita’s mother, Rosarita (Sarita), decades earlier, when Rosarita was an art student in Mexico. Unaware of this hidden chapter in her mother’s past, Bonita incredulously embarks on a journey to retrace her mother’s steps, leading her down a path of profound introspection and vivid imagery.
The novella, a short single-sitting read, evokes dramatic images of Mexico while drawing parallels to war-torn India. Bonita touches on Indian traditions vaguely and leads us down a meandering path that ultimately emphasizes the idea that certain secrets are buried with the dead, leaving the undiscovered elements of a mother-daughter relationship.
#BOOKFACT - The painting on the cover of the book is a self-portrait by Amrita Sher-Gil, which Anita felt embodied her book, when her Indian Publisher, Teesta Sarkar, showed it to her.
July 29, 2024
Anita Desai's Rosarita is a haunting composition that blurs the lines between reality and fantasy and creates a narrative that transcends objective memory and goes on to the world of speculative exploration.
Bonita, the young Indian woman at the heart of the story, meets an older woman whom she calls "The Trickster" as the woman tricks her into contemplating memories of her mother that she doesn't have. But how can one ignore such an astounding recollection of their mother's life, and how can one go on after knowing their mother was not what they thought her to be? The Trickster binds Bonita in a web of her mother's supposed life, and Bonita's mind moves on to the realms of her mother's domestic situation and the double life that she might've led in Mexico.
Desai's voice is beautifully lyrical as always, and her writing is a masterclass in poetic prose. She brings the intangibility of memory to her narrative and the delicately thorny relationship that mothers and daughters often share. Bonita's excavated memory spans from her authoritarian paternal grandmother to her mother's displaced position in the domestic sphere. The lives of women and the perils of womanhood are explored as the women in the novel struggle to find a piece of their autonomy.
Rosarita is deeply literary in her tone, and Desai has created a lyrical philosophical awakening in less than 100 pages. The pages fly with this one, as the journey is a bohemian gliding into the world of adroit writing.
Bonita, the young Indian woman at the heart of the story, meets an older woman whom she calls "The Trickster" as the woman tricks her into contemplating memories of her mother that she doesn't have. But how can one ignore such an astounding recollection of their mother's life, and how can one go on after knowing their mother was not what they thought her to be? The Trickster binds Bonita in a web of her mother's supposed life, and Bonita's mind moves on to the realms of her mother's domestic situation and the double life that she might've led in Mexico.
Desai's voice is beautifully lyrical as always, and her writing is a masterclass in poetic prose. She brings the intangibility of memory to her narrative and the delicately thorny relationship that mothers and daughters often share. Bonita's excavated memory spans from her authoritarian paternal grandmother to her mother's displaced position in the domestic sphere. The lives of women and the perils of womanhood are explored as the women in the novel struggle to find a piece of their autonomy.
Rosarita is deeply literary in her tone, and Desai has created a lyrical philosophical awakening in less than 100 pages. The pages fly with this one, as the journey is a bohemian gliding into the world of adroit writing.
July 18, 2024
beautifully written but i wish it was a proper book. i had a lot of expectations going in but i was fairly disappointed. i’m sure though as a bigger novel it would’ve been much fun.
July 11, 2024
oh this book is the perfect holiday or siesta read! before i tell you what rosarita was about, i’d like to put it on record that it’s been a while since i’ve read such a descriptive book. the charm of such authors, generations really can’t take that away. so i consider myself lucky to be living in a time when anita desai comes out with another book.
today is my stop in the book tour and i’m grateful for having had the mind space to read and soak up everything this book has to offer. i really felt like i was taking a trip through mexico with our protagonist, bonita. her journey from colima to la manzanilla reminded me of my journey from hilly munnar to sea side alleppey in kerala last year! you know an author has done justice to her readers when you visualise almost every single description in the book.
rosarita is about our protagonist making a journey to mexico as a language student where she encounters a lady who claims to know her mother, who was once an art student - her mother who has never travelled to mexico, her mother who was never an artist. this reminded me so much of cyrus from martyr! by @kavehakbar.kavehakbar - i believe if bonita and cyrus were to be put inside a room, they would definitely have a lot to talk about their discoveries of their mothers. however the two stories while may seem similar are quite different.
