underwhelmed by Zorro so far

I'm reading Zorro, which Jo Spanglemonkey recommended so highly and which I think I borrowed from Squid. Yes, we all pass around the same books!

So far I'm totally underwhelmed. Exposition exposition exposition! And I kind of see that the narrative attitude towards "indians" is supposed to reflect the times, but it's really uncomfortable and seems unexamined. exoticizing... infantilizing... "unthinking" natural savages and their natural wisdom... it makes me insane. Plus, the vague acknowledgement that the missions were exploiting the indians - the "novitiates" - and that they weren't free, yet with no thought of why the other "free" indians might have been attacking the missions, etc. And of course the one "nice" mission dude, Padre Mendoza, who is properly paternal, and in revolutionary fashioin treats his slaves well (all the while talking about how they are like children). If I felt a clear division between the narrative voice of the whole book and the author... it would be fine to represent the characters thinking that way. But there's no division and seems to be no consciousness that there might be such a division.

You get a more enlightened view of things in California just by reading "Two Years Before the Mast". That's kind of sad!

Jo has promised me, however, that the story heats up and then is all about relentless, cheesy, melodramatic action. So far that is not true and it's boring and predictable! Yes, you can have a character who was a baby girl raised by wolves and who dresses as a man and leads a battle charge, and still be annoying!

Aaaa, I'm such a bitch, how can I diss on Allende?

technorati tags:books, zorro, isabel allende, history, racism

Comments

[Jo]

You're so totally wrong! And I say that in the most affectionate way!

[squid]

If it makes you feel any better, I purchased the two books as part of an Esperanza charity drive--from Armada who apparently knows Ms. Allende. Jo owns her own signed copy. Badger's copy, which I will repo eventually, is specifically signed to me me me!

[badgerbag]

It's not that I won't enjoy the book on some level! And yet I like to mention the things that annoy me on first encounter with a book, before I'm done with it.

I'll weigh in again when I finish it, that's for sure.

[Denise]

Zorro does get better, I promise! It takes awhile but then it improves a lot. I think it took a good 100 pages, maybe more but then I was glad I stuck with it.

[Jo]

Penis enlargement! Enlarge penis now! Bigger penis for you!