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The House on the Lagoon: A Novel
Finalist for the National Book "A family saga in the manner of Gabriel Garc�a M�rquez," set in Puerto Rico, from an extraordinary storyteller (The New York Times Book Review).
This riveting, multigenerational epic tells the story of two families and the history of Puerto Rico through the eyes of Isabel Monfort and her husband, Quint�n Mendizabal. Isabel attempts to immortalize their now-united families--and, by extension, their homeland--in a book. The tale that unfolds in her writing has layers upon layers, exploring the nature of love, marriage, family, and Puerto Rico itself.
Weaving the intimate with the expansive on a teeming stage, Ferr� crafts a revealing self-portrait of a man and a woman, two fiercely independent people searching for meaning and identity. As Isabel "Nothing is true, nothing is false, everything is the color of the glass you're looking through."
A book about freeing oneself from societal and cultural constraints, The House on the Lagoon also grapples with bigger issues of life, death, poverty, and racism. Mythological in its breadth and scope, this is a masterwork from an extraordinary storyteller.
This riveting, multigenerational epic tells the story of two families and the history of Puerto Rico through the eyes of Isabel Monfort and her husband, Quint�n Mendizabal. Isabel attempts to immortalize their now-united families--and, by extension, their homeland--in a book. The tale that unfolds in her writing has layers upon layers, exploring the nature of love, marriage, family, and Puerto Rico itself.
Weaving the intimate with the expansive on a teeming stage, Ferr� crafts a revealing self-portrait of a man and a woman, two fiercely independent people searching for meaning and identity. As Isabel "Nothing is true, nothing is false, everything is the color of the glass you're looking through."
A book about freeing oneself from societal and cultural constraints, The House on the Lagoon also grapples with bigger issues of life, death, poverty, and racism. Mythological in its breadth and scope, this is a masterwork from an extraordinary storyteller.
418 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 1995
203 people are currently reading
3034 people want to read
About the author
Rosario Ferré
86 books115 followersRosario Ferré was born in Puerto Rico, where her father served as governor. She was best known for her novels and short stories. In 1992, Ferré was awarded the Liberatur Prix award at the Frankfurt Book Fair for the German translation of her novel Sweet Diamond Dust. She was a finalist for the National Book Award for her novel The House on the Lagoon in 1995.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 151 reviews
February 8, 2012
I belong to four reading groups, all of which meet in real time. Because I read so much, I am always dying for people to discuss books with, but reading group picks are an unpredictable mix. What a treat it is then to read a great book I might otherwise have missed if it weren't for those reading groups.
The House on the Lagoon is historical fiction set in Puerto Rico; Rosario Ferre is a Puerto Rican writer, poet and essayist. She writes in both Spanish and English, self-translating her books. The English edition of this novel is apparently out of print, but can be found in libraries and through used book sellers.
Buenaventura Mendizabal, a Spanish immigrant, arrived penniless on the shores of Puerto Rico in 1917 with nothing to recommend him but a good family name. He rose to be a wealthy man in the highest levels of Puerto Rican society and begat a dynasty, passing on the ruthless and violent ways of Spanish conquest. Through the generations his descendants intermingled and even at times intermarried with other levels of society and heritage, as is the way of colonized lands.
When I was in grade school, we were taught that Puerto Rico was an island of friendly people who were proud to live in a United States territory and whose fondest dream was that their island would become a state. So typical of the "Social Studies" taught to us in the 1950s. Reading The House on the Lagoon gave me a much truer picture of Puerto Rican history in the 20th century.
So that is fine on an educational level, but this novel works on many levels, one of which is a clear-eyed look at the position of women in a culture that combines Spanish aristocracy, wealth and business with the indigenous population. In that regard it is a triumph of historical writing including politics, finance, the arts and real social studies, as well as a finely wrought piece of literature.
Isabel Monfort is writing her first novel. It is to be a history of the Mendizabal family, known to her because she is married to Quentin, the grandson of Buenaventura and current head of the family business. In alternating chapters we read Isabel's novel-in-progress and Quentin's reactions to her writing. Thus we are given both the male and female perspective as the history evolves and leads to a stunning conclusion.
