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The Heiress of Water
When young Monica Winters Borrero loses her luminous mother in an accident at sea, she is exiled from the tropical paradise that was her home. Grieving and cut off from a life among El Salvador's elite, Monica and her American father move to Connecticut, vowing never to look back.
Years later, an intriguing stranger, who has endured a terrible loss of his own, enters Monica's life, bearing an unusual request. Monica is propelled back to her lost world, retracing the shadowy last days of her mother, a marine scientist who had been on the brink of understanding the therapeutic applications of a rare, venomous sea creature. Now, her research is being corrupted by a secret clinic that claims the power to restore consciousness to the comatose.
What Monica discovers will shatter the family's delicate truce with the past, and compel everyone involved to challenge their deepest notions of what it means to be alive.
Atmospheric, thought-provoking, and timely, The Heiress of Water is a stunning parable of paradise lost and found.
Years later, an intriguing stranger, who has endured a terrible loss of his own, enters Monica's life, bearing an unusual request. Monica is propelled back to her lost world, retracing the shadowy last days of her mother, a marine scientist who had been on the brink of understanding the therapeutic applications of a rare, venomous sea creature. Now, her research is being corrupted by a secret clinic that claims the power to restore consciousness to the comatose.
What Monica discovers will shatter the family's delicate truce with the past, and compel everyone involved to challenge their deepest notions of what it means to be alive.
Atmospheric, thought-provoking, and timely, The Heiress of Water is a stunning parable of paradise lost and found.
320 pages, Paperback
First published September 1, 2006
32 people are currently reading
278 people want to read
About the author
Sandra Rodriguez Barron
4 books49 followersSandra Rodriguez Barron was born in Caguas, Puerto Rico and has lived in the Dominican Republic and El Salvador. She holds a Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing from Florida International University. She is the recipient of a Bread Loaf Fellowship, a National Association for Latino Arts and Culture artist grant, and a Greater Hartford Arts Council Solo Writers Fellowship. She lives in Connecticut with her husband and son.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 40 reviews
July 26, 2021
A dead mother, a woman in a coma, a daughter with a gift for massage, and a mollusk that might help reach a comatose brain all come together in El Salvador. And this fits the #Readtheworld21 challenge of Central America. I found it in #hoopla and the author is from Puerto Rico but grew up between Connecticut and El Salvador, much like the protagonist in this novel.
May 25, 2018
I noticed while choosing my Goodreads "bookshelves" for this book that I have one shelf for snails and one for gastropods. Go figure. I checked both boxes for this because it starts off with an exploration of cone snails.
Well, it starts off with a mother-daughter relationship, and the mother, an El Salvadoran rebel-of-sorts--certainly frustrated by the economic reality of El Salvador, and struggling against it, though her own family is of the economic elite there--and scientist, is studying cone snails, and she has trained her daughter to be very attuned to the life of the ocean, it's heartbeat, its very breath.
The intensity of their relationship and the mother's insistence that her daughter to be as knowledgeable about the coastal environment and ocean life as she is, is vividly drawn and engaging and offers a sense of foreboding though I couldn't quite put my finger on what made it as disturbing as it was.
In a way, this relationship between mother and daughter is a most wondrous and damaging thing. Both a unique kind of earthy intellectual nourishment and also a kind of trauma.
It's hard to explain, but the mother is so focused on her work that in a way, she doesn't seem to see her daughter at all. Doesn't fully take her in. And yet, she gives her daughter a gift. Her exactitude and passion and stubbornness, I think they are all gifts. Not easy ones. Multi-dimensional and questionable, but gifts nonetheless.
And then the mother is gone. And the daughter and her father, who is from the U.S., move to Connecticut, and she grows up away from her El Salvadoran family, from her childhood home. But she never loses her connection to the ocean, or to the cone snail.
The book changes a lot, kind of morphs in terms of its focus and tone. There were moments when I thought it was going to turn into a horror story. A love story. A war story. I suppose the theme of "lost and found" "finding and losing" "losing and finding", questions of when letting go is important and holding on...And who people are, at their core. And do people have a core? Are people the embodiment of some kind of essence? Or are we something else entirely? And what of love? It's a messy business and confusing, it can arrive and tangle around us in so many different ways. It can be so close and yet unreachable. It can be destructive, life-saving. Sometimes the most loving thing to do is let go--to let go of people, of the past, even of hope, and that is a hard and strange lesson.
