Goodreads Monday is a weekly meme that was started by @Lauren’s Page Turners but is now currently being hosted by Emily @ Budget Tales Book Blog. This meme is quite easy to follow – just randomly pick a book from your to-be-read list and give the reasons why you want to read it. It is that simple.

This week’s book:

Doña Bárbara by Rómulo Gallegos

Blurb from Goodreads

Rómulo Gallegos is best known for being Venezuela’s first democratically elected president. But in his native land he is equally famous as a writer responsible for one of Venezuela’s literary treasures, the novel Doña Barbara. Published in 1929 and all but forgotten by Anglophone readers, Doña Barbara is one of the first examples of magical realism, laying the groundwork for later authors such as Gabriel García Márquez and Mario Vargas Llosa.

Following the epic struggle between two cousins for an estate in Venezuela, Doña Barbara is an examination of the conflict between town and country, violence and intellect, male and female. Doña Barbara is a beautiful and mysterious woman—rumored to be a witch—with a ferocious power over men. When her cousin Santos Luzardo returns to the plains in order to reclaim his land and cattle, he reluctantly faces off against Doña Barbara, and their battle becomes simultaneously one of violence and seduction. All of the action is set against the stunning backdrop of the Venezuelan prairie, described in loving detail. Gallegos’s plains are filled with dangerous ranchers, intrepid cowboys, and damsels in distress, all broadly and vividly drawn. A masterful novel with an important role in the inception of magical realism, Doña Barbara is a suspenseful tale that blends fantasy, adventure, and romance.

Hailed as “the Bovary of the llano ” by Larry McMurtry in his new foreword to this book, Doña Barbarais a magnetic and memorable heroine, who has inspired numerous adaptations on the big and small screens, including a recent television show that aired on Telemundo.

Why I Want To Read It

Happy Monday everyone! Today is the first Monday of September. How time flies. In under 150 days, we will be welcoming a new year. Woah. I just hope that 2023 has been kind and great to everyone. I also hope that everyone had a great start to the week even though Monday is the most dreaded day of the week by most. Here in the Philippines, we were greeted by sleets of rain. Most of Metro Manila was submerged in floods as early as dawn. Thankfully, the rains abated as the day moved forward. Nevertheless, I hope everyone had a productive Monday. More importantly, I hope everyone is doing well, in mind, body, and spirit.

With the first day of the week also comes a fresh Goodreads Monday update. I spent August venturing across the African continent for the best of its literature. However, the journey felt so short – besides, I have several more works of African literature I am raring to read – so I decided to extend the journey to September if only to cover the books that are part of my reading challenges. After completing these books, I have decided to focus on the other books on my reading challenges, starting with the works of South American writers. With this, I am going to feature works of South American literature in my Goodreads Monday updates this month. For the first Goodreads Monday update this September, I am featuring Rómulo Gallegos’ Doña Barbara.

I came across Doña Barbara while searching for recommended works of South American writers. It was the first title that appeared. Admittedly, I had no iota about who the writer was until I read the Goodreads blurb. Gallegos, I have learned, was the first democratically elected president of Venezuela. This piqued my interest. Moreover, magnum opus, Doña Barbara is highly revered in his native country. This further made me more interested in the novel even though it was published during the first half of the 20th century. Aside from this, I cannot recall having read any works of a Venezuelan writer. I am hoping that Doña Barbara will be the first.

For now, I am just hoping to obtain a copy of the book. How about you fellow reader? How was your Monday? What books have you added to your reading list? Do drop it in the comment box. For now, happy Monday and, as always, happy reading!