From Aztec princess to slave and concubine, Hummingbird--or Huitzitzilín in her native Nahuatl--recounts her life during the Spanish conquest of Mexico. Expressing a confidence and freedom that women have strived for centuries to attain, Huitzitzilín passionately relates her tale to Father Benito, the priest who seeks to confess and convert her, to offer her an absolution she neither needs nor wants. Instead, she forces him to see the conquest, for the first time, through the eyes of the conquered.

I thought this was a good read. An old woman tells her story to a Catholic priest. I did find it a little long at times, but it was a quick read.

Sending as a RABCK. Enjoy!

Thank you very much lauraloo29, the book arrived safely yesterday!

This is a short novel that didn't disappoint me, but somehow I had greater expectations from it.

Reading the blurb, it's easy to guess what the key points and issues are and one can guess that there will be a clash of mentallities, way of thinking and conscience, that may or may not lead to a redeeming end too.

But somehow, the writting style and narration format didn't grab me so much. At first I was completely cold towards the characters and while the story grew on me somewhat, I still felt something was missing to really make me connect with Father Benito or Huitzitzilin.

I was more interested on the historical facts and the author's take on things, but while I'm always fascinated by long gone civilisations, the book was too short to fulfill my curiosity on the Aztecs or the events described.

I feel that there was much potential here that didn't materialised. Don't get me wrong, this was a very decent book, I liked it, but I didn't love it.

The book got itchy feet again and is now travelling to Finland throught the 19th Round of the First Sentences Virtual BookBox!

Enjoy!

First Sentence: "The Franciscan monk approached the convent entrance, cautiously tugged at the rope that rang the bell, and waited tensely until he heard the shuffling steps of the gatekeeper."

Thank you, Delphi_Reader, the book is now safely with me. A new book, author and topic, but sounds very interesting.