So, this book is philosophical and intriguing and engaging--an exploration of love and loss. It sags a bit in places and seems to lose track of itself, to not fully know what it wants to be doing, to get sidetracked a bit. Sometimes the writing is really compelling, and sometimes a bit dusty. But, all in all, I'm glad I read it--not sure how I came across it, but happy that I did. I look forward to reading more by this author!
Here's an interview with her. https://thedarkphantom.wordpress.com/... I wish they would have asked more questions about her interest in cone snails and her connection to the events and characters of this book, and a bit less about "when did you want to be a writer". But, still an interesting read.
Well, it starts off with a mother-daughter relationship, and the mother, an El Salvadoran rebel-of-sorts--certainly frustrated by the economic reality of El Salvador, and struggling against it, though her own family is of the economic elite there--and scientist, is studying cone snails, and she has trained her daughter to be very attuned to the life of the ocean, it's heartbeat, its very breath.
The intensity of their relationship and the mother's insistence that her daughter to be as knowledgeable about the coastal environment and ocean life as she is, is vividly drawn and engaging and offers a sense of foreboding though I couldn't quite put my finger on what made it as disturbing as it was.
In a way, this relationship between mother and daughter is a most wondrous and damaging thing. Both a unique kind of earthy intellectual nourishment and also a kind of trauma.
It's hard to explain, but the mother is so focused on her work that in a way, she doesn't seem to see her daughter at all. Doesn't fully take her in. And yet, she gives her daughter a gift. Her exactitude and passion and stubbornness, I think they are all gifts. Not easy ones. Multi-dimensional and questionable, but gifts nonetheless.
And then the mother is gone. And the daughter and her father, who is from the U.S., move to Connecticut, and she grows up away from her El Salvadoran family, from her childhood home. But she never loses her connection to the ocean, or to the cone snail.
The book changes a lot, kind of morphs in terms of its focus and tone. There were moments when I thought it was going to turn into a horror story. A love story. A war story. I suppose the theme of "lost and found" "finding and losing" "losing and finding", questions of when letting go is important and holding on...And who people are, at their core. And do people have a core? Are people the embodiment of some kind of essence? Or are we something else entirely? And what of love? It's a messy business and confusing, it can arrive and tangle around us in so many different ways. It can be so close and yet unreachable. It can be destructive, life-saving. Sometimes the most loving thing to do is let go--to let go of people, of the past, even of hope, and that is a hard and strange lesson.
So, this book is philosophical and intriguing and engaging--an exploration of love and loss. It sags a bit in places and seems to lose track of itself, to not fully know what it wants to be doing, to get sidetracked a bit. Sometimes the writing is really compelling, and sometimes a bit dusty. But, all in all, I'm glad I read it--not sure how I came across it, but happy that I did. I look forward to reading more by this author!
Here's an interview with her. https://thedarkphantom.wordpress.com/... I wish they would have asked more questions about her interest in cone snails and her connection to the events and characters of this book, and a bit less about "when did you want to be a writer". But, still an interesting read.
October 10, 2008
The Heiress of Water by Sandra Rodriguez Barron is a book i blindly picked up from the bargain bin when i needed something to read and was out of rented books. for that, it was pretty good. Partly set in El Salvador, and partly in Connecticut, it's a very latin american styled book, like Isabelle Allende, who is even quoted on the front. Lots of that magical realism sort of thing, but a little toned down from some authors. The book is about the sea, and 2 generations trying to find medicine from cone shells. This medicine can bring people out of a coma, supposively, or other benefits too. The main character is a woman whose mother was stolen from her by the sea, but just not in the way that she thinks. It's less boring than it sounds. There's a great deal of mystery, although not who-done-it type mystery, in this book. I would check it out if you're looking for a book that's both smart and entertaining.
March 20, 2025
enjoyed this book a lot more than I expected I would haha, felt that all the moving parts of the plot were really compelling. did not love how rushed the ending was though:/
July 11, 2009
I really enjoyed this book. It's the first book in a while the kept me up late, late, late because I just wanted to see how it would end.
The basic plot centers on a woman who grew up in an extremely rich family in El Salvadore who fled with her American father to the States after her mother is killed during the Salvadoran revolution (uprising?). She becomes a physical therapist and through work beccomes involved with the mother and husband of a comatose woman. There's this whole part of the plot about sea snail venom and a clinic in El Salvadore that is having a lot of success waking up comatose patients through the use of this venom.
