Community Library Notes
“The Stories of Eva Luna” by Isabel Allende is about women with unusual powers.
The first is about Belise Crepusculario. After she learns how to read and write (from a priest) she becomes a seller of words. She is taken via horse back to El Mulato to see “the most feared man in all the land.” He wants to be president and pays her to write a speech that will help him to win election. She also gives him two secret words for himself. Later, she goes to him and takes his hand.
The second is about Elena Mijias and Juan Jose Bernal. Elena’s mother runs a boarding house, and Elena is, at first, a skinny, homely girl. She later turns into a beauty. Juan Jose comes to live at the boarding house. He’s a nightclub entertainer who plays guitar and sings.
One evening, he sings in the patio of the boarding house and Elena falls in love with him. She notices her mother wearing eye make-up, red lipstick, and new perfume. She spies on her mother and finds her making love to Bernal. Elena wants to be in that position and goes to his room to absorb his odor, in his clothes, in his mirror.
When he falls asleep that night, she is on top of him quietly and he responds. Years later, she has no memory of that moment, although Bernal apologizes for it.
In the next story, Eva is a servant for La Senora, a “lady of the night.” Clarissa comes to lay her hands on La Senora’s back. She has two children, one is a mentally handicapped albino girl, the other is a boy who only rides a stationary bike in their indoor patio.
She goes to Congressman Don Diego to beg for donations. Clarissa gives these to the needy. She has two other children who care for the older ones. The Pope comes to her town and after Clarissa sees him ride by in a parade, she goes home to die. Everyone comes to watch her die, including Don Diego. When he leaves, he is smiling. So is Clarissa. Eva guesses that Don Diego was Clarissa’s only sin. That was why she had two strong, healthy boys. When she died, everyone said she was a saint. Eva knew better.
A British superintendent and his wife live on a sheep ranch near Tierra del Fuego. They plant roses to resemble British gardens that they miss. Hermelinda invents games for the men who work there to play. If a man won at Todd’s Mouth, he could spend two heavenly hours with her. When El Arturiano arrived, he saw she was made of the same strong stuff as he.
After he won the ring toss, he and Hermelinda disappeared into her room for the whole night. When they emerged, they had two suitcases. The other men watched as they mounted two horses and rode off, waving to her desolate admirers, never to be seen again. The British superintendent and his wife continued to be bored.
Antonio Vargas never trusted the banks. He buried his gold in the ground. Other people’s paper money became worthless. The only person he trusted was the store keeper, Riad Halabi. Vargas brought his concubine, Concha into his house even though his wife didn’t like this plan. Concha has her baby, and Vargas’ wife seems like his grandmother. The two women become close as sisters.
After Vargas becomes a gambler, he loses to a lieutenant, Vargas says he’ll pay with his gold. When he goes to dig it up, he howls in agony. It is gone. He goes to a tavern and doesn’t return home. When they find his body, the two women bury him. They go to the city by bus and return with new clothes. They repair their house, add new rooms, and go into the cookery business. They are prosperous and happy.
The stories continue like this. There is Dulce Rosa who was crowned queen, and Tadeo Cespedes, a constant fighter. Revenge always finds its way at the end. And there is a little girl, Azucena, who is trapped in quicksand and Rolf Carle, a television reporter, who tries to save her. Eva loved him for this effort. Just as in the story of Scheherazade by Rimsky-Korsakov, Eva Luna finishes her stories as dawn approaches.
Find this fascinating book by Allende at your Mendocino Community Library — when it reopens.
The Mendocino Community Library is at the corner of William and Little Lake streets, Mendocino. Hours: Monday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Tuesday to Saturday, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.; closed Sundays and holidays, 707-9375773.