Zorro by Isabel Allende

Title: Zorro

Author: Isabel Allende Translated by: Margaret Sayers Peden

Publisher: Harper Perennial 2005

Genre: Historical Fiction

Pages: 390

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges: UnRead Shelf; Alphabet Soup - A; Popsugar - Clothing on Cover

Born in southern California late in the eighteenth century, he is a child of two worlds. Diego de la Vega's father is an aristocratic Spanish military man turned landowner; his mother, a Shoshone warrior. Diego learns from his maternal grandmother, White Owl, the ways of her tribe while receiving from his father lessons in the art of fencing and in cattle branding. It is here, during Diego's childhood, filled with mischief and adventure, that he witnesses the brutal injustices dealt Native Americans by European settlers and first feels the inner conflict of his heritage.

At the age of sixteen, Diego is sent to Barcelona for a European education. In a country chafing under the corruption of Napoleonic rule, Diego follows the example of his celebrated fencing master and joins La Justicia, a secret underground resistance movement devoted to helping the powerless and the poor. With this tumultuous period as a backdrop, Diego falls in love, saves the persecuted, and confronts for the first time a great rival who emerges from the world of privilege.

Between California and Barcelona, the New World and the Old, the persona of Zorro is formed, a great hero is born, and the legend begins. After many adventures -- duels at dawn, fierce battles with pirates at sea, and impossible rescues -- Diego de la Vega, a.k.a. Zorro, returns to America to reclaim the hacienda on which he was raised and to seek justice for all who cannot fight for it themselves.

My UnRead Shelf Project pick for January. This has been sitting on my shelf, not for years only months, but for whatever reason, it keeps gets passed over. I finally picked it up and really enjoyed Allende’s style of writing. I love her construction of the story, focusing on different time periods during Diego’s life. I enjoyed the flow of the narrative. Definitely done well! And yet, I wasn’t completely engrossed in the story and and characters. Something about all the characters created a big gap for me. I just didn’t love it. But, a really good historical fiction.

Next up on the TBR pile:

RC 2019: Alphabet Soup

From Escape with Dollycas:

Details

This challenge will run from January 1st, 2019 until December 31st, 2019.

You can join anytime. You do not have to post a review of the book. Books can come from any genre.

You do not need to link up each spoonful.

Make a page or a post or a GoodReads shelf where you will keep track of your spoonfuls. I keep track of mine on my Challenge Page. 

Crossovers to other challenges are allowed and encouraged! 

It’s an alphabet challenge!!! The challenge is to read one book that has an author whose first name or last name starts with every letter of the alphabet.

So there are two different ways you can set up your own A-Z Reading Challenge.

A – How I plan to do it: Make a list on your blog from A-Z. Throughout the year, as you go along, add the authors with the book you read to the list. Towards the end of the year, you can check and see which letters you are missing and find authors/books to fit.

OR

B – Make a list now of 26 books, picking one for each letter of the alphabet. 

For example:

A – Amanda Flower – Toxic Toffee (An Amish Candy Shop Mystery)

B – Lucy Burdette – A Deadly Feast: A Key West Food Critic Mystery

C – Sheila Connolly – The Lost Traveller: A County Cork Mystery

D – Denise Swanson – Leave No Scone Unturned (Chef-to-Go Mysteries)

Books can be read in any order and all formats – print – e-book – audio – are acceptable for this challenge!

Ready to join??

Bloggers grab the image below and make a post about the challenge to encourage others to join!

Non-bloggers you can join too! Just keep track any way you wish. You can even set up a special shelf on Goodreads.com to help you keep track!  It is super easy, Just click the MY BOOKS tab at the top of the page. When that page opens just click – ADD A SHELF in the left-hand sidebar. Title it Alphabet Soup Author Edition Challenge and you are all set. 

Follow Escape With Dollycas Into A Good Book as there may be special announcements made about the challenge.

I have set up a group on Facebook for this challenge where you can share your books read and converse with others taking part in the challenge. Alphabet Soup – Author Edition – Challenge –  You can share your accomplishments throughout the year there. 

I am asking everyone to sign up using Google Forms. Sign Up Here. This way I have your emails in case I need to contact you about any changes to the challenge or about special events. 

I’m up for another try at reading one author from every letter of the alphabet. I’m not going to list out authors just yet, but hope to find all once I start reading.