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Written by 
- Format: Hardcover, 432 pages
- Publisher: Knopf
- On Sale: July 12, 2011
- Price: $27.50
- ISBN: 978-0-307-26832-7 (0-307-26832-2)
about this book
An epic novel of love, discovery, and adventure by the author of the best-selling memoir When I Was Puerto Rican.
As a young girl growing up in Spain, Ana Larragoity Cubillas is powerfully drawn to Puerto Rico by the diaries of an ancestor who traveled there with Ponce de León. And in handsome twin brothers Ramón and Inocente—both in love with Ana—she finds a way to get there. She marries Ramón, and in 1844, just eighteen, she travels across the ocean to a remote sugar plantation the brothers have inherited on the island.
Ana faces unrelenting heat, disease and isolation, and the dangers of the untamed countryside even as she relishes the challenge of running Hacienda los Gemelos. But when the Civil War breaks out in the United States, Ana finds her livelihood, and perhaps even her life, threatened by the very people on whose backs her wealth has been built: the hacienda’s slaves, whose richly drawn stories unfold alongside her own. And when at last Ana falls for a man who may be her destiny—a once-forbidden love—she will sacrifice nearly everything to keep hold of the land that has become her true home.
This is a sensual, riveting tale, set in a place where human passions and cruelties collide: thrilling history that has never before been brought so vividly and unforgettably to life.
"If, as the proverb goes, history is written by the hunters, then Esmeralda Santiago has imagined history as written from the point of view of the lions. A remarkable story for its detail, imagination, meticulous research, and wisdom, this is history written by a lion at the height of her powers." —Sandra Cisneros, author of The House on Mango Street
“An enthralling epic that not only illuminates the life of one extraordinary woman, but of the great sweep of Puerto Rican history. Rich with period details, unforgettable drama, and a riveting cast of characters, Conquistadora will seduce readers heart and soul.” —Cristina García, author of Dreaming in Cuban
“Conquistadora is a wonderful and richly drawn novel, with an unforgettable story that will not only enlighten readers about the fascinating history of Puerto Rico in the 19th century, but delight them with a narrative that is always deeply felt and entertaining. A grand achievement from one of our finest writers.” —Oscar Hijuelos, Pulitzer Prize–winning author of The Mambo Kings Play Songs of Love and Beautiful Maria of My Soul
“Impressive . . . Conquistadora is a story of epic dimensions, one which demands to be taken seriously—and at the same time is just a tremendous amount of fun. Hats off to Esmeralda Santiago, for a delicious novel that instructs as easily as it pleases.” —Madison Smartt Bell, author of All Souls’ Rising
“A powerful new novel that is colorful, sexy, and shimmering with magical writing as lush as the tropical island on which it takes place. Alive with all their passions and flaws, here are characters so boldly imagined they feel real, and in a story so transporting you can almost smell the sugar cane . . . I fell in love with the grand adventure that is Conquistadora—so will you!” —Terry McMillan, author of Getting to Happy and Waiting to Exhale
“Having launched her writing career with the well-regarded memoir When I Was Puerto Rican, Santiago goes for broke with this grand, sprawling novel, which starts out in 19th-century Spain. Ana Cubillas, enraptured by the diaries of an ancestor who explored Puerto Rico with Ponce de León, is now in love with the island and finds a way to get there. . . . She just wasn’t prepared for the heat, the wildlife—and the slave labor. Engrossing and polished, without the let’s-just-get-through-it writing than can mar sagas . . . Perfect for those who want fun but literate reading.” —Barbara Hoffert, Library Journal
“I loved this novel from the first sentence, and wept with emotion by the end. Lush, steamy and passionate, Conquistadora paints a rich landscape of life in colonial Puerto Rico, and in bold strokes defines characters so full of life they leap from the page and into your heart. Esmeralda Santiago has given voice to a history that has eluded me. Here is a haunting, visceral epic that satisfies on every level and yet leaves you hungry for more. Bravo, Conquistadora!” —Daisy Martinez, host of Viva Daisy! and author of Daisy’s Holiday Cooking
“Fascinating. . . . Santiago’s storytelling is thrilling, and her descriptions of the island and its denizens are luminous. Ana is the obsessed heroine who will risk everything, even her own child, to keep the plantation going. . . . For the author to create a heroine who is in many ways self-serving is to take a great risk. But Santiago’s Ana is a woman with a lust for life and the drive of a conquistador. She may be flawed, but she’s also fabulous, and Conquistadora is a triumph.” —Eugenia Zukerman, The Washington Post
“Unusual. . . . part romance, part portrait of a woman struggling against the constraints of her time and class. Santiago’s writing often surprises with its sly humor. . . . The novel pulls together different plot lines that involve violent slave uprisings, harsh weather, lovers’ quarrels, the magic of traditional healer, and the brutality of men, especially to the women they love. Conquistadora creates a rich historical background. . . . [It] leaves readers with an expanded sense of Puerto Rico, and an appreciation for the complexity of its populations. . . . Fascinating.” —Anne Morris, The Dallas Morning News
“Fascinating. . . . Santiago’s storytelling is thrilling, and her descriptions of the island and its denizens are luminous. Ana is the obsessed heroine who will risk everything, even her own child, to keep the plantation going. . . . For the author to create a heroine who is in many ways self-serving is to take a great risk. But Santiago’s Ana is a woman with a lust for life and the drive of a conquistador. She may be flawed, but she’s also fabulous, and Conquistadora is a triumph.” —Eugenia Zukerman, The Washington Post
“Unusual. . . . part romance, part portrait of a woman struggling against the constraints of her time and class. Santiago’s writing often surprises with its sly humor. . . . The novel pulls together different plot lines that involve violent slave uprisings, harsh weather, lovers’ quarrels, the magic of traditional healer, and the brutality of men, especially to the women they love. Conquistadora creates a rich historical background. . . . [It] leaves readers with an expanded sense of Puerto Rico, and an appreciation for the complexity of its populations. . . . Fascinating.” —Anne Morris, The Dallas Morning News
