The Ladies of Managua: A Novel

I can't believe how much work this author did to bring us this story. The Ladies of Managua is written in three voices, three generations of women - grandmother, mother, and daughter - all who are trying to find their way in the present, all weighted down by the past. But what a past! The central figure for me is Ninexin, the middle-generation woman (named after an Aztec warrior) who was a guerrilla fighter in the Sandinista army of Nicaragua. Now she's a powerful governmental figure, but also she's just a mother whose relationship with her daughter is possibly damaged beyond repair. This is because, during the war, Ninexin leaves her daughter to be raised by the grandmother. All three must figure out who they are now, who they are in relation to each other, and where love fits in relation to their hard-won sense of self. But beyond this, which I've described badly and made to sound pedestrian, are the settings. From author Gage, who as she said in the afterword married not just a man but his family and his country, we learn about the history and customs of Nicaragua. This by itself was almost worth the read, but also entrancing was the depiction of the life of a privileged young woman (the grandmother) who, in 1951, attends a Catholic girls' school in New Orleans. The descriptions are so rich, I'm amazed at the tenacity and imagination of the author. The only negative about the story was that the introspection of each of the three characters, the internal monologues, went on too long. In my opinion, the book could have been slightly shorter and the pace enhanced in this way. However, it's such an enveloping read, one immerses oneself in it and enjoys the experience, regardless. Having read it on Kindle, I may buy it in paperback just for the pleasure of having it to read at my leisure for years to come.

The Ladies of Managua was a very good read and offered interesting insight into a time and place that I new little about.

Great story. I liked the characters a lot.

This story is beautifully written, rich in detail. Though it is specific to three women - grandmother, mother, daughter - and specific to a culture and the political upheaval of Nicaragua, it is also a story of how women's lives and choices have evolved over three generations. I especially loved the character of the grandmother who, though stuck in the beliefs and habits of the past, has the courage and love to try to understand the choices of her daughter and granddaughter. The end (after the story arcs) went on a little too long, possibly could have been wrapped up more quickly. But, that said, the final chapter is so tender that you won't want to miss it!

Good: received as advertised

This book is terrible. The premise sounded interesting so I tried to read it but only got through the first three chapters. There are supposed to be three different characters that narrate the story but their voices are so similar they all sound the same. The character development is very poor and you don't become attached to any of them. The style is so bland that it reads like a high school girl's creative writing assignment. There are also grammatical errors that will grate on anyone's sensibilities who believes that we have grammar rules for a reason. Some authors can use fragments with ease and make it appear stylistically purposeful, but not this author. Again, it reads like a high school girl experimenting with language but it just doesn't work.

I had hoped to learn more about Nicaragua, but learned more about family dynamics instead. Still an interesting read.

The writing was descriptive and interesting. You were immediately drawn into the story and could feel the atmosphere. The characters were believable and their motivations clear. It was a different time and a different culture and that made it very intriguing. LIke looking in the window of a home after dark, it draws you in.