The freedom to roam is something that women and girls in Cuba do not have. Yet when Fredrika Bremer visits from Sweden in 1851 to learn about th... read full description
reviews
Jul 22, 2011
Becky
rated it: 
Picked this up because of the cover -- so glad I did! Beautiful verse novel about the Swedish suffragette Frederika Bremer's three-month stay in Cuba in 1851. The poems' voices switch between Frederika, Elena (the daughter of the magistrate who is hosting Frederika), Cecilia (the young slave of the magistrate who translates for Frederika), and Beni (Cecilia's husband). I liked this book for its ability to show the beauty of Cuba alongside the ugliness of slavery, all in simple, image-heavy poems
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Oct 23, 2011
Marcy
rated it: 
I could not stop reading this young adult book which is meant for adults to read as well. Three women and one man write their reflections of Cuba with the sharp contrast of the beauty of nature and land with the life of rich Cuban girls, and the slaves who were brought over illegally to Cuba in chains from Africa.
Frederika is the writer who escaped from her "prison" of Swedish life where writing was not ladylike to roam the world and expose the plight of women and slavery More...
Frederika is the writer who escaped from her "prison" of Swedish life where writing was not ladylike to roam the world and expose the plight of women and slavery More...
Aug 18, 2011
Celeste
rated it: 
Margarita Engleweaves the story of nineteenth century Swedish feminist Frederika Bremer's visit to Cuba into narrative poetry aimed at young readers. The book alternates between poems written from the perspective of Frederika, Elena, the daughter of her wealthy hosts, Cecilia, their young slave, and occasionally Cecilia's husband Beni. The poems speak of the sorrows of slavery and patriarchy as both Cecilia and Elena lament their lack of freedom.
I think Engle draws too easy a compariso More...
I think Engle draws too easy a compariso More...
Jul 22, 2011
Jane
rated it:
This story in verse is based on the 19th century travel diaries of Fredrika Bremer, daughter
of a wealthy Swedish family who chafes under her parents' strictures regarding behavior and physical appearance. Preferring to write and draw, she rebels against the ballet lessons and tiny food portions meant to keep her figure slim and attractive to prospective husbands. Knowing that to follow her dream of independence means the end of her relationship with her family, she strikes out on her own, v More...
of a wealthy Swedish family who chafes under her parents' strictures regarding behavior and physical appearance. Preferring to write and draw, she rebels against the ballet lessons and tiny food portions meant to keep her figure slim and attractive to prospective husbands. Knowing that to follow her dream of independence means the end of her relationship with her family, she strikes out on her own, v More...
Jun 21, 2011
Josiah
rated it: 
One thing that you can always count on author Margarita Engle for is the delicate grace of her poetic verse, invariably so smooth and dreamlike. How exceptional is it to find such a talented poet who also brings awareness to little-known corners of history through her novels, illuminating the lives of unsung historical heroes who might very well never have gained the notoriety they deserve without an author like Margarita Engle to tell their stories to the world?
In 1851, pioneeri More...
In 1851, pioneeri More...
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Apr 17, 2011
Carmen
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In sparse but powerful verse, Engle presents 19th century Cuba through the eyes of Frederika Bremer (Swedish civil rights activist, 1801-1865), Cecilia (an African slave whom Frederika befriended in Cuba), Elena (the daughter of Cecilia's owner), and Beni (Cecilia's husband). It includes an historical note about Bremer's life as well as an author's note that explains which parts of The Firefly Letters are based in fact and which come from the author's imagination.
It is difficult to More...
It is difficult to More...
Mar 05, 2011
Rosalia
rated it:
Fredrika Bremer was a Swedish suffragete that traveled the world writing books. She spent three months in Cuba and while she thought the country was beautiful, she felt it's beauty was very marred by slavery. The story's narration alternates between Fredrika, her translator Cecelia who is a slave and Elena the daughter of the Cecelia's owner.
The story is told in free verse and is absolutely beautiful and lyrical sounding. I think that this really brings home stark contrast of a More...
The story is told in free verse and is absolutely beautiful and lyrical sounding. I think that this really brings home stark contrast of a More...
