Hacienda by Isabel Canos.
BIBLIOGRAPHIC DETAILS:
Available Print: COPYRIGHT:) 5/3/2022; PUBLISHER: Doubleday, First edition; ISBN 978-0593436691; PAGES 352; Unabridged

Available Digital: Yes

The version I listened to: *Audio: COPYRIGHT: 11/3/2009; ISBN: 9780593552681; PUBLISHER: Books on Tape; DURATION: 11:13:44; PARTS: 10; File Size: 320590 KB; Unabridged; (Overdrive: LAPL)

Feature Film or tv: No

SERIES: No

SUMMARY/ EVALUATION:
How I picked it: It was close to Halloween when a friend, Susan, recommended it.
What it was about: A young lady marries for convenience, thinking she has no other choice and knowing a nice home comes with the marriage that she imagines she can bring her mother to, to live. The family and servants of the man she has married are not welcoming, and then she finds that the house isn’t either. When she requests that the church assist her with blessing the house, trouble begins.
What I thought: Actually, this is the kind of story, that, were I to accidentally begin watching it on TV, I would instantly turn off. I am no longer the teenager that enjoyed ghost stories complete with gore and evil beings. (In fact, this one actually gave me nightmares.) But, because I didn’t have to endure the visuals, it had been recommended by a friend, and there was a strong enough plot, I completed it. For its genre it was great, for me it wasn’t. These are the times I struggle with ratings.

AUTHOR:
Isabel Canos
From Goodreads__ “Isabel Cañas is a Mexican-American speculative fiction writer. After having lived in Mexico, Scotland, Egypt, and Turkey, among other places, she has settled (for now) in New York City. She holds a doctorate in Near Eastern Languages and Civilizations and writes fiction inspired by her research and her heritage.”

NARRATOR(S):
Victoria Villarreal:
Sorry, I didn’t find any biographies online.

Lee Osorio
From AudioFile_ “Lee is an actor, audiobook narrator, and playwright based in Atlanta. He identifies as a queer, Latinx, Democratic Socialist, Christian with Buddhist leanings. Fall of 2021, Lee was one of 1600 applicants to be selected to participate in the first cohort of Penguin Random House Audio Narrator Mentorship Program. He has since recorded multiple titles with PRH.”

GENRE:
Fiction; Horror; Romance; Thriller

SUBJECTS:
Ghosts, witchcraft; Priests; haunted houses
RATING:.
3
STARTED READING – FINISHED READING
12-18-2022 to 12-24-2022 ( )

I was looking forward to this book quite a bit, based on the setting (1823 Mexico) and the description of Rebecca + spooky horror. Thus my disappointment that it just doesn't work for me is huge.

To start, the additional marketing line that The Hacienda is at all similar to Mexican Gothic is just that - and laughable, too. They're both haunted house stories set in Mexico, but that's about it. I found Mexican Gothic much more sinister, and thrilling, and more pointed in its treatment of colonialism, religion, and the other usual Gothic themes.


The Hacienda has some very good, evocative sections but mostly falls flat for me. I quit when on page 110, we get this paragraph:

“I will be safe, Doña Beatriz.”

But I wouldn’t be. If I knew anything about how the house felt—and lately I was beginning to worry I knew altogether too much—I knew that it resented people like him and me. People with plans and ideas. Dread drummed a militant beat in my chest at the thought of going back to my room and sitting in the dark, all the while aware he was poking and prodding around the house’s entrails. He didn’t understand what this house was. He couldn’t.

Up to this point, there has been no indication that the house resents Beatriz because of her plans for it. In fact, we know that the housekeeper and Beatriz's husband's sister do as much as they can to avoid being in the house, but not that they have any plans for it. Though it's not stated outright, it's suggested that they are also harmed by the house - in fact, the housekeeper doesn't spend time in the kitchen without spells of protection.

So where is this coming from, that the house resents people with plans for it? Does Beatriz completely ignore everyone else in San Isidro who says the house is bad news? She certainly seems to have a lot of disdain for absolutely everyone she meets, without much textual reason why. The paragraph above isn't much different from chapter 2, which I had to read three times before I could spot in the text indications that Beatriz was hungry to be in charge, and assumed she was hated by the residents of San Isidro for being the new patróness. (It was just so... mild, I didn't pick up on the grasping greed at all!)

Most of the writing style is the same breathless short sentences for emotional emphasis, but it generally feels flat for me, without any real stakes behind them, thus far. Beatriz doesn't need to be a likable character, but I do want to care about what happens to her. Unfortunately, I don't. Juana, the patrón's older sister now displaced from her position in charge, is far more interesting to me than the bland new wife who doesn't seem to care about anything but shoving her new position into her aunt's face.

This book could have been so interesting and compelling, but it has no real stakes and treats the more interesting secondary characters as not interesting, actually. (At least, as of page 110.)

Such a pity. ( )

Set in Mexico after the War for Independence, the main characters clash in their attempt to regain an ordinary existence. ..oh, and the Hacienda is haunted! (Think Rebecca meets Mexican Gothic).
Well written, fast-paced and an interesting, creepy story. ( )

Beautifully written gothic story. Those who love Rebecca and Mexican Gothic will love this story. Also involves forbidden love. ( )

Beatriz marries to escape after her father is killed during the Mexican Revolution. She believes that marrying Rodolfo and moving into Hacienda San Isidro is the solution to all her problems. However upon arrival at the hacienda, things are not all that they seem. A domineering and skeptical sister, Juana disregards Beatriz’s fears - leading Beatriz to question her sanity. But she ultimately enlists the help of Padre Andres to exorcize the house. What follows is a classic tale of haunting, with twists and turns to keep you on the edge of your seat.

Canas has done well here - reminiscent of Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier with a terrible haunting and an isolated heroine. Complete with era specific details, Canas evokes the fear and longing within Beatriz and her desires while also highlighting her strength. The character development was on point - the emotions felt for the characters ranged from deep hatred and disgust to respect and love. Excellent debut. ( )