Consider This, Señora

by Harriet Doerr and -Harcourt-

Book Overview

The long-awaited and highly praised second novel by the author of Stones for Ibarra. The American characters here find themselves waiting, hoping, and living in rural Mexico-a land with the power to enchant, repulse, captivate, and change all who pass through it. Named a Best Book of the Year by Publishers Weekly and a Notable Book of the Year by the New York Times.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0156000024
• ISBN13: 9780156000024
• Release Date: August 1994
• Publisher: Houghton Mifflin
• Length: 256 Pages
• Weight: 0.68 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.6" x 5.4" x 8.0"

Customer Reviews

Why did she start writing so late in life?

Harriet Doerr cheated herself and her readers by not devoting herself to the craft of writing much earlier in her life. She's best known for Stones for Ibarra, but I think Tiger in the Grass is her real masterpiece, and Consider This, Senora comes in second. However, all 3 of her books are excellent and demonstrate a respect for the craft of writing the perfect sentence that readers will appreciate and writers can all learn from. Consider This, Senora is a collection of chapters focused around a small town in central Mexico where several expatriates come to live on a mesa above the dirt-poor town. It's written so carefully that each chapter can actually stand alone as a complete tale, but taken together they form a history of 6 years of life in both the village and on the mesa. We grow to care about them all: the padre, the mayor, the beggars, the income tax cheat, the man-chaser, the widow, the pianist, the beautiful 14yo serving girl, all of them. Luminous and insightful, filled with beautiful language and the perfect turn of each phrase, Consider This, Senora, is a masterpiece.

Almost as Good as "Stones"

I understand why some readers would be frustrated with this book's story line. I think this book is best suited for the writing connoisseur who has the time to savor the artistry of each sentence and why the writer wrote it the way she did. If you have the time, patience, and inclination to read it that way, it will blow your mind. If you want to breeze through a book for the sake of experiencing some kind of adventure, which is a perfectly good reason for reading a book, I don't think you'll be satisfied. Some music can only be appreciated when you listen to it very carefully. This book doesn't do well in the background. But listen carefully, and I think you'll be amazed.

Beautifully written

I don't think this story is as exquisitely constructed as Doerr's 'Stones for Ibarra.' (In 'Stones for Ibarra,' Doerr wove a series of short stories into a rich tapestry of a novel; 'Consider This Senora' has a more traditional structure.) However, she still does a wonderful job describing rural Mexican culture from an American outsider's point of view. The language she uses is clear and concise, and at the same time full of beautiful descriptions that reflect her understanding of her characters and of the human experience in general. Doerr's prose often reads almost like poetry. This book will leave you with many beautiful images of rural Mexico.

Beautiful

There is only one word I can think of to describe this magnificent book- Beautiful! It has been years since I last read this masterpiece, yet I still tear up just thinking about its story, and great characters. This story is highly overlooked, yet is in my opinion, one of the greatest books I have ever read. BEAUTIFUL!

One of My Favorite Reading Experiences

I read this book before reading "Stones for Ibarra" & actually thought it the better of the two. The concise writing is beautiful in its simplicity & I came to love & care for all the characters. I read "Consider This, Senora" about 10 years ago & still think of these people and their stories fondly.