Jan 12, 2011
Jan
rated it:
Setting and Theme: Slavery in Cuba in the mid-1800’s and also the lack of freedom for women in Cuban aristocratic society. Based upon the true story of a Swedish feminist pioneer named Frederika Bremer, who traveled to Cuba. She came to Cuba with the hope that it was some kind of “promised land,” but was horrified by the use of slaves and the oppression of women. She loved the country, however, especially when she escaped the aristocratic society and traveled to the country and met native Cu
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Oct 26, 2010
Reviewed by Rusty Key Writer: Jordan B. Nielsen
Recommended for: Ages ten and up for themes of violence and slavery. Good for anyone who needs to write a quick book report.
One Word Summary: Thin
It tends to bother me when someone, speaking about a book or a movie, says “You know what they should have done was…”. There isn’t much point in hashing over how something could have been better than it was, except to try to make yourself sound smarter than the work’s creato More...
Recommended for: Ages ten and up for themes of violence and slavery. Good for anyone who needs to write a quick book report.
One Word Summary: Thin
It tends to bother me when someone, speaking about a book or a movie, says “You know what they should have done was…”. There isn’t much point in hashing over how something could have been better than it was, except to try to make yourself sound smarter than the work’s creato More...
Oct 10, 2011
Maureen
rated it:
Written in a series of poems with the alternating voices of Frederika, a Swedish feminist visiting Cuba, Elena, her more oppressed social equal host in Cuba, & Cecilia, Elena's slave & translator, with an occaisional verse from Beni, Cecilia's husband, this story in verse chronicles Frederika's visit to Cuba in 1851. I agree with other reviewers that the writing is lovely & evocative, but ithe story does tend to romantacize poverty & to conflate the social oppression of wealthy women & slavery.
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Mar 01, 2011
Q_Ayana
rated it:
Through free verse poetry, author Margarita Engle creatively entwines the lives of three distinct women – Fredrika (a free-spirited Swedish suffragist), Cecilia (a teenage slave and translator from Congo), and Elena (the daughter of a wealthy slave owner). When Fredrika comes to live with Elena’s family in their Cuban mansion, her strength and drive for freedom and rights illuminates like fireflies, and spreads to Cecilia and Elena who each venture out on a hopeful search of freedom. The story i
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Nov 04, 2011
Amanda
rated it:
I read The Firefly Letters which despite its title is not written in letter form at all. It is written in free verse poetry. I thought it was beautifully written but not a book that should be classified as a biography. The author's notes clarify the true parts of the novel but I didn't see how it was necessary to invent an entire character for a biography. It is one thing to create a description for a biography that while based on reality may have a couple inaccuracies and another thing enti
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Nov 13, 2010
I loved this book! I had not heard of Fredrika Bremer and always love a good story about any one of my foremothers fighting the good fight for equal rights for women and, in Ms. Bremmer's case, slaves. I really love the mirroring of the fireflies with the slaves. It was interesting to think of all the fireflies Cecelia and Fredrika were trying to save, but unable to do so. When Cecilia goes out to the country, she finally feels free just like the fireflies who fly free without children catching
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Jun 28, 2010
Kris
rated it:
I'm not the ideal reader for this book. I'm not a huge fan of free verse (or is it blank verse?--see?) and I just kept thinking that this book was just like Tropical Secrets. For the Newbery that doesn't matter, but I guess I want something more--I want to be surprised. I want to see that it's a cool book & then I want the next level. And I didn't feel like this book did that--except w/ Elena's decision at the end--but even that was heavily foreshadowed. I have mixed feelings about the plot
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Mar 22, 2011
Amy
rated it:
The Firefly Letters is such a unique book. The story is historical fiction and told in prose poetry. Narrators alternate between four main characters, Fredrika, Elena, Cecilia, and Beni. Fredrika Bremer, a suffragist from Sweden, spends three months in Cuba exploring the country with the assistance of Cecilia. Ceclilia is an African born slave of a wealthy family who was taught English and often acted as a translator.
Fredrika spends those three months wandering the countryside, writing and More...
Fredrika spends those three months wandering the countryside, writing and More...
