Review of Carmencita la doncella

[Okoye Chinonso+]

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Carmencita la doncella" by John Emil Isidora.]

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3 out of 4 stars

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Carmencita la doncella is a complex yet intriguing book by John Emil Isidora. John Emil Isidora is a law degree holder born on Curacao, an island in the Southern Caribbean Sea. After attaining his law degree, John Emil Isidora worked as a public servant for thirty years before becoming a writer. He now not only writes in English but also in three other languages: Papiamentu, Spanish, and Dutch.

This book, Carmencita la doncella, by John Emil Isidora, consists of 124 pages and is written in Spanish. Although there may be an English version soon, I don't know when it will be released. This book, more or less like a fictional memoir, tells the story of each Carmencita until the final Carmencita, Carmencita la doncella, meaning Carmencita the Maiden. Carmencita, the maiden, is the fourth Carmencita in her lineage. Her great-grandmother, Carmencita, the lioness; her grandmother, Carmencita, the viper; and her mother, Carmencita, the trapped. Although each of these women had a completely different narrative to tell, they all shared the same faith. The first three women—the lioness, the viper, and the trapped—had to bear what felt like a curse of faith until the third, the trapped, resolved to sacrifice herself to guarantee that the fourth, the maiden, was not condemned to the same faith as they. Give this book a try to understand how each Carmencita got her title and how the third Carmencita, the trapped, was able to save the fourth Carmencita, the maiden, from such hideous faith.

I couldn't find a single part in this book that I didn't enjoy, no matter how detailed I tried to be. The story was epic from beginning to end. The only part of the book I found a little unappealing was the beginning; it just went straight into the action, with no character introductions. It wasn't until later in the book that I fully grasped the characters. The book was fantastic and fascinating, with lots of tension and plot twists. I particularly enjoyed the descriptions of each character and the events in the novel; at one point, I had the impression that I was witnessing a movie in my mind. The aspect of this book that I found most intriguing was that I couldn't guess how it would conclude.

Although the plot of the book was well-conveyed, the book has low editing quality for a book that's just 124 pages. The book has numerous punctuation errors; one or two would have been okay, but it has over ten. Aside from those errors, I saw no other flaws or negative aspects in the book.

I rate this book 3 out of 4 stars. Although the errors were numerous, they didn't hinder my understanding of the book. Therefore, it merits the rating that it received. If the errors are corrected, there is no reason the book shouldn't get a perfect rating.

I highly recommend this book to people who enjoy books with suspense and plot twists. I particularly want to suggest this book to those interested in learning about the ultimate sacrifice of Carmencita, the trapped, since it is unlike anything you would ever imagine.

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Carmencita la doncella
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[Amy Luman]

I took several Spanish-language courses while in school, but I am nowhere near fluent. I certainly couldn’t read a book in the language and that makes me sad.I think this book sounds very interesting.

[NetMassimo]

I saw this novel available for review but my Spanish is poor, so I can't read it unless a version in English becomes available. I hope there will be one, as this novel seems engaging with twists. Thank you for your great review!