The book is part mystery, part drama, part romance. Yes, the character development is probably not the best, but the plot was compelling enough to make you want to keep reading. This is not "chick lit" or anything lame like that; it's a real book and I recommend it.
The basic plot centers on a woman who grew up in an extremely rich family in El Salvadore who fled with her American father to the States after her mother is killed during the Salvadoran revolution (uprising?). She becomes a physical therapist and through work beccomes involved with the mother and husband of a comatose woman. There's this whole part of the plot about sea snail venom and a clinic in El Salvadore that is having a lot of success waking up comatose patients through the use of this venom.
The book is part mystery, part drama, part romance. Yes, the character development is probably not the best, but the plot was compelling enough to make you want to keep reading. This is not "chick lit" or anything lame like that; it's a real book and I recommend it.
February 8, 2009
There are LOTS of thought provoking ideas and contrasting ideas brought up/discussed - definitely a good book club read. Contrasts like christianity/catholicism versus nature, wealth vs. poverty, traditional medicine vs. experimentation. Love is a big part of the book and the different aspects of love we all find within our lives and in our hearts. I really did like this book. I especially loved the imagery of the sea. I started out thinking negatively of this book - was worried it would be another "hard" book to follow or would create unanswered questions for me but I was totally wrong. It does create thought provoking ideas (as I said above) but you are not consumed with them. When I finished the book, I was at peace.
April 27, 2017
I LOVED this novel. I love the mystical/magical aspects of it. I loved the descriptive language that takes me to a whole different world. I felt the characters were complex and engaging. I especially loved the water imagery throughout and the family mystery surrounding the characters. I found the Yvette chapters really interesting as I had never encountered a character who is in a comma through the entire book. Her point of view was really intriguing. However, I too felt the ending was wanting. Too many questions left unanswered and too many interesting characters left hanging. Won't go into specifics so I don't ruin the read. Well worth reading.
November 13, 2025
I’m biased because this is mom’s book but I genuinely loved it. Great prose, complex characters, and really unique story! Reading it in El Salvador where a good chunk of the book takes place made the experience so much better. I loved how my mom explores El Salvador’s history of civil war as well as the magic of the ocean along its shores. In addition, the way Yvette’s coma was described from her perspective was so well represented and made me feel more sympathy for her than I already did. Her tragedy is truly heartbreaking. The main cast of characters to me really felt alive based on their actions and flaws and I feel like that’s gotta be hard to accomplish effectively as an author.
I gotta say I really enjoyed this book and I can’t believe it took me this long to read it! I love you Mom! I think you did a great job!
I gotta say I really enjoyed this book and I can’t believe it took me this long to read it! I love you Mom! I think you did a great job!
January 3, 2013
The ending of this book doesn't answer the question "what happened?" Too much plot pressure was built up that was never released. The story line had great potential, but the book needed another 25 pages.
I felt all the characters were the same: they all had the same kind and level of wit, and seemed to operate under the same motivations.
An enjoyable read, but didn't really deliver.
I felt all the characters were the same: they all had the same kind and level of wit, and seemed to operate under the same motivations.
An enjoyable read, but didn't really deliver.
August 1, 2018
The Heiress of Water: novel
I enjoyed this book, I felt everything, the sea, the waves, the smells, laughter and pain. Life and it's circle, learning every day something new, along with past history...rooting for the goodness of it all. Thank you
I enjoyed this book, I felt everything, the sea, the waves, the smells, laughter and pain. Life and it's circle, learning every day something new, along with past history...rooting for the goodness of it all. Thank you
December 12, 2019
A rare find! A groundbreaking book with a potent mix of love, betrayal, science, mystery, history, and ethics.
Right off the bat my senses were taken on a trip to original and profound imagery as told by new author Sandra Rodriguez Barron in her deliciously smooth literary voice.
We witness Monica Winter's passage to self-discovery from El Salvador to Connecticut and back on what feels like a magical carpet where the impossible can and does happen - flawlessly. Just when you're enjoying the ride, an abrupt entry into a world about which we all wonder leaves you breathlessly holding an armful of questions, and while you're still looking back into that mysterious place you are gently slipped back into Sandra's literary trance, happy to be back but eager to return for more answers.
The memorable characters are sure to become a part of your literary family.