Dec 21, 2010
Leslie
rated it:
"The Firefly Letters ends on a note of hopefulness. And yet there is a tremulousness. The ease of a happy effortless ending without sacrifice is not promised. But in the giving of one’s self to a cause finds accomplishment…and a gift of freedom—however small. Each finds purpose, and finds she/he is able to choose.
As the story closes, this novel in verse, I was drawn to think about the rescuing of the fireflies.
[Cecilia:]
Even though we can never help the More...
As the story closes, this novel in verse, I was drawn to think about the rescuing of the fireflies.
[Cecilia:]
Even though we can never help the More...
Mar 13, 2010
Laura
rated it:
Swedish traveler Frederika Bremer, young slave Cecilia, and daughter of the Cuban gentry Elena, are three young women who have had their lives very specifically laid out in front of them by society’s expectations. Frederika and Elena, as girls brought up in wealthy families in the 1850s, have enjoyed the many privileges that their class offers, but have been constrained by the many restrictions and few opportunities available to women at the time. Frederika reacts to these restrictions by leav
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May 16, 2010
Jack
rated it:
This book is great. The poet uses her signature interlocking interior monologues to tell another liberating historical fiction about Cuba. This one concerns the early feminist Fredrika Bremer of Sweden and her travels on "this island of winter sun." Her visit will change the lives of Elena, the reined-in daughter of her wealthy host, and Cecilia, an African slave who acts as translator.
It's a beautiful book and, for young readers, a great gateway to poetry.
Th More...
It's a beautiful book and, for young readers, a great gateway to poetry.
Th More...
May 07, 2010
Sarah
rated it:
I imagine author Margarita Engle would have had a hard time selling this cuban, feminist, historical fiction, novel in verse to her publisher, if she hadn't just received a Newberry Honor. Lucky for us, she did. Unluckily for us, it may be cataloged in the poetry section, so it's a little harder for readers (teens or adults) to find. Find it, and help teens find it. Engle masterfully relates the flavor of Cuba, the impact of one of the world's first feminists, Fredericka Bremer, and the trag
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Oct 17, 2011
Abbey
rated it:
This story is about three girls and one boy two are slaves and one is a white lady from Sweden. Cecilia and Benni are two slaves that were forced to get married at age 14 and forced to get pregnant. Cecilia is the only one who knows English and Cuban so she has to be a translator for her slave masters visitor that will be coming from Sweden. Fredrika is her name, she is free and romes around in different countries. Then there is Elena and she is the slave masters daughter but she hates slavery.
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Oct 10, 2011
Whitney
rated it:
This book takes the slavery book that we've all read before and adds the element of women's rights which makes it a new and interesting story. I am most appreciative of the fact that many of the story's details come from the actual writings of Frederika Bremer.
The book is written in poems that jump from one character to another which is interesting, but I found myself wanting more. The story was so interesting that I wanted to be wrapped up in the details, but after only an hour an More...
The book is written in poems that jump from one character to another which is interesting, but I found myself wanting more. The story was so interesting that I wanted to be wrapped up in the details, but after only an hour an More...
Nov 28, 2011
Kelly
rated it:
1. Junior Book - Poetry
2. This collection of poems tells an amazing story through short poems from different perspectives. The Cuban slave issue as well as the rights of women are addressed through this collection that is well written by Margarita Engle.
3.a. Presentation of the Story
b. I feel the author of this collection does a great job of creating a story through the poems.
c. The way these small poems come together to create a touching story is brilliant. The author More...
2. This collection of poems tells an amazing story through short poems from different perspectives. The Cuban slave issue as well as the rights of women are addressed through this collection that is well written by Margarita Engle.
3.a. Presentation of the Story
b. I feel the author of this collection does a great job of creating a story through the poems.
c. The way these small poems come together to create a touching story is brilliant. The author More...
Mar 17, 2010
Stephanie
rated it:
Five stars for content. I had never heard of the Swedish suffregette Frederika Bremer. She sounds like a person with an interesting story who deserves to have more books written about her life and work. Props to Engle for writing about a suffragette and an obscure one at that.
That said, I gave it three stars because I didn't feel like I got a good sense of place, which is odd since I think Engle spent a lot of time describing the feel Cuba. Maybe it's just that it's poetry and I want More...
