The Hummingbird's Daughter

A Novel

De: Luis Alberto Urrea

Narrado por: Luis Alberto Urrea

It is 1889, and civil war is brewing in Mexico. A 16-year-old girl, Teresita, the illegitimate but beloved daughter of the wealthy and powerful rancher Don Tomas Urrea, wakes from the strangest dream, a dream that she has died. Only it was not a dream. This passionate and rebellious young woman has arisen from death with the power to heal, but it will take all her faith to endure the trials that await her and her family now that she has become the "Saint of Cabora".

The Hummingbird's Daughter is a vast, hugely satisfying novel of love and loss, joy and pain. Two decades in the writing, this is the masterpiece that Luis Alberto Urrea has been building up to.

©2006 Luis Alberto Urrea (P)2006 Hachette Audio

Reseñas de la Crítica

"Epic." (The New Yorker)

"Urrea meticulously captures day-to-day life among the poor farmers and their populist beliefs in their saint." (Bookmarks Magazine)

"[The Hummingbird's Daughter] is wildly romantic, sweeping in its effect, employing the techniques of Catholic hagiography, Western fairy tale, Indian legend and everyday family folklore against the gritty historical realities of war, poverty, prejudice, lawlessness, torture and genocide. Urrea effortlessly links Teresita's supernatural calling to the turmoil of the times, concealing substantial intellectual content behind effervescent storytelling and considerable humor." (Publishers Weekly)

Magical Realism at its best!

I can't say enough good things about this book. The story was wonderful and inventive, and also based on a real person, a relative of the author. Magical realism has been made famous by the like of Garcia Marquez and Isabel Allende. This book fits right in with these greats. The story is epic and captivating. The characters are rich and enchanting and by the end you love every one of them.

This book takes place in Mexico in the years prior to the Mexican Revolution. It is a great depiction of life on a hacienda. There is a benevolent Patron with a heart of gold but a wandering eye, that sires him many legitimate and a few illegitimate children. There is political strife, magical medicine women, and a popular saint of the rural Mexican people, the main character, Teresita.

The author mixes English and a little Spanish effortlessly. This book is a must listen.

The narrator/author was fantastic. I honestly almost didn't buy this book when I found out the author was reading it because I have never heard an author-read book that I really liked. However one of the reviews said that he/she liked it better than the Kite Runner so I thought I would give it a try. While I did agree that this book is the same caliber or better than the Kite Runner, do not mistake that comparison to mean that they are anything alike. But I digress, the narrator/author in this case was perfect. He knows the language and accents obviously and makes each character come to life. I can't wait to read/listen to more from this author.

Absolutely loved this book

A great story, beautifully written and an impeccable performance.
I loved the fact that the Mexican words where pronounced in a Mexican way, as it would have been in Sonora.
Can't recommend this book enough. I finished it less than a week, and now I started listening from the beginning again.

Wonderful book, fabulous performance

In general, I do not listen to books read by authors BUT This author gives an amazing interpretation of the book. He brings it to life. It may sound crazy, but this book gave me insight into contemporary Mexican culture because it made the historical background of Mexico come alive. Truly a wonderful story, beautifully told by the author. I have previously listened to House of Broken Angels by this author, which is also a wonderful book, but different (about Mexican American family in US). I intend to listen to other audible books by Luis Urrea. Highly recommend this book.

Refreshingly different

Absolutely loved the story, the performance, the magic. Urrea brrathes soul into each character. i couldn't stop listening! Most highly recommend.

Artistically written

I repeated portions many times because of the beauty of the writing and conveyance of the words. Thank you for the 20 years you put into this very beautiful, poignant, mystrrious, joy and love filled, and rough life you brought to pages and pages with beautiful lyricism by your reader, who is also an artist with special gifts.

Historia de las curanderas de Mexico.

If you could sum up The Hummingbird's Daughter in three words, what would they be?

Una buena historia

Who was your favorite character and why?

Thomas Urrea, el padre de Teresita. Thomas fue una persona fuerte, pero por dentro lleno de amor.

Have you listened to any of Luis Alberto Urrea’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

No, es primera vez que leo algo de Luis Alberto Urrea. Este libro me recuerda a Carlos Castañeda y las historia de Don Juan el Inidio Yaqui.

Who was the most memorable character of The Hummingbird's Daughter and why?

Todos sus caracterers son intesantes, Huila, Loreto, Teresita, Thomas el padre.

Any additional comments?

Es un libro para aprender acerca de las superticiones mexicanas, que existia en los años 1800 y aun todavia, si encuentras una persona de poca educacion de Mexico y la miras te dice que le vas a producir mal de ojo.

Amazing book!

Pick this book you will not be disappointed!
The story of real woman is amazing. It is well written and performed beautifully.

Strong female character

I enjoyed this story, specially after finding that it’s based on a real life person.

Lyrically translated and written

I love this story. It’s a great insight into a culture I’d not experienced previous. The writing is fluid, the translation is poetic, the reading is masterful. Kudos to all involved.

Wonderful Writing and Excellent Narration

I really love this book! It's sometimes harsh and very real, but an interesting look into another culture and another time. Hints of magical realism. The narrator brings everything to life with absolutely wonderful emotion and voice. Only the author could do such a great job reading his own book! Beautifully written sentences keep making me want to listen to them again-- the writing is really excellent.