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A lawyer and her elderly great-aunt use their supernatural gifts to find a lost child in this "wild, wondrous novel about the magic that is singing all around us" (Julia Phillips, author of Disappearing Earth)—in the vein of The Inheritance of Orquídea Divina and La Hacienda.
If you call to the witches, they will come.
1943, El Paso, Texas: teenager Nena spends her days caring for the small children of her older sisters and longing for a life of adventure. The premonitions and fainting spells she has endured since childhood are getting worse, and Nena worries she'll end up like the scary old curandera down the street. Nena prays for help, and when the mysterious Sister Benedicta arrives late one night, Nena follows her across the borders of space and time. In colonial Mexico, Nena grows into her power, finding love and learning that magic always comes with a price.
In the present day, Nena's grandniece, Marta, balances a struggling legal aid practice with motherhood and the care of the now ninety-three-year-old Nena. When Marta agrees to help search for a daughter Nena left in the past, the two forge a fierce connection. Marta's own supernatural powers emerge, awakening her to new possibilities that threaten the life she has constructed.
"Sexy, smart, and soulful, Luis Jaramillo's The Witches of El Paso pulls us across borders and time to get to the essence of what it means for families to survive this beautiful, fractured world" (Mira Jacob, author of Good Talk).
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Creators
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Publisher
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Release date
October 8, 2024 -
Formats
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OverDrive Listen audiobook
- ISBN: 9781797184401
- File size: 283233 KB
- Duration: 09:50:03
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Languages
- English
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Reviews
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October 21, 2024
A middle-aged woman comes to terms with the magic harnessed by her great-aunt in this spirited gothic debut novel from Jaramillo (The Doctor’s Wife, a story collection). As a wife, mother, and high-powered lawyer, Marta is distracted by the need to care for her late grandmother’s 93-year-old sister, Nena, who now lives alone but was institutionalized as a teenager, after she claimed to have time-traveled to an 18th-century convent. In a parallel narrative, the reader learns Nena’s claim was true, and that she was summoned by witches disguised as nuns. The witches teach Nena how to harness the spirit of La Vista, a powerful force derived from nature. After she falls in love with Emiliano, the brother of one of the sisters, she uses the power to heal him from smallpox. Then Emiliano gets her pregnant, and after giving birth to a girl, the sisters send her back to her old life without the baby. Marta’s story is less developed, and the conclusion feels rushed, but Jaramillo evocatively portrays the ways in which she and Nena gain strength from the land and their family. It’s an inspired effort. Agent: Kent Wolf, Neon Literary. -
Raquel Beattie's rich narration takes listeners on this multigenerational journey of self-discovery. Martha, a lawyer who is trying to juggle marriage, career, and two kids, suddenly has to care for her elderly Grandaunt Nena. Spending time with Nena, Martha finally acknowledges the magic pulsing inside her. Nena reveals that in her youth, witches took her to an eighteenth-century convent, where she gave birth to her daughter, who remained in the eighteenth century. Beattie lowers her voice when portraying the nonagenarian Nena, who longs to find her daughter. Martha has a smooth voice that reflects her analytical mind even when she's faced with the supernatural. Beattie narrates this family saga in a warm, whimsical tone reflecting the power of family and the rich history of El Paso. A.M. © AudioFile 2024, Portland, Maine
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