Mrs. Vargas and the Dead Naturalist

by Kathleen Alcalá

A collection of stories revolving around women who live in the United States within a Mexican social structure, including such pieces as "Gypsy Lover," "A Pearl in the Desert," "Flora's Complaint," and the title story

Genres: Short Stories, Fiction, Magical Realism

192 pages, Hardcover

First published May 1, 1992

About the author

Kathleen Alcalá's most recent book is a republication of Spirits of the Ordinary: A Tale of Casas Grandes by Raven Chronicles Press (see book giveaway!) The Deepest Roots: Finding Food and Community on a Pacific Northwest Island, is now in paper from University of Washington Press. Combining memoir, historical records, and a blueprint for sustainability, Alcalá explores our relationship with food at the local level, delving into our common pasts and cultures to prepare for the future.

With degrees from Stanford, the University of Washington, and the University of New Orleans, Kathleen is also a graduate and one-time instructor of the Clarion West Science Fiction and Fantasy Workshop. Kathleen Alcalá has received a Western States Book Award, the Governors Writers Award and two Artist Trust Fellowships. She is a recent Whitely Fellow, a previous Hugo House Writer in Residence, and teaches at Hugo House and the Bainbridge Artisan Resource Network. Her sixth book, The Deepest Roots: Finding Food and Community on a Pacific Northwest Island, explores our relationship with geography, food, history, and ethnicity.

“Not one tale is like another, yet all together they form a beautiful whole, a world where one would like to stay forever.” Ursula K. Le Guin on Mrs. Vargas and the Dead Naturalist.

“Alcalá’s life work has been an ongoing act of translation… She has been building prismatic bridges not just between the Mexican and American cultures, but also across divides of gender, generation, religion, and ethnicity.” —Seattle Times

Reviews

[Luke · Rating 2 out of 5]

While I've benefited greatly from infusing my reading collection with works from the 500 Great Books By Women compendium, this spur of the moment purchase was not as successful as others have been. It was interesting to come across another feminist publisher, Calyx press, and upon visiting the press' website, I saw at least two other 500 GBBW entries, which is proof of the reading tastes of a few of the reviewers who came together to make that collection. However, these stories themselves exemplify some of the worse traits that especially annoy me when present in a story: cheap reliance on dehumanizing tropes; characters that are grounded through bare bones, near comical absurdities; lack of wholly evolved themes, and little engagement of interest through the pure language of the narrative. Some of the stories were better than others, which is why this is two stars instead of one, but the "mystical border" seemed to only work when fueled by the backs of various voiceless ethnicities as well as the dead, and in terms of localized comparisons, Almanac of the Dead this is not.

The stories worthy of mention include 'The Fire of San Marcos" and "La Esmerelda", while the ones that can afford to be lost to the sands of time include "G[*]psy Lover" and sections of various others such as "The Canary Singer". Everything else was either jarringly erratic, predictable, or noncommittal, and having read an inordinate amount (for me) of collated short works in the last few months, I'm confident enough to say that most of these stories are missing that kernel that ties everything together and gives the reader something as whole and complete as the best of piano compositions can afford. Many esteemed names, including Le Guin's, profess to find far more meaning and resonance in these than I do, so perhaps I"m just out of touch with the geographics so close to home, foreign enough for a different language, familiar enough to figure in domestic politics. To proclaim anything to be "great", though, always invites a challenge, so anything worthy of the GBBW title should be able to weather a few naysayers here and there. Again, short stories are one of my weak spots, and I can't say that I've read enough to be fully confident in my own methods of judgment.

I can see myself squeezing in a few more works before the year is through. This isn't the worst one I've read of the pack, but it only furthers my determination to keep revamping the 500 GBBW list, as there are likely better Mexico/California border short story collections out there these days. It's great incentive for keeping up my relatively frantic pace during the break, in addition to performing the consolidation necessary for rendering efficient reading challenges both coordinated and personal. For now, I'm content with following the trend of my interest for once and not doing so much worrying over reading percentages of any sort. Two weeks of break are almost through, and I still have a lot of reading to do.

[Yadira · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book, my favorites were "sweetheart" and "mrs. vargas and the dead naturalist." Both had an mystical aspect to them, which I enjoyed.

[Abby]

This came from a cavernous, many-roomed book shop off the plaza of Mesilla, New Mexico, possibly my new favorite bookstore in the world, and my introduction to Kathleen Alcalá did not disappoint, either. I loved every one of these imaginative, intertwining stories. I knew I was in for it with Alcalá's preface: "There is a garden surrounded by a crumbling stucco wall where the flowers always bloom and the sound of running water is incessant. There is no time and all time. Cool shadows fall across the warmth of the courtyard, a late afternoon in late summer, a time for remembering." Okay, call me a sucker. I'm in.

I admit that I don't like tales with the writer at the end of them, though. So I'll restrict my favorites to "Sweetheart", "The Canary Singer", "The Transforming Eye", "Reading the Road", "The Fire of San Marcos", and "La Esmerelda".

[Genny20 · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed the collection! Love the tinges of magical realism and death. Both concepts have always fascinated me.
Some of the stories didn't do it for me but here they are ranked,
Favorite to Least:
Sweetheart
Mrs. Vargas and the Dead Naturalist
The Canary Singer
The Transforming Eye
Amalia*
La Esmeralda*
Reading the Road*
Taking Inventory
Gypsy Lover

(These had promise but fell flat for me)
Ghostwriting for the Archbishop
A Pearl in the Desert
Flora's Complaint
The Fire of San Marcos

(My least favorite of all)
Reflection in the Eye of a Crow

*trying to rank these were like a tie

[Emilyk · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent book of short magical realism stories in the vein of Garcia Marquez or Borges. I struggled to get through the first story, but after that I couldn’t put it down.

[Jenny Yates · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a collection of delicate, evocative stories. The first one is a little disappointing, a little too much like a Twilight Zone episode. But many of them are worth several readings – poetic, haunting, strange. They are mostly set in Mexico, Texas, or somewhere on the border, and are populated by people who live in both worlds. But they also live in another world, the world of the spirits. There are ghosts of all kinds, and Death puts in an appearance or two, as well.

[Liz Logan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautiful. The stories are evocative and poetic. They are disconcerting at times with their imagery, and sometimes brought me near to tears. I will always love magical realism and its mysterious Latin beauty.
Book bingo category: short stories
unused categories: older than ten years, blue cover, a book you heard about online, female author

[Felicity · Rating 3 out of 5]

Often evocative or creepy, these stories ultimately disappointed me slightly by leaving their subjects a bit too soon, too quickly. My favorites were "Sweetheart" and "Gypsy Lover" -- in those, the interplay of the real and the unreal or imagined worlds seemed most compelling and fully painted.

[Hope · Rating 4 out of 5]

Only partially read this book because it wasn't my book and I had to leave it behind when I left San Antonio. I will go back to it. Alcala's writing is wonderful.

[Ernest Hogan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Katheen Alcalá brings Mexican/American worlds filled with wonderful characters to magical life, for all your senses.

[Ryan Mishap · Rating 2 out of 5]

Short, mythic and poetic stories.

[Officialwhich · Rating 3 out of 5]

These somehow felt like they gave me too much and not nearly enough information at the same time so I frequently ended the stories feeling vaguely confused and unsatisfied, like I’d been flipping through channels and saw 5 minutes of a well-shot show but never a full episode.