Right off the bat my senses were taken on a trip to original and profound imagery as told by new author Sandra Rodriguez Barron in her deliciously smooth literary voice.
We witness Monica Winter's passage to self-discovery from El Salvador to Connecticut and back on what feels like a magical carpet where the impossible can and does happen - flawlessly. Just when you're enjoying the ride, an abrupt entry into a world about which we all wonder leaves you breathlessly holding an armful of questions, and while you're still looking back into that mysterious place you are gently slipped back into Sandra's literary trance, happy to be back but eager to return for more answers.
The memorable characters are sure to become a part of your literary family.
September 5, 2025
This book was an Immersive Journey that carries us Readers into a Tide of Mysteries and Belonging. With Stunning Proses, that glimmers with Beauty even in Moments of Sorrow, Each Page unfolds with a quiet Rhythm. Think of it like Waves Brushing against the Shore.
It was also profoundly emotional, as it wove in Love, Loss, and Renewal into a Tapestry that is both Tender and Haunting. This is a Novel that lingers in your Heart after the Final Word is Read.
It was also profoundly emotional, as it wove in Love, Loss, and Renewal into a Tapestry that is both Tender and Haunting. This is a Novel that lingers in your Heart after the Final Word is Read.
February 23, 2021
Oh the secrets families keep. And, oh how they reck havoc on all of their lives. Loved all the references to the sea and the medicinal power of sea creatures. Also, the quest for love is always a powerful force in all humans and Barron wrenches and twists this aspect of human nature in multiple ways.
April 26, 2019
Magical realism. Interesting storyline with some romantic interest, cultural class clashes, extreme passions, “broken” families (loss), secrets mixed together.
April 10, 2022
El Salvador - world reading challenge. Interesting premise for story.
December 28, 2024
What a fabulous story. Such good writing.
ps: I wanted a bit more from the ending
ps: I wanted a bit more from the ending
March 11, 2017
Mother and husband hover over their wife and daughter who has been in a coma for 2 years after a car accident. Seeking help they run into Monica a woman who left El Salvador for Connecticut with her father at 12 after her mother drowned. Monica has researched marine shells that their poisonous venom jolts coma victims back to life. All parties end up back in El Salvador. The story kept me entertained and the ending was a pleaser
January 9, 2009
We read this for book club, and our "discussion" was only 10 minutes long. The book was a bit trite, and we didn't feel connected to any of the characters. I was interested enough to continue reading it, chapter after chapter, but it didn't draw conflicting viewpoints from it's readers as I think it intended to.
January 29, 2017
Touching and moving
A story of love . . . a mother's love, a man's love for his wife, a daughter's love for her mother and her father, and so much more. It's also a story of betrayal, loss and recovery. The characters became real to me. I could feel what they felt. I could see what they saw. I felt as if I was present. What a gift.
A story of love . . . a mother's love, a man's love for his wife, a daughter's love for her mother and her father, and so much more. It's also a story of betrayal, loss and recovery. The characters became real to me. I could feel what they felt. I could see what they saw. I felt as if I was present. What a gift.
May 8, 2009
This book had an interesting plot. It was different from anything else I have read in that regard. However, for me it was a little slow. Lots of dialogue that seemed a little forced and fake. I finished the book because I wanted to see how the story ended, not because I loved the style of writing.
June 10, 2014
OK, I really, really wanted to like this book. But I found it enragingly implausible and boring. I felt no connection whatsoever to the characters. It was predictable. It was trite. It was a waste of my time and money.
Want to read
July 16, 20072007 Int. Lat. Book Awards--first fiction
October 31, 2007
beautifully written. smart. lyrical.
read this book now.
read this book now.
January 29, 2008
An interesting Mystery. It kept me on my toes.
June 14, 2008
You shouldn't miss this one- a really nice summer read
March 2, 2013
Milford author
April 13, 2009
This book isn't life changing and it was sappy in parts but it was a page turner and I finished it pretty quickly. The plot revolves around venomous snails.
August 11, 2010
Someone my dad knows wrote this book so I gave it a shot. It was actually pretty interesting. A little formulaic but the plot caught my attention and kept me interested. A good beach book.
February 5, 2011
Like STAY WITH ME, the second book by Sandra, THE HEIRESS is outstanding. Sandra is one of my new favorites. You must read this book.....I couldn't put it down.
September 26, 2011
windmill?
Displaying 1 - 30 of 40 reviews