That said, I gave it three stars because I didn't feel like I got a good sense of place, which is odd since I think Engle spent a lot of time describing the feel Cuba. Maybe it's just that it's poetry and I want More...
Apr 01, 2010
Donalyn
rated it:
This book of narrative poems about life in colonial Cuba is told from the perspectives of three women-- the Swedish suffragette, Frederika Bremer; a black slave, Cecelia; and a wealthy Cuban girl, Elena. Each woman is denied freedom-- due to a lack of equal rights for women and slaves. The women become friends and work together in small ways to change their conditions. Fireflies, which are captured and sold as lights and hair ornaments-- symbolize the women and their hope.
Although I More...
Although I More...
Nov 08, 2011
Kelly
rated it:
Written in verse, this novel tells the story of Fredrika Bremer's time in Cuba. Bremer, a Swedish woman of wealthy descent, chose a life of writing rather than marriage, and traveled the world to document the lives of other women. In Cuba she spent time with an English-speaking slave and a twelve year old girl who is not looking forward to the marriage she is sure to have in two years' time.
Throughout the book, Engle uses fireflies to parallel the lives of these trapped females. P More...
Throughout the book, Engle uses fireflies to parallel the lives of these trapped females. P More...
Sep 06, 2011
Katie
rated it:
This was a very quick read. I found myself getting through it in about an hour. It is a touching story of a young wealthy girl, her family's slaves, and a Swedish suffragette who comes to Cuba to see what life is like.
Margarita Engle writes in verse which I find to be a wonderful way to weave a story. The Firefly Letters is a touching book about a young slave girl, heavy with pregnancy acts has a translator between the Swedish woman and the aristocratic family she's been placed with More...
Margarita Engle writes in verse which I find to be a wonderful way to weave a story. The Firefly Letters is a touching book about a young slave girl, heavy with pregnancy acts has a translator between the Swedish woman and the aristocratic family she's been placed with More...
Sep 12, 2010
Zulmara
rated it:
The Firefly Letters
By Margarita Engle
http://www.craftychica.com/
Reviewed by: Zulmara Cline
Margarita Engle has done it again. Used her unique ability to write in prose to bring us a little bit more of Cuban history and the suffering that many have endured on this island paradise.
Engle, in her beautiful prose, brings us a story that is as much a trip down history lane, as it is a fantastic use of language in a poetic melody that leaves you wanting More...
By Margarita Engle
http://www.craftychica.com/
Reviewed by: Zulmara Cline
Margarita Engle has done it again. Used her unique ability to write in prose to bring us a little bit more of Cuban history and the suffering that many have endured on this island paradise.
Engle, in her beautiful prose, brings us a story that is as much a trip down history lane, as it is a fantastic use of language in a poetic melody that leaves you wanting More...
Feb 16, 2011
Krista the Krazy Kataloguer
rated it:
A 2011 Pura Belpre Award honor book for author, and so deserving. The theme of freedom was woven into all aspects of this novel, repeated over and over. Frederika Bremer, the young Swedish woman, travels in order to be free from the strictures tying women down in her country in 1851. Elena, the young girl with whose wealthy family Frederika is staying, longs for the freedom to walk outside and go where she wants to, something denied to women in 19th-century Cuban society. Cecelia, the slave
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Apr 11, 2011
Laura
rated it:
Lovely. It's hard to think that a book about slavery and oppression is lovely, but this one really is. Told from the alternating viewpoints of a Swedish suffragette visiting Cuba; her translator, a slave; and the slave owner's young daughter, this novel in verse is beautifully written. I thought the parallels between the captured fireflies and slavery was well done, and that this book showed both the beauty of Cuba and the ugliness of slavery at the same time.
Jun 24, 2011
Anne
rated it:
I always enjoy learning new tidbits of history and this novel in verse opens a window to Cuba, women's rights, slavery as the poet shares the perspectives of Fredrika Bremer, a Swedish scholar visiting Cuba; Elena, the privileged daughter of a Cuban plantation owner; Cecilia, one of Elena's father's slaves; Beni, Cecelia's young husband. First-person poems tell a slight story, but might encourage young readers to consider life from differing perspectives.
