It is the story of two women in the realm of seventeenth-century Angola.
This is the first novel by Isabel Valadão and a true literary gem. Well done, there is a new writer! This book is about two completely different women, Maria Ortega, a mulatto that target exile in the colonies and Anna St. Michael, a noblewoman whose fate inexorably drift apart with the death of her husband. Apparently the two have nothing in common. One is the owner and the other one is free slave. The city of Loanda is the background of our history, will be the unifying bond of these two women warriors, who will join forces for a better world. The battle begins and they are the two protagonists of a historical novel full of action, dangers, joys and sorrows. I liked how the author built these two so fascinating personalities. Both are rich and full of nuances, in particular Maria Ortega. Loanda is the third character in this book. We see the beginnings of the capital of the kingdom of Angola, the daily life of one of the largest cities of the former colonies, the slave market controlled by the Portuguese and the battles for territory, during the seventeenth century. The scenario is described in a very vivid and eloquent language, Isabel Valadão writing is of great aesthetic beauty. Read with great intensity. I really enjoyed and I hope you will accompany me on this journey through the Portuguese world of the seventeenth century. Good read.