Many thanks to the wonderful Mary Helen Ponce, a fine writer herself and member of one of my reading groups, for recommending the book. We eagerly await Mary Helen's next novel!
August 29, 2012
This book is not only beautiful, it is surprisingly beautiful. As touching and poetic as Maya Angelou's I know why the caged bird sings, and more exotic. It is almost biblical in it's epic telling of this family's journey. Read it! The prologue begins "Before I ever loved a woman, I wagered my heart on chance and violence won it over."
December 28, 2016
This book was made for me! A Puerto-Rican family saga with great characters, magical realism, and beautiful writing
August 29, 2025
The House on the Lagoon is a multi-generational family saga set in Puerto Rico that tells the stories of the Montforts and the Mendizabals from the early 1900s to the 1990s. The narrative centers on Isabel Monfort, who begins writing a family history. Her marriage to Quintín becomes strained when Isabel reveals uncomfortable truths about both families' pasts. Isabel recounts family secrets, such as affairs, change in fortunes, and betrayals, and Quintín becomes increasingly angry with her revelations, ultimately leading to a climactic confrontation.
The storyline alternates between Isabel's manuscript and Quintín's observations and “corrections,” which reads almost like a book within a book. The two tell competing versions of family history. The prose style shifts between lyrical descriptive passages and a more straightforward account of historical events. It also contains a fair amount of crude language for female body parts, which seems oddly out of sync with the rest of the narrative.
Ferré explores how history is constructed and contested, particularly when it comes to issues of gender, race, and class. Isabel's feminist interpretation of events increasingly conflicts with Quintín's more traditional, patriarchal viewpoint. The novel includes the major events in Puerto Rican history, including Spanish colonialism, American occupation, and Puerto Rico's ongoing political struggles as related to Puerto Rico's status. Should it be an independent country? Continue as Commonwealth? Become a state? I particularly enjoyed the author’s ability to weave together personal and political narratives. It is an ambitious undertaking that occasionally feels a bit too far-reaching.
3.5
The storyline alternates between Isabel's manuscript and Quintín's observations and “corrections,” which reads almost like a book within a book. The two tell competing versions of family history. The prose style shifts between lyrical descriptive passages and a more straightforward account of historical events. It also contains a fair amount of crude language for female body parts, which seems oddly out of sync with the rest of the narrative.
Ferré explores how history is constructed and contested, particularly when it comes to issues of gender, race, and class. Isabel's feminist interpretation of events increasingly conflicts with Quintín's more traditional, patriarchal viewpoint. The novel includes the major events in Puerto Rican history, including Spanish colonialism, American occupation, and Puerto Rico's ongoing political struggles as related to Puerto Rico's status. Should it be an independent country? Continue as Commonwealth? Become a state? I particularly enjoyed the author’s ability to weave together personal and political narratives. It is an ambitious undertaking that occasionally feels a bit too far-reaching.
3.5
August 1, 2016
I enjoyed this book. I love a multi-generational narrative and the conceit of a wife writing her (and her husband's) family history as a kind of open secret, and her husband reading it nightly and adding his own dissenting perspective on events and her writing style is brilliant. I just wish Ferré had been more experimental - had actually included elisions and marginalia, for example.
The most troublesome part of the book for me was the easy racism of its characters and the Puerto Rican society it describes, not because it does not ring true (it does - I'm Puerto Rican, I am well-acquainted with the colorism of my own people), but because very few characters ever speak up against it in any kind of productive or compelling way. This is especially true of the narrator, whose prose never highlights a deeper absurdity and incoherence in racialized views. I've read a little Ferré in her native Spanish (this book was her first written in English) and found it occasionally problematic despite her obviously well-intentioned liberal outlook on race. The nearly magical troop of negros that live in the basement and are led by una brujita Petra (the Rock) that serve the Mendizabal family is a missed opportunity for a third version of the narrative, so instead these character are basically defined by service and race.
The take on statehood/independista movement in this book is heartbreaking, though the description of the radicalized independistas is a little caricatured.
