Maravilla

by Laura Del Fuego

Maravilla is the first urban novel about Latino youth's experinece in the streets of a major metropolitan area. This is also the earliest novel ever written about an urban Latina finding her way in the mean streets of L.A. This is a novel written about Latino youth living in the barrio. It depicts their experience in the housing projects of L.A. The Maravilla project was a well known public housing in East Los Angeles during the mid-fifties where poverty, crime and desperation often ran unmitigated. This novel for the first time depicts the Chicano youth--long before they ever were known as such--in the L.A. barrios. "I named you Consuelo," my mother said, "because you didn't stop screaming for hours when you were born. I figured you needed hope." To Consuelo Concepción, "Cece" Contreres, however, hope seems to be just about all she's got. So when her boyfriend is cheating on her, her friends are doing drugs, and her parents don't understand her, is it any wonder that the only person she can talk to is St. Teresa de Avila? From the housing projects of East Los Angeles, Maravilla, to the lively scene of San Francisco's Haight-Ashbury district in the 1960s, Laura del Fuego's novel tells the absorbing and personal tale of a young Chicana, like many in real life, making her way in turbulent times. It is a thoughtful and sometimes violent story about coming of age in the heart of the barrio, discovering one's self in the midst of chaos and trying to make sense of a troubled life. An outstanding young writer, del Fuego knits a complex weave whereby her heroine progresses through the barrios of East Los Angeles during the effervescent years of the 1960's. Unlike, García Márquez' narrative that centers on political turmoil and violence, Del Fuego's bring us the asphalt jungle, violence in the inner city barrio, which equally unsettle and destroy the Latino pathos. This new height of writing style and drama is a welcome addition to the selected group of Hispanic women writers. Most highly recommended.

244 pages, Paperback

First published November 1, 1989

Reviews

[Michelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

I can't believe I slept on this book for so long. It was sitting on my shelves for years.

I mean. Mexican girls coming of age in East L.A. in the 1960s? Can there even be a subject matter I could possibly love more?

I wish every book was about that.

[Bianca · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another great underrated and unappreciated book. A coming of age story set in the barrio in the 60's which I couldn't put down! I think the blurb is misleading...Cece hardly talks to St. Teresa de Avila in the book, (maybe a page or two in the beginning) and the story is actually quite a bit deeper than it would have you believe, which is a good thing really. This book deserves way more attention and reviews than its received. Definitely a worth a read if you're into grittier coming of age stories and a must if you're into Chicano/Chicana literature.