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| Plot Summary of Dying in the City of Flowers |
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"
Five Star, Jan 2003, 26.95, 200 pp.
ISBN: 0786247665
In 1980s Houston, Texas, sixteen-year-old Viola marries a Peruvian greencard seeker nicknamed El Rey. They live in deplorable conditions when she gives birth to his son. Unable to cope with the deteriorating situation that she only wants to improve, Viola moves out with plans to divorce him, raise her son alone, and attend college. However, El Rey harasses Viola sending Child Welfare to inspect her and making calls to upset her. He consistently breaks into her apartment, but the police cannot help her with his stalking because she remains married to him.
El Rey rejects divorce so he abducts their son, taking the lad back to Lima in order to punish his misbehaving wife. Viola follows and even sees her frightened son in a government office, but cannot reach out to comfort him and is warned by a politician to leave now or disappear in the jungle forever. Knowing she needs a plan, Viola reluctantly returns to Texas, but six months later is back with a ploy to rescue her son or die in the attempt.
DYING IN THE CITY OF FLOWERS is a gritty first person fictionalized account of a true story. By having the heroine narrate the tale, readers see deep into the soul of Viola while also observing her maturing. This perspective also has the downside of painting El Rey and his Peruvian family and friends as uncaring villains rather than fully showcasing a culture with a different attitude. Similar to Betty Mahmoody's Not Without My Daughter, Victoria Edwards Tester provides a powerful story of a mother's courage and love.
Harriet Klausner
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Harriet Klausner, Resident Scholar
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| Review Analysis of Dying in the City of Flowers |
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Our unique search engine provides a wealth of detail about books by breaking them down into many different literary elements, all of which are searchable (click here).
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Ratings are on a 1-10 scale (Low to High)
Plot
Composition of Book
descript. of violence and chases - 10%
Planning/preparing, gather info, debate puzzles/motives - 30%
Feelings, relationships, character bio/development - 50%
How society works & physical descript. (people, objects, places) - 10%
Tone of story
- suspenseful (sophisticated fear)
Time/era of story:
- present (2000-2010)
Kid or adult book?
- Adult or Young Adult Book
Crime Thriller
Yes
Crime plotlets:
- vigilante getting revenge
- escape/rescue from kidnappers
General Crime (including known murderer)
Yes
If story PRIMARILY about main chr. being hunted...
- hunted by dangerous boy/girlfriend/spouse
Main Character
Gender
- Female
Profession/status:
- business executive
Age:
- 20's-30's
How much violence does he/she use?
- a little
Ethnicity/Race
- White/American
How sensitive is this character?
- sensitive to others' feelings
Sense of humor
- Mostly serious with occasional humor
Intelligence
- Very much smarter than other characters
Physique
- very athletic
Main Adversary
Identity:
- Male
Age:
- 20's-30's
Profession/status:
- unemployed
How much of work is main antagonist actually present in:
- a moderate amount
Motive of antagonist
- power
How sensitive is this character?
- mean, arrogant
Sense of humor
- Mostly serious with occasional humor
Intelligence
- Very much smarter than other characters
Physique
- very athletic
Setting
United States
Yes
The US:
- Texas
The Americas (not US):
Yes
The Americas:
- South
Style
Person
- mostly 1st
Accounts of torture and death?
- generic/vague references to death/punishment
How many deaths?
- 0 (not a murder mystery)
Amount of dialog
- significantly more dialog than descript
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Note: the views expressed here are only those of the reviewer(s). | |
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