Still, despite my criticism, I really did enjoy this book, both its use of Puerto Rican history (its willingness to deviate from the record) and its multivocality. I appreciated its critique of the toxicity of Puerto Rican masculinity. I admired Ferré's deft prose, especially when parts seem intentionally written to demonstrate her narrator's development of writing craft - which is something a reader can't appreciate until it is pointed out later. This is a rather brilliant, but risky move, since those shaky early chapters made some of the reading a slog. Fortunately, this does not last and the formal elements make up for it.
The most troublesome part of the book for me was the easy racism of its characters and the Puerto Rican society it describes, not because it does not ring true (it does - I'm Puerto Rican, I am well-acquainted with the colorism of my own people), but because very few characters ever speak up against it in any kind of productive or compelling way. This is especially true of the narrator, whose prose never highlights a deeper absurdity and incoherence in racialized views. I've read a little Ferré in her native Spanish (this book was her first written in English) and found it occasionally problematic despite her obviously well-intentioned liberal outlook on race. The nearly magical troop of negros that live in the basement and are led by una brujita Petra (the Rock) that serve the Mendizabal family is a missed opportunity for a third version of the narrative, so instead these character are basically defined by service and race.
The take on statehood/independista movement in this book is heartbreaking, though the description of the radicalized independistas is a little caricatured.
Still, despite my criticism, I really did enjoy this book, both its use of Puerto Rican history (its willingness to deviate from the record) and its multivocality. I appreciated its critique of the toxicity of Puerto Rican masculinity. I admired Ferré's deft prose, especially when parts seem intentionally written to demonstrate her narrator's development of writing craft - which is something a reader can't appreciate until it is pointed out later. This is a rather brilliant, but risky move, since those shaky early chapters made some of the reading a slog. Fortunately, this does not last and the formal elements make up for it.
November 3, 2015
This was basically half soap opera & half history lesson about Puerto Rico. I was expecting something more from this novel based on all the praise and on its nomination for a Natl. Book Award. Unfortunately, it didn't get there for me.
This is a multigenerational saga but most of the characters are never fleshed out. As is often the case with soap operas, the characters' personalities change to accommodate plot developments so you never get a truly three dimensional character. The most interesting character, an African servant named Petra, doesn't get enough story devoted to her at all.
There is a device used by the author wherein the main protagonist is writing a novel about the history of her and her husband's ancestors and descendants. The husband secretly reads the novel and takes issue with the "facts" as presented. He also has concerns about his reputation should the novel ever be published. I expected the husband to tell his side of the story, thereby adding mystery, complexity and depth. But the husband's sections were very short and mostly consisted of him blustering about his wife's memory and her disregard for his family reputation. Very disappointing.
So for me the novel was good but didn't come close the level it might have. Three stars out five.
This is a multigenerational saga but most of the characters are never fleshed out. As is often the case with soap operas, the characters' personalities change to accommodate plot developments so you never get a truly three dimensional character. The most interesting character, an African servant named Petra, doesn't get enough story devoted to her at all.
There is a device used by the author wherein the main protagonist is writing a novel about the history of her and her husband's ancestors and descendants. The husband secretly reads the novel and takes issue with the "facts" as presented. He also has concerns about his reputation should the novel ever be published. I expected the husband to tell his side of the story, thereby adding mystery, complexity and depth. But the husband's sections were very short and mostly consisted of him blustering about his wife's memory and her disregard for his family reputation. Very disappointing.
So for me the novel was good but didn't come close the level it might have. Three stars out five.
November 13, 2022
This was an ambitious book by a well respected Puerto Rican novelist, novel was started in her native Spanish but then rewritten and expanded in English.
Isabel, the book’s narrator, after many years of marriage, writes a historical novel, telling the story of Puerto Rico through the stories of her and her husband’s families, going back 3 or 4 generations. Her business owner husband finds the pages of the novel and adds his own notes to it, correcting her historical inaccuracies, challenging her feminist viewpoint, and the things he remembers very differently than in the story she tells. But he never develops his own story to be a counterpoint to Isabel’s literary telling.
We also come to know a bit about the servant characters but we see them only through Isabel’s eyes.
The novel ends abruptly in disaster, with a family torn apart by the independence versus statehood vote in Puerto Rico. Still thinking about this one several days after finishing it. 3.5, book has flaws but is trying to tell a complicated story.
