“I heard the voices … the many whispers of the orange tree that I now laid beneath in its cool shade. The questions, the haunting words, all filling my young mind …”
The memories of a young Puerto Rican girl come to life in this charming memoir by Delia Cerpa that chronicles her growing up on an island paradise. Queen of the Flowers invites readers into another world in another time in a very special place — Puerto Rico. It is a place of lush tropical beauty, close-knit families, and old-fashioned values of a bygone era.
Cerpa’s master storytelling explores the life of young Garín and her nine brothers and sisters, and most importantly Mamá, a young widow who takes on the role as head of the family with skill and strength. Queen of the Flowers is about family, love, loss, and island culture. It deftly delves into questions of coping with death, family roles and responsibilities, childhood rites of passage, and finely described emotional experiences that shape this girl’s mind and life.
Queen of the Flowers is a thoughtful, richly described coming-of-age story — one that is sure to touch hearts and minds.