Fredrika a Swedish woman beyond her time travels to study and write of the daily life on the island of Cuba. There she is hosted by a wealthy family with a young daughter, Elena, and a slave girl, Cecilia. Fredrika develops relationships with both girls which results in changing all three of their lives.
Bibliographic Citation:
Engle, M. (2010). The Firefly Letters. New York, NY: Henry Holt and Company.
My Impression:
I thoroughly enjoyed The Firefly Letters. Margarita Engle wrote this story in the form of short poems based on the true life of Fredrika Bremer, the first Swedish female novelist and believer and encourager of women's rights. This story is far beyond it's time and Engle portrays that is an entrancing way. This story is a quick read, partially because of the short poetry format of each chapters, but also because it is easy to get lost in the story and the perspectives of each character who is able to share a little piece of themselves. I think it would be an excellent book to read aloud or to encourage more timid readers with.
Reviews:
"I absolutely loved The Firefly Letters. I found it so amazing, so beautiful, so right. This isn't the first Margarita Engle novel I've read--she writes verse novels set in Cuba; all historical. (I've read The Poet Slave of Cuba, The Surrender Tree, and Tropical Secrets.) But I must admit that this one is definitely my favorite so far."
Becky
http://blbooks.blogspot.com/2010/06/firefly-letters-mgya.html
"The short chapters alternate between the viewpoints of these three women, with a few brief interjections from Cecilia’s husband that did show another side of life in Cuba, but did not especially add to the story of Bremer’s visit. Engle is at her best when she stays close to the story of Frederika and Cecilia. It is the moments where these two women discover each others’ history that are most illuminating. Despite their wildly different circumstances, they forge a connection based not on similar life experiences, but on the similar feelings of loneliness and constraint that their experiences have engendered."
Laura Koenig
http://biblauragraphy.wordpress.com/2010/03/13/the-firefly-letters-a-suffragettes-journey-to-cuba-by-margarita-engle/
How to use this book in your library:
As I mentioned above this book could be magical read aloud to children. I would follow up however, with other books about slavery and Cuba. I would also lead into poetry, because Engle's book is a perfect example of the ways poetry can change the way a story is read.
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