Isabel, the book’s narrator, after many years of marriage, writes a historical novel, telling the story of Puerto Rico through the stories of her and her husband’s families, going back 3 or 4 generations. Her business owner husband finds the pages of the novel and adds his own notes to it, correcting her historical inaccuracies, challenging her feminist viewpoint, and the things he remembers very differently than in the story she tells. But he never develops his own story to be a counterpoint to Isabel’s literary telling.
We also come to know a bit about the servant characters but we see them only through Isabel’s eyes.
The novel ends abruptly in disaster, with a family torn apart by the independence versus statehood vote in Puerto Rico. Still thinking about this one several days after finishing it. 3.5, book has flaws but is trying to tell a complicated story.
July 22, 2016
Thanks to Open Road Integrated Media and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book.
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I don't know how much of this story is true to history, but when reading this I certainly felt as if it was the history of Puerto Rico depicted by the story of these people .We see the good, the bad and (I know cliché) but the very ugly things too, about Quintin's and Isabel's families covering over seven decades.
The author has woven the history of the island of Puerto Rico around their story and that of their, parents and grandparents. The culture, the political landscape, as well as the intimate lives of these people make for a compelling read.
Isabel is writing the novel we are reading and she has hidden her manuscripts. Quintin finds Isabel's novel and wonders why she portrays his family the way she does and he begins to annotate her novel. So whose story is the right one? I'm not always sure but their parents and grandparents and a slew of other people make for some interesting characters.
This is for me a three star book. Just way too much going on , kind of like one big soap opera, a huge cast of characters , differing versions of stories and at times I found it a bit confusing . Maybe that's how I'm supposed to feel .Yet there are some interesting things about this book that draw you in.
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I don't know how much of this story is true to history, but when reading this I certainly felt as if it was the history of Puerto Rico depicted by the story of these people .We see the good, the bad and (I know cliché) but the very ugly things too, about Quintin's and Isabel's families covering over seven decades.
The author has woven the history of the island of Puerto Rico around their story and that of their, parents and grandparents. The culture, the political landscape, as well as the intimate lives of these people make for a compelling read.
Isabel is writing the novel we are reading and she has hidden her manuscripts. Quintin finds Isabel's novel and wonders why she portrays his family the way she does and he begins to annotate her novel. So whose story is the right one? I'm not always sure but their parents and grandparents and a slew of other people make for some interesting characters.
This is for me a three star book. Just way too much going on , kind of like one big soap opera, a huge cast of characters , differing versions of stories and at times I found it a bit confusing . Maybe that's how I'm supposed to feel .Yet there are some interesting things about this book that draw you in.
August 15, 2018
At one point in this book the narrator, Isabel, writes that she would normally sympathize with her sisters in law just because they were women and women usually got the “short end of the stick” but that she couldn’t sympathize with them because of their selfish behavior. That’s pretty much how I felt about Isabel. I was expecting to be on her side, but she’s so complicit in everything that I was never really rooting for her. There are several places where her hypocrisy is pointed out but she never owns or confronts it. Maybe that’s the point. Puerto Rican history and the question of Puerto Rican independence are complicated and the author feels deeply ambivalent about them. But, ambivalence made it a struggle for me to get through the book.
The treatment of race is also highly problematic. The racism of the narrator, an upper-class white Puerto Rican woman born in the 40s, fits with her characterization, but is never challenged by the author. Instead, the portrayal of Black characters reinforces stereotypes to the point of caricature(martyrs, seductresses, rape victims, slum dwellers, subversive servants, and a voodoo queen).
The treatment of race is also highly problematic. The racism of the narrator, an upper-class white Puerto Rican woman born in the 40s, fits with her characterization, but is never challenged by the author. Instead, the portrayal of Black characters reinforces stereotypes to the point of caricature(martyrs, seductresses, rape victims, slum dwellers, subversive servants, and a voodoo queen).
January 4, 2019
Me encantó la forma en la se combina la historia de la familia con la de Puerto Rico. Hacia el final se me hizo un poco más aburrido pero, en general, disfruté muchísimo con la lectura.
