In the old Colombian port of Cartagena, twelve-year-old Sierva María is the neglected daughter of a marquis. After a rabid dog bites her, church authorities decide she may be possessed and commit her to the Convent of Santa Clara. Father Cayetano Delaura, a priest and scholar, is ordered to exorcise her, but he becomes obsessed with her and begins visiting in secret. García Márquez sets their love against the backdrop of the Inquisition, plague, and the household of African slaves who had raised the girl.
It is a short novel for readers who like García Márquez's prose but want a tighter story than One Hundred Years of Solitude. It also offers a sharp picture of how a colonial society enforced belief.
Deep, inward-looking, contemplative and thought-provoking; a moderate read.
Best for readers like The Mindful Reader. Which reader are you?
- Published
- 1994
- Language
- EN