rosarita is calm, it’s elegant and of course the writing gives away that it’s the work of a skilled writer because i’m stilling thinking about it. i’m thinking of bonita’s mother as much as she is and maybe that’s why at the end desai writes, “you have come as far as you can: you can go no further.”, not as a judgement to your thoughts or imagination. but as a reminder probably, that as the story comes to an end, allow it to end for you too, at some point allow the pondering to end. this book is almost meditative if you ask me.
definitely recommend you to read it, it’s not a novel, it’s literature.
thank you @panmacmillanindia for sending across this stunningly brilliant book and the merch, made the whole experience more enriching. you guys are the best! i’m pointing at you @monochrromi and Pooja!♥️
today is my stop in the book tour and i’m grateful for having had the mind space to read and soak up everything this book has to offer. i really felt like i was taking a trip through mexico with our protagonist, bonita. her journey from colima to la manzanilla reminded me of my journey from hilly munnar to sea side alleppey in kerala last year! you know an author has done justice to her readers when you visualise almost every single description in the book.
rosarita is about our protagonist making a journey to mexico as a language student where she encounters a lady who claims to know her mother, who was once an art student - her mother who has never travelled to mexico, her mother who was never an artist. this reminded me so much of cyrus from martyr! by @kavehakbar.kavehakbar - i believe if bonita and cyrus were to be put inside a room, they would definitely have a lot to talk about their discoveries of their mothers. however the two stories while may seem similar are quite different.
rosarita is calm, it’s elegant and of course the writing gives away that it’s the work of a skilled writer because i’m stilling thinking about it. i’m thinking of bonita’s mother as much as she is and maybe that’s why at the end desai writes, “you have come as far as you can: you can go no further.”, not as a judgement to your thoughts or imagination. but as a reminder probably, that as the story comes to an end, allow it to end for you too, at some point allow the pondering to end. this book is almost meditative if you ask me.
definitely recommend you to read it, it’s not a novel, it’s literature.
thank you @panmacmillanindia for sending across this stunningly brilliant book and the merch, made the whole experience more enriching. you guys are the best! i’m pointing at you @monochrromi and Pooja!♥️
June 29, 2024
This is one of those reviews where I do not really know what to say about the book. ‘Rosarita’ by Anita Desai is a novella with an intriguing plot.
Bonita is studying in Mexico away from her family in India when a strange woman approaches her and confronts her with a story from Bonita’s mother’s past. Rosarita had been an artist here in San Miguel. But her mother was never in Mexico, and she wasn’t an artist.
Despite the beautiful writing and the intriguing plot, I was not really gripped by the characters of either Bonita and the strange woman. I wish I could have found out more about Rosarita’s past, as well as the links between the history of the Partition of India and the Mexican Revolution.
After finishing this it left me feeling like I had missed something. So this could definitely on me!
Thank you to the publisher for sending me a gifted proof.
Bonita is studying in Mexico away from her family in India when a strange woman approaches her and confronts her with a story from Bonita’s mother’s past. Rosarita had been an artist here in San Miguel. But her mother was never in Mexico, and she wasn’t an artist.
Despite the beautiful writing and the intriguing plot, I was not really gripped by the characters of either Bonita and the strange woman. I wish I could have found out more about Rosarita’s past, as well as the links between the history of the Partition of India and the Mexican Revolution.
After finishing this it left me feeling like I had missed something. So this could definitely on me!
Thank you to the publisher for sending me a gifted proof.
May 3, 2024
This was beautifully written, truly the words were a joy to read. The story is an important one that must be remembered in history, however I found it quite indigestible in this manner. The pov was clunky and strange to read at times - it took me out of the story rather than planting me in it.
It is clearly written poetically, though the story lacked context and crucial backgrounds for me; meaning I wasn’t overly enthralled by the characters.
It is clearly written poetically, though the story lacked context and crucial backgrounds for me; meaning I wasn’t overly enthralled by the characters.
May 13, 2024
Lots to think about !!!
July 23, 2024
Anita Desai masterfully explores the theme of understanding our parents' lives before us. The story follows Bonita, a young woman who travels to Mexico to study Spanish. Her chance meeting with a mysterious woman who claims Bonita resembles her mother, Sarita—referred to as Rosarita—leads Bonita on a journey that challenges her perception of her mother's past.
Through Bonita's quest, Desai skilfully weaves themes of identity, family, and memory thereby questioning how well we truly know our loved ones. The evocative writing blends the beauty of the Mexican landscape with Bonita's emotional journey, delving into the complexities of motherhood and the hidden aspects of our parents' lives. ‘Rosarita’ is a deeply thought-provoking and beautifully written novella.