March 16, 2019
Reading this in 2019, after Hurricane Maria, after the DNA-test-kit-induced Taino renaissance, Ferré's cultural perspective feels dusty, sometimes in a good way, others not so much. Published in 1996, Ferré wrote from within her time and stretched herself despite being raised in the upper class. There are some references to the African slaves but barely any mention of the Taino or jíbaros. I kept thinking, these are a bunch of Spaniards and Italians who immigrated, and-- consistent with history throughout the Americas--took over the narrative, put themselves in the spotlight and said, "We speak for Puerto Rico." That's the part that didn't withstand being seen through the lens of the post-Trump era. As for the storytelling itself, I went from loving the setting and time period to growing bored and frustrated. I need an anchor character to latch onto, and Isabel just didn't do it for me. I kept going back to the family tree, and while I care about PR in general, I wasn't convinced that I should care about this family in particular. I love the weaving of PR history, but for that I can go read a history book. I need to love at least one character and to be invested in at least one relationship, and I wasn't. There were plenty of micro-dramas in the chapters but the the overarching plot that holds it together was missing for me. Even the title suggesting the house as a container (as in The House of the Spirits) doesn't work because the house is torn down early on. I'm Puerto Rican and I want to love Ferré and learn from her as a writer, but I'm not going to give her 5 stars just because we're both Puerto Rican. So I'll try her in another form, and in Spanish. I'm grateful she wrote this, I'm grateful she trail blazed for other Caribbean writers, and I'm very sorry she's no longer with us.
June 17, 2019
I first read this book back in college for a Latin American course. At that point, I was missing home and trying to find my roots. It's been years and when book suggestions came up for book club I put this one on the list even though all I remembered was that I enjoyed it.
Upon re-reading, more of the story came back to me and I still enjoyed it. The formatting of the story is interesting. Isabel Monfort, is the narrator and she is writing a book about her family, which consists of both the Monfort and Mendizabal family histories. Interspersed between chapters are notes from Isabel and Quintin. The family history leads to a long saga which includes history and politics on the island of Puerto Rico.
Puerto Rico's history is a complex one. As Ferré points out they've never been a country of their own since they've been conquered. However, that doesn't stop Puerto Ricans from having a strong national identity, which is something Ferré really captures. Overall, the story is a nice mixture of historical fiction and drama.
The drawback with a story like this that spans years, is that there are way too many characters. A family chart is provided in the front, but in ebook format this didn't work for me. Ten chapters in, I just had to let go and go with the story, which worked for the most part. If you decide to read this give it a go in paperback form as it will be easier to follow the family history.
Upon re-reading, more of the story came back to me and I still enjoyed it. The formatting of the story is interesting. Isabel Monfort, is the narrator and she is writing a book about her family, which consists of both the Monfort and Mendizabal family histories. Interspersed between chapters are notes from Isabel and Quintin. The family history leads to a long saga which includes history and politics on the island of Puerto Rico.
Puerto Rico's history is a complex one. As Ferré points out they've never been a country of their own since they've been conquered. However, that doesn't stop Puerto Ricans from having a strong national identity, which is something Ferré really captures. Overall, the story is a nice mixture of historical fiction and drama.
The drawback with a story like this that spans years, is that there are way too many characters. A family chart is provided in the front, but in ebook format this didn't work for me. Ten chapters in, I just had to let go and go with the story, which worked for the most part. If you decide to read this give it a go in paperback form as it will be easier to follow the family history.
November 5, 2016
Although a bit slow at times, I greatly enjoyed reading this book. For starters, it gave me historical insights that I didn't get in my school years in Puerto Rico. It also let me know more of a society that, thankfully, I never got to experience as a child. The racism and political turmoil that Ferré describes, those were issues that were shielded from me growing up, although I did get to hear about them as an adult. My parents told me my dad's family were opposed to him, of White, European descent, marrying my mom, a beautiful, mulatto girl. While my mom was congratulated for "marrying up" and "cleaning her descendants' blood," my dad was shamed by his family for marrying a "negra." It's funny and sad at the same time. =/
Anywho, I'm only giving the book a 4-star rating because of the ending. The last chapter takes you into a frenzy of emotions; it moves so quickly and then it stops, all of a sudden! It just left me with the feeling that there were things left unsaid, things that still needed to be resolved, although I do know they were resolved, somehow.
