Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale HurstonĪs soon as Janie, now 16, is caught kissing shifty Johnny Taylor, her grandmother quickly gets married to an old man with 60 acres. His life will always be linked to his motherland. Saleem can communicate with these kids through their minds, but his gift comes with a price. He is one of 1,001 children born at the same time who each have a special gift. Saleem Sinai is born at the stroke of midnight at the exact moment when India became independent. He then marries her sister in a desperate act of love. With the magic she puts into her food, Pedro falls in love with her. She has to look after her mother until she dies. She can't get married because of tradition. Ita is the youngest daughter of the all-female De La Garza family in turn-of-the-century Mexico, and she lives with them now. Like Water for Chocolate by Laura Esquivel Alba is a beautiful and ambitious girl who will lead her family into the future. The House of the Spirits by Isabel AllendeĪllende draws a lot from Márquez to tell the story of three generations of the Trueba family, starting with patriarch Esteban and ethereal Clara and ending with Blanca's forbidden love and Clara's granddaughter Alba, a beautiful and ambitious girl who will lead her family into a new, revolutionary future. A lot of what Borges talks about in this book is about infinite libraries, the man who wrote Don Quixote anew, and things made out of dreams. Ficciones by Jorge Luis Borgesīorges is one of the founders of speculative fiction, and his stories will make your head spin. The story includes a gun-toting black cat named Behemoth, who also drinks vodka. One of the best dark comedies I've ever seen is about Woland (Satan) and his band of mercenaries taking Moscow by storm.
The book was finished in 1940, but it wasn't published until 1966. The baby was never named, and his tombstone reads "Beloved." The Master and Margarita by Mikhail Bulgakovĭuring Stalin's rule, Bulgakov wrote a scathing satire of Soviet life. Whenever she moves into her new house, the ghost of her dead baby comes with her. Too many times, she thinks about Sweet Home, the beautiful farm where so many bad things happened. Sethe was born a slave and escaped to Ohio, but 18 years later, she is still not free. There are twists and turns in this tragicomic story of life and death, riches and poverty, triumph and tragedy, that are filled with magic. It's a long story that tells the story of how the town of Macondo rose and fell through the history of the Buenda family. Márquez's book is probably the best book in the magical realist genre. To get you started, here are ten of the best magical realist books: One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel García Márquez The best way to understand magical realism is, of course, to start reading about it right away. The magical realist mode is made up of the moment when the reader (and sometimes the character) isn't sure if what they are reading is real. The magical realist genre was born in Latin America, but the magical realist mode spreads a lot farther around the world, too. It can be a little unnerving, and some people find it very upsetting. Many people think of it as speculative fiction, urban fantasy, and more. Fantasy and reality are mixed up when people talk about it. Pan, (List Price: $18.Magical realism confuses a lot of people when they read it. No spoilers here, but the ending is chef’s kiss.Īn Arrow to the Moon by Emily X.R. And speaking of R&J, the closer I got to the ending, the more anxious I was about how close to the play Pan would go. I learned SO MUCH about Chinese versus Taiwanese culture–I never knew there was/is an identity issue and found it fascinating as Pan expertly weaves it into the Romeo & Juliet narrative. The romance between Luna and Hunter is so sweet and swoon-worthy and doesn’t veer outside the plot (which is a pet peeve of mine).The story takes place in the early 90s which I forget until someone mentions a windbreaker, lol. Other favorite motifs include: unearthly fireflies, a mysterious and magical book, & unexplainable “natural” happenings.
Romeo and Juliet meets Chinese mythology had me swiftly plucking this from the arc box. I am adoring this retelling trend YA is on right now. I’m a complete sucker for a moon and as I have yet to be steered wrong by this, it will continue to be an indicator of a great story to me.
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