Ramona

This was an interesting, overdramatic, and occasionally entertaining read. First published in 1884, when contextualized with other 19th century social reform novels, I can appreciate what Helen Hunt Jackson was trying to do: bring awareness to the sad plight of the California Indians. In many ways, I think she was successful. I learned a great deal about the injustices that occurred to the Indians at both the hands of the Mexicans, and the Americans. 

The narrative flowed well and Hunt's writing was lovely. Her characters were fraught with more emotion than sense though. The most interesting character was probably the Señora Morena. She was awful, but she was complex. As for Ramona, I started to get irritated with her half-glass-full mentality just as much as I became annoyed by Allesandro's bleak fatalism. Those two really were a match made in heaven. 

I don't even know what to say about the deeply Oedipal relationship between Señora Morena and her son, Felipe, whose lack of cojones was truly appalling. 

"Felipe bowed his head in his mother's lap. She laid her hands on his hair, and stroked it with passionate tenderness. 'My Felipe!' she said. 'It was a cruel fate to rob me of you at the last!'
'Mother! mother' he cried in anguish. 'I am yours, -- wholly, devotedly yours! Why do you torture me thus?'" 

And I'll just leave you with that ... 

I actually enjoyed this novel quite a bit, but certain characters are so obviously marked out for suffering, that it was hard not to criticize it as I read. I can honestly say the ending surprised me, which is hard to do in a didactic novel. It's definitely worth reading, just be prepared for some melodrama.