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Review

Reviewed Work(s): Algo tan parecido al amor by Carmen Amoraga


Review by: Joanne Lucena
Source: Hispania, Vol. 91, No. 3 (September 2008), pp. 625-626
Published by: American Association of Teachers of Spanish and Portuguese
Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/40648159
Accessed: 05-07-2017 22:22 UTC

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Reviews 625

on a given topic. Chapter 1 specifically, entitled "Literaturas in


some commentaries about the literary influences of the Mayan
"La colnia," covers the fifteenth through eighteenth centur
Manierism, Baroque, Rococo and Neo-Classicism. Textual exam
two preliminary chapters, but it must be remembered that the c
upon the AP reading list. Chapter 3, "Independncia y emancip
the nineteenth century such as Romanticism, Realism, Natura
noted that this section also includes an excerpt from Fern
sarniento as a way to bridge the Baroque and Romanticism. Th
cated to the twentieth century and called "Hispanoamrica den
naciones," is by far the most-represented area of the anthology
pages. In addition to a wide variety of literary genres, this c
dedicated precisely to the often challenging analysis of poetry
When students actually begin reading specific literary select
find an enhanced format from that of the historical, cultural a
biography of the author contains pertinent information about hi
A reader's guide provides both a brief summary of the chosen
to certain topics or narrative techniques. To facilitate reading c
in Spanish accompanies each work. An additional feature here
analysis section which is designed to encourage students to mo
of the text so as to explore broader implications and significan
Taken as a whole, this particular literary anthology leaves
reactions. I say mixed because it is essentially a no-frills, classi
and represents a comprehensive compilation of literary
components for proper preparation for an AP Spanish exam. Th
stands in contrast to other selections that attempt to suppleme
components, images, computer software or other innovative
supplementary materials certainly make an anthology appear a
sometimes if at the same time we run the risk of losing sight
literary selection itself. In this sense, I am optimistic about th
targets and highlights the literature, the literary movements
which they emerge. While at first glance this text may not
supplementary material, I like it because it goes back to the ba
stage and allowing the literary selections to speak for themsel
Joshua Hoekstra

Bluegrass Community College

NEW FICTION

Amoraga, Carmen. Algo tan parecido al amor. Barcelona: Ediciones Destino, 2


ISBN978-84-233-3969-3.

In her latest novel, Algo tan parecido al amor, runner-up for the famous Nadal Prize, Carmen
Amoraga analyzes love and human relationships in the lives of three distinct women. Amparo,
Ana, and Silvana have three diverse relationships with their partners. However, throughout the
novel, their deep friendship binds them together whenever problems arise with their significant
others. The three women have been friends since their school days and continue to rely on each
other for encouragement. Amoraga underlines the importance of female support when women try
to navigate the complex world of romantic relationships.
The novel opens with a third-person narration of Amelia Madrid, a successful designer and
owner of a boutique specializing in wedding dresses. Although her professional life is
flourishing, Amelia feels isolated and lonely because she has no romantic partner. She also feels

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626 Hispania 91 September 2008
embittered and resentful towards her dead mother who was stricken with sudden hypochondria
anytime a suitor came to court her daughter. Amelia is the envy of her married friends because she
does not have to worry about being replaced by a younger, prettier woman. However, in a bid to
overcome her loneliness, she has sex with her neighbor who, in a drunken stupor, mistakes her
apartment for his own and Amelia for his wife. Amelia's narration as a single woman serves as a
contrast to the three dysfunctional relationships recounted by the novel's principal characters:
Amparo, Ana, and Silvana. The theme of the psychological damage that parents transfer to their
children and their subsequent relationships is started in the section about Amelia and is con-
tinued throughout the novel. Amelia's issues offset the other characters' problems, and she is
tied to the women through her relationship with Ana, the shop assistant in her boutique.
Ana's story, narrated in first-person, singular, recounts her adolescent love of Juan Carlos
and their subsequent break-up which she initiated. She encounters him much later as an adult,
married to another woman, and thus begins a passionate affair between the old lovers. Ana
recognizes that she is hurting Cristina, Juan Carlos' s wife, and, although she feels guilty, she
continues the secret relationship in the hope that he will eventually leave his wife. Amoraga's
skill is that she imbues a commonplace topic, that of a woman hoping that her married boyfriend
will leave his wife, with heartfelt emotion. She narrates both sides of the relationship with no
judgment toward any of the characters. Every detail is relayed between the three close friends
and it is this support and advice that allow each woman to confront unpleasant circumstances.
Amparo's narration, also recounted in first-person, singular, is similar to that of Ana's in that
she too is having an illicit relationship with a married man, Vicente. Unlike Juan Carlos, who truly
loves Ana and has done so since he was a young boy, Vicente is an insecure womanizer. Vicente
was Amparo's journalism professor and subsequent boss in his television production company,
another clich that Amoraga employs but in an original way. Amparo is no victim; nor is Vicente's
wife, Soledad. Both women are aware of Vicente's shortcomings and either accept the circum-
stances or combat them in appropriate moments. The history of Vicente and Soledad is narrated
in third-person and intercalated within Amparo's narration. This recounting serves to underline
the difficulties of human relationships, and adds a psychological perspective to her story. Both
women's affiliation with Vicente underscores the novel's title and the different definitions that
people employ to describe love.
The third narration, also told in first-person, singular, is that of Silvana. Silvana is a hair-
dresser and, at first glance, is married happily to Ramon, her childhood sweetheart. They married
very young because Silvana was pregnant; they have two children. This apparently stable and
mundane relationship contrasts with those of Amparo and Ana, who live with uncertainty on a
daily basis. However, after many years of marriage, Silvana wonders what her husband wants out
of life, after all of this time. As in many marriages, they have grown apart. Interspersed in Sil-
vana's narration are fleeting thoughts of her imagining what Cristina and Soledad must feel as the
wife whose husband has an affair. Once again, Amoraga questions the concept of love and its
importance. The poems that accompany each heading of the narrations of Amparo, Ana, and
Silvana underline the uncertainty of love, as do the pithy sayings in Silvana's narration such as
"Desconocer a quien tienes ai lado, iQu es si no un matrimonio?" (2 1 2) or "^Quin tiene la culpa
de que amanezca todos los dias?" (245).
Readers looking for a philosophical treatise on love will not find it in this novel; however he
or she will find a very accurate depiction of affection and human relationships. Both the lexicon
and psychology utilized to illustrate individual behavior underline the modern vision that the
author has of this theme. The adverse effect that the parents' dysfunctional marital relationships
have on their children is a salient topic used to explain each character's subsequent behavior. It
adds to the development of the novel's theme of love and makes the novel a thoroughly
enjoyable read.
Joanne Lucena

Arcadia University

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