Anywho, I'm only giving the book a 4-star rating because of the ending. The last chapter takes you into a frenzy of emotions; it moves so quickly and then it stops, all of a sudden! It just left me with the feeling that there were things left unsaid, things that still needed to be resolved, although I do know they were resolved, somehow.
July 10, 2012
Espectacular, buenísima, excelente, épica. Bien acertado lo que he visto en varias críticas sobre la comparación de la misma con Cien años de Soledad, mi versión hasta tiene un árbol genealógico impreso en las primeras páginas que es super útil para no perderse en la maraña familiar de la historia. La historia es un tanto trágica y te deja muchas veces boquiabierto con las cosas que le ocurren a ésta familia, pero además es una rica narración de casi un siglo de historia puertorriqueña bien documentada y sabiamente entre-mezclada en la trama de los personajes. Ésta es la primera obra que leo de Rosario Ferré y quedé más que satisfecho y orgulloso de tener una tan buen escritora en mi país. Altamente recomendada.
March 8, 2021
Una familia de inmigrantes en Puerto Rico, que llegan cuando la isla pasa a manos de los Estados Unidos. Una interesante perspectiva de la clase media emergente, con apenas brochazos de los pobres, de los negros, que pasan a ser figuras de conveniencia, al margen de la familia pero imprescindibles. Al igual que el papel de la mujer, exclusivamente como madres y encargadas del hogar, lo más, con algunas inclinaciones artísticas.
Me impresionó el grado de racismo y exclusión de la sociedad de Puerto Rico en la década de 1990.
Un libro muy bien escrito, que entretiene de principio a fin.
Me impresionó el grado de racismo y exclusión de la sociedad de Puerto Rico en la década de 1990.
Un libro muy bien escrito, que entretiene de principio a fin.
June 28, 2022
Το βιβλίο το βρήκα σε ένα παλαιό βιβλιοπωλείο , κάτι με τράβηξε σ αυτό και δεν το μετάνιωσα. Ήταν μια ευχάριστη έκπληξη. Καταρχήν είναι ένα πολυεπίπεδο μυθιστόρημα. Δεν είναι μια απλή σάγκα δύο οικογενειών όπως φαίνεται στην αρχή. Παράλληλα με τις ιστορίες των χαρακτήρων που αποτελούν ο καθένας ξεχωριστό κεφαλαίο η Φέρες καταφέρνει να ενσωματώσει και την ιστορία του Πουέρτο Ρίκο του 19ου-20ου αιώνα. Οι δυο οικογενειες του μυθιστορήματος είναι μια μικρογραφία της κοινωνίας του νησιού. Δίνοντας φωνή στους ήρωες της η συγγραφέας θέτει προβληματισμούς μέσω αυτων για θέματα όπως ο ρατσισμός, η ταξική πάλη, η θέση της γυναίκας στην οικογένεια και στη κοινωνία, η θέση ισχύος του άντρα σε μια πατριαρχική κοινωνία. Προσωπικά η γραφή της μου θύμισε αρκετά Μάρκες και για μένα αυτό είναι στα συν του βιβλίου.
January 20, 2020
Me gusto , muestra las tradiciones de Puerto Rico , la narrativa es buena , una buena crónica de luchas políticas y. Familiares
June 23, 2009
The House on the Lagoon follows the fortunes of the Mendizabal family from Buenaventura Mendizabal’s arrival in Puerto Rico on July 4, 1917 to the mid 1990s, while also chronicling the history of the island as a U.S. territory. An orphan from a small town in Spain, Buenaventura hopes to find work in Puerto Rico as an accountant. By a lucky chance, he is introduced to Rebecca Arrigoitia, the only daughter of a wealthy family. They marry soon after their first meeting and Buenaventura begins to import gourmet food from Europe, possibly as a cover for smuggling operations during World War I. The Mendizabals become one of the wealthiest and most influential families on the island, but as time goes by they are revealed to be one of the most corrupt. Only Petra, Buenaventura’s black housekeeper, knows all of the skeletons in the family closets and keeps their secrets faithfully.
