Cuentos del Cedro

by Miguel Meléndez Muñoz

Libro costumbrista sobre Puerto Rico.

172 pages, Paperback

Published January 1, 1982

Reviews

[Michael McGrath · Rating 3 out of 5]

I think this book was foisted upon me, just as I had acquired Spanish as a second language, and let me say that it was no easy task. I must have scored badly on the exams based on this assigned reading, Although intensely idiosyncratic as to defy any appeal outside towards anyone who has not had the pleasure of living in Puerto Rico, the book does have a few good stories, the most memorable (for me) being: "Dos Cartas"—a short tale concerning a beautiful criolla, who has the misfortune of falling for a yankee visitor, who leaves her pregnant and dishonored. The story revolves around the father's sense of justice and the poor girl's naivety and willingness to forgo any help in her plight. From this we get all the labor and suffering that comes from putting together a letter, pleading for help from the Yank who has dishonored her. The story is a true gem of postcolonial import, and is sadly lost among the author's long-winded proclivity to drag things out into an essay. In fact, the title which says "Cuentos" is a bit misleading—these are not cuentos, they are rather like sketches, reminiscing about the evolving nature of the native against the constant of the enchanting countryside interspersed with much commentary and overheard conversations that overstay their welcome.

Glad that I re-read it, but even so, it still felt very much like an assigned reading.