Through Bonita's quest, Desai skilfully weaves themes of identity, family, and memory thereby questioning how well we truly know our loved ones. The evocative writing blends the beauty of the Mexican landscape with Bonita's emotional journey, delving into the complexities of motherhood and the hidden aspects of our parents' lives. ‘Rosarita’ is a deeply thought-provoking and beautifully written novella.
September 16, 2024
This year is not my reading year. This is only a short novella and yet I couldn’t bring myself to finish it. DNF 40 pages in. Hated the narration (please don’t describe protagonist’s actions referring as ‘you’ - it’s confusing as hell). It was very hard to follow for someone who’s struggling to focus as it is. Ugh
August 7, 2024
oh this book is beautifully written..but what's the point if the plot is that shallow and couldn't relate to any character?? this book felt like the shadow of a book more than an actual book.
August 18, 2024
A picturesque book with not much meat.
September 14, 2024
3.5.
You can feel the undercurrent of a constricting past in the 100 odd pages. Much detail isn't offered, you are left with a feeling rather than a story.
You can feel the undercurrent of a constricting past in the 100 odd pages. Much detail isn't offered, you are left with a feeling rather than a story.
September 15, 2024
The unknown flying object outside our window at night is our mother; the unstamped letter handwritten in a language we don't understand is our mother; the brittle voice that knows all our silences on the other end of the phone line is our mother. Thank you, Anita Desai. 3.5/5
August 19, 2024
Anita Desai's writing has the charm of lulling you to a dreamless sleep. Rosarita is filled to the brim with this quality that evokes an image capable of moving you to feel something viscerally. Having read this on a tiny journey of my own, I couldn't help but wonder: Do we all trace other journeys in our own?
The narrative style is probably the first of its kind that I liked, a lot actually. The story does feel like it ended when it really should've just begun. But that's the thing about journeys I suppose—they are perpetually beginning and ending at the same time.
The narrative style is probably the first of its kind that I liked, a lot actually. The story does feel like it ended when it really should've just begun. But that's the thing about journeys I suppose—they are perpetually beginning and ending at the same time.
July 5, 2024
beautifully crafted
April 30, 2024
i find it’s quite fitting that i read this book on my mum’s birthday considering its themes of mother/daughter relationships and such. i was able to read this all in one sitting seeing as it was only 94 pages, but anita did everything she needed to do to tell such a reflective story in those 94 pages.
as i mentioned before, this book tackles themes of motherhood, but rather the relationship between the protagonist bonita and the memory of her mother. but rather the side of her that she never really knew and learns more about in her time in mexico. it really makes you think about your own parents and even grandparents and how much you truly know them. it also discussed marriage and the ways in which the women within them dealt with them.
the writing was sort of simple, or rather blunt, yet still very emotional and lyrical. i loved the exploration of art and people’s relationship with the subject and it made me appreciate it even more than i already did.
thank you again bookbreak/@panmacmillan for sending me this proof.
as i mentioned before, this book tackles themes of motherhood, but rather the relationship between the protagonist bonita and the memory of her mother. but rather the side of her that she never really knew and learns more about in her time in mexico. it really makes you think about your own parents and even grandparents and how much you truly know them. it also discussed marriage and the ways in which the women within them dealt with them.
the writing was sort of simple, or rather blunt, yet still very emotional and lyrical. i loved the exploration of art and people’s relationship with the subject and it made me appreciate it even more than i already did.
thank you again bookbreak/@panmacmillan for sending me this proof.
July 20, 2024
This book could have been so much more!
- The good:
• The theme of how truly very little we know our mothers, as people, is beautifully explored in this story.
• The imagery of the places that Anita Desai manages to paint very vivid pictures as an author with her prose.
- The not-so-good:
• The characters lack some serious depth. I really wanted to connect with Bonita and her story, but came off feeling...eh 🤷🏽♀️
• This is a personal choice and maybe a limitation, as well. But the second-person voice wasn't as impactful as I thought it would be for this particular book.
- The good:
• The theme of how truly very little we know our mothers, as people, is beautifully explored in this story.
• The imagery of the places that Anita Desai manages to paint very vivid pictures as an author with her prose.