Intertwined with the story of Buenaventura’s family is the history of the Montforts, coffee growers from the mountains. The Montfort matriarch, Valentina (Abby), holds her small family together through the various tragedies that plague them: the mysterious murder of Abby’s husband, her son’s suicide, and her daughter-in-law’s insanity. Abby’s granddaughter, Isabel, marries Quintín Mendizabal, Buenaventura’s oldest son, and after many years of an increasingly loveless marriage, witnesses the destruction of both families through corruption and the changing politics of Puerto Rico.
The novel is “written” by Isabel who hides her manuscript from her husband in various places around the Mendizabal mansion. Quintín finds the manuscript each time Isabel hides it from him, though, and often adds his own version of the events that refute or expand upon what his wife has written. These interjections reveal the conflicts that are tearing the family apart, conflicts that are mirrored in the history and politics of the island itself. In part, the novel serves as an introduction to Puerto Rico for American readers who know little about it and its relationship to the United States.
Intertwined with the story of Buenaventura’s family is the history of the Montforts, coffee growers from the mountains. The Montfort matriarch, Valentina (Abby), holds her small family together through the various tragedies that plague them: the mysterious murder of Abby’s husband, her son’s suicide, and her daughter-in-law’s insanity. Abby’s granddaughter, Isabel, marries Quintín Mendizabal, Buenaventura’s oldest son, and after many years of an increasingly loveless marriage, witnesses the destruction of both families through corruption and the changing politics of Puerto Rico.
The novel is “written” by Isabel who hides her manuscript from her husband in various places around the Mendizabal mansion. Quintín finds the manuscript each time Isabel hides it from him, though, and often adds his own version of the events that refute or expand upon what his wife has written. These interjections reveal the conflicts that are tearing the family apart, conflicts that are mirrored in the history and politics of the island itself. In part, the novel serves as an introduction to Puerto Rico for American readers who know little about it and its relationship to the United States.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 17, 2022
The House on the Lagoon is everything I love in a book—gorgeous world building (the Ponce and San Juan of the past, but especially Las Minas, the mysterious land built over funky water where servant-matriarch-medicine woman, Petra reigns supreme), great character development, a historical setting that tells the history of Puerto Rico as well as the history of the “house” of Mendizabal, romantic conflicts, political intrigue that divides a family not only along class lines but race lines as well, and the magical quality that shimmers at the edges of all fascinating multi-generational sagas worth reading. Oh how I loved this book from beginning to end, so much that I purposely savored it, reading more slowly than usual. I am sure going to miss being immersed in this beautiful, dark, and compelling world. This story is also self-reflexive (without being annoying) about the difficulties of writing a family’s story. I feel connected to Isabel, the writer of this tale who also happens to be the story’s protagonist, not only because she is a writer but because she draws strength from her Corsican roots. Think Allende’s The House of the Spirits meets Garcia Marquez’s One Hundred Years of Solitude and Toni Morrison’s Song of Solomon. Then throw in some richly allusive sections haunted by Edgar Allan Poe and Nathaniel Hawthorne, and you can begin to imagine how astonishingly wonderful Rosario Ferre’s The House on the Lagoon is. I highly recommend this book about the history of a house, a family, and an island.
June 2, 2014
"Between the writing and the reading of a text, things change, the world goes round, marriages and love affairs are made and unmade. Wasn't all storytelling, in a sense, like that?... Each chapter is like a letter to the reader; its meaning isn't completed until it is read by someone."
So Isabel says to her husband, and so is The House on the Lagoon. The novel is generational story of Isabel's and her husband's families, but it's also a game of tug-of-war between the two of them that escalates more and more rapidly as the story continues.
I read this book to gain a better sense of Puerto Rico and got that - particular in the sections was about the statehood/ independence debate - but this novel makes use of two unreliable narrators to tell the same story through two sets of eyes. Of course, it's no mystery that the author sides with Isabel.
I enjoyed this novel, both as a cultural dive and a literary experience.
Themes: Puerto Rico, family, writing, politics, culture, race
So Isabel says to her husband, and so is The House on the Lagoon. The novel is generational story of Isabel's and her husband's families, but it's also a game of tug-of-war between the two of them that escalates more and more rapidly as the story continues.
I read this book to gain a better sense of Puerto Rico and got that - particular in the sections was about the statehood/ independence debate - but this novel makes use of two unreliable narrators to tell the same story through two sets of eyes. Of course, it's no mystery that the author sides with Isabel.
I enjoyed this novel, both as a cultural dive and a literary experience.
Themes: Puerto Rico, family, writing, politics, culture, race
June 13, 2014
Enjoyable multi-generational tale about a well-to-do family from Puerto Rico that spans a century of familial secrets, drama, social climbing and the desperate need to protect the reputation of their supposedly prominent clan. I really liked how Ferré talks to the reader through the two narrators of the novel and revealing the internal dialogue that each of them have about one another. Literary elements aside, I liked this book because it puts PR in a historical context that most mainlanders know nothing about. I got enough of a flavor of Puerto Rican history and political limbo that makes me want to learn more.
The part that tickled me the most was the use of Vassar College in the female narrator's personal background. Go Brewers!
The part that tickled me the most was the use of Vassar College in the female narrator's personal background. Go Brewers!
October 1, 2016
This family saga is a terrific introduction to Puerto Rican history and culture. It follows many generations of a single family, and we learn about politics, economics, prejudice, social mobility and women's issues.
However, I didn't finish it, and this was (I think) due to reading it in Kindle format. I found it hard to keep track of all the characters through the generations. There was a family tree at the beginning of the book, but it was too small to read on the Kindle. Plus, I couldn't keep going back and forth to the front because of being on a Kindle. (It would have been way easier to flip to the front of a physical book.) So I never did find out what happened to all of the very vivid characters. Boo.
However, I didn't finish it, and this was (I think) due to reading it in Kindle format. I found it hard to keep track of all the characters through the generations. There was a family tree at the beginning of the book, but it was too small to read on the Kindle. Plus, I couldn't keep going back and forth to the front because of being on a Kindle. (It would have been way easier to flip to the front of a physical book.) So I never did find out what happened to all of the very vivid characters. Boo.
May 3, 2008
a look at the divisions among the elite in puerto rico about the future of the island. should it remain a commonwealth, become a state or become it's own nation? this is the question addressed throughout the story of three generations of a wealthy puerto rican family. the story also gives rise to other thoughts and questions on class as well as race.
the story is written as being narrated through authorship by isabel, the main character, but also gives the very different point of view of her husband quintin at intervals throughout the book, as he finds her manuscript and gives his opinion and version of events she has written in the previous chapter. entertaining read.
the story is written as being narrated through authorship by isabel, the main character, but also gives the very different point of view of her husband quintin at intervals throughout the book, as he finds her manuscript and gives his opinion and version of events she has written in the previous chapter. entertaining read.
September 28, 2011
Having visited Ponce and San Juan, I enjoyed learning about the people and the culture. In my opinion, this story is about the rights of women, and the female characters are strong women. The grandmother who encourages the mother to abort her pregnancy so that she is not bogged down. Then Isobel who decides to write a novel only to have her husband violate her privacy to read it secretly. The book gave more insight to the debate on the island about what their relationship to the United States should be.
Read
April 30, 2010Wonderful book which I actually had to order through Barnes and Noble. Interesting all local libraries had only picked up the subsequentally written books after the fame of this one. I really enjoy the genre of the family saga. I believe this genre is the best form of complete character development because nothing is more revealing about ourselves than our family histories.
December 6, 2016
Did not finish. I read (maybe) one fifth. More and more, I am becoming comfortable with abandoning unfinished books if I'm just not getting any value out of it. This read like several, long, fictional Wikipedia entries--not like a novel. I found there to be a lack of plot, rhythm, character development, etc.
February 24, 2008
The English version is called "The House on the Lagoon" and it was originally written in English although she's Puerto Rican and lots of her work is in Spanish. I love Ferre's combination of great storytelling, colorful prose and history and politics of Puerto Rico. I loved this book.
July 20, 2016
This book follows the fortunes of a family caught up in the politics of Puerto Rico in a deeply moving way. The contrast between the haves and have nots, the racial underpinnings, of women trying to be against a stultifying patriarchy was skillfully rendered.
February 10, 2019
This is a type of novel I rarely read: the multigenerational story of a family. I read it because I was going to, and went to, Puerto Rico. I didn’t learn too much about PR from this novel, but I enjoyed most of it. It’s too long, but entertaining nonetheless.
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