- The not-so-good:
• The characters lack some serious depth. I really wanted to connect with Bonita and her story, but came off feeling...eh 🤷🏽♀️
• This is a personal choice and maybe a limitation, as well. But the second-person voice wasn't as impactful as I thought it would be for this particular book.
August 17, 2024
It was good to revisit an author whose books I had last read several years ago while studying English literature. This novella was simple, sweet and poignant. The pathos was palpable. The use of second person narrative was excellent!
July 15, 2024
Anita Desal's Rosarita is a short yet haunting novel that delves into themes of grief, memory, and identity. Set in San Miguel, Mexico, the story follows Bonita, a young student who is approached by an elderly woman claiming she resembles her mother, an artist who once traveled from India to Mexico. Confused, Bonita is drawn into a quest to uncover the truth about her mother's past.
The book is marked by its poetic prose and vivid descriptions, which creates a hypnotic atmosphere reflective of the Mexican setting. Desai's narrative weaves a rich tapestry of colorful imagery, pulling the reader into Bonita's journey of discovery.
It’s perfect for fans of women's literary fiction that is both mysterious and reflective. At just over 100 pages, it is a one-sit read that rewards readers with its beauty and enigmatic plot.
Desai's legacy in Indian literary fiction is undeniable, and this novella adds to her repertoire with its exploration of the bond between mother and daughter, and the shadows of their untold stories.
The book is marked by its poetic prose and vivid descriptions, which creates a hypnotic atmosphere reflective of the Mexican setting. Desai's narrative weaves a rich tapestry of colorful imagery, pulling the reader into Bonita's journey of discovery.
It’s perfect for fans of women's literary fiction that is both mysterious and reflective. At just over 100 pages, it is a one-sit read that rewards readers with its beauty and enigmatic plot.
Desai's legacy in Indian literary fiction is undeniable, and this novella adds to her repertoire with its exploration of the bond between mother and daughter, and the shadows of their untold stories.
May 24, 2024
There is no denying Anita Desai's legacy within Indian literary fiction ; Booker prize shortlisted three times!
So a new novel is always interesting... Rosarita is in many ways a novella -just over 100 pages
The story focuses on Bonita who is on a visit to Mexico when an elderly lady claims that she looks just like her mother who visited Mexico to study art; Bonita is confused as she doesn't believe the lady' "The Trickster"... and so begins a journey to try to find the truth about her mother.
This novel is hypnotic in its beautiful prose and feels languid from the heat of the Mexican location - the narrative pulls you in and weaves itself around you.
This is a story about identity and family - trying to understand where we come from and uncovering the past.
Beautiful, an enigma and leaves you questioning the reality of the plot.
A one-sit read that rewards in many different ways
So a new novel is always interesting... Rosarita is in many ways a novella -just over 100 pages
The story focuses on Bonita who is on a visit to Mexico when an elderly lady claims that she looks just like her mother who visited Mexico to study art; Bonita is confused as she doesn't believe the lady' "The Trickster"... and so begins a journey to try to find the truth about her mother.
This novel is hypnotic in its beautiful prose and feels languid from the heat of the Mexican location - the narrative pulls you in and weaves itself around you.
This is a story about identity and family - trying to understand where we come from and uncovering the past.
Beautiful, an enigma and leaves you questioning the reality of the plot.
A one-sit read that rewards in many different ways
June 19, 2024
A novella about a young Indian woman on holiday in Mexico, meeting an older woman, who claims to have known the former's mother many years ago, meeting her when she was travelling alone in Mexico to learn to paint. The young woman is torn between disbelief (as the older woman's story contrasts with her own knowledge of her mother) and a sense that there might be something to the woman's story after all.
The best things about the book are the concept and the brevity. Otherwise, the writing is confusing and obscure, the story jumps around between periods as well as fiction and reality, and can't seem to really capture the reader's attention. My main issue is that I'm not sure what I read, why I read it, and what it was about. A long time has passed since I felt intimidated by books that I failed to understand. Now I just find them pretentious.
My thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with an early copy of this book in return for an honest review.
The best things about the book are the concept and the brevity. Otherwise, the writing is confusing and obscure, the story jumps around between periods as well as fiction and reality, and can't seem to really capture the reader's attention. My main issue is that I'm not sure what I read, why I read it, and what it was about. A long time has passed since I felt intimidated by books that I failed to understand. Now I just find them pretentious.
My thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with an early copy of this book in return for an honest review.
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