Night of the Radishes

( 3 )

Overview

From critically acclaimed author Sandra Benitez comes a compelling novel that takes one woman on a journey from Minnesota to Mexico in a search that tests her marriage, uncovers family secrets, and forces her to discover who she truly is nnie Rush-a 34-year-old Minnesotan-seems to be living every woman's dream: She has an interesting job, loyal husband, and adorable sons. But just beneath the surface, a series of family tragedies haunts her, including the death of her twin sister more than three decades earlier. ...

See more details below
Hardcover
$31.95
BN.com price
Other sellers (Hardcover)
  • All (42) from $1.99   
  • New (11) from $1.99   
  • Used (31) from $1.99   
Sending request ...

More About This Book

Overview

From critically acclaimed author Sandra Benitez comes a compelling novel that takes one woman on a journey from Minnesota to Mexico in a search that tests her marriage, uncovers family secrets, and forces her to discover who she truly is nnie Rush-a 34-year-old Minnesotan-seems to be living every woman's dream: She has an interesting job, loyal husband, and adorable sons. But just beneath the surface, a series of family tragedies haunts her, including the death of her twin sister more than three decades earlier. Her father, plagued by guilt, shot himself soon thereafter; a few years later Annie's brother Hub Hart left home for good. While they haven't had contact for decades, the death of their mother compels Annie to embark on a search for her lost sibling. Hub's trail takes Annie all the way to Oaxaca, Mexico, a town exuberant with Christmas and the Night of the Radishes celebrations. Amid the vibrant festivities, Annie is drawn to Joe, a Berkeley professor staying at the same inn. She must decide whether her love for her husband is great enough to resist Joe, and, ultimately, who was to blame for her sister's death.

Read More Show Less

Editorial Reviews

The Washington Post
Despite the traumatic events that underlie the storyline, Night of the Radishes is written in a lighter vein than Benitez's earlier novels, which may be why, at times, her emotional lushness veers into sentimentality. But the appealing characters and settings, the lyrical language and steadily moving plot, give this novel satisfactions of its own. — Jane Ciabattari
Publishers Weekly
Set in Minnesota and Mexico, Ben tez's engrossing fourth novel recounts the journey of a responsible daughter who travels south to search for her long-lost brother. Thirty-four-year-old Annie Hart Rush is living a mundane life in Minneapolis until her mother's death leaves her $1 million and, far more interestingly, a journal written on her deathbed that forces Annie to rethink her past. She learns that her brother, Hub, who ran away from home at 17, had been sending postcards to her mother all the while that Annie thought he'd disappeared, and she flies to Oaxaca to track him down. After a rough beginning, the novel finds its stride, rewarding persistent readers with a suspenseful plot and well-developed characters. Ben tez does a great job of capturing landscapes, both north and south of the border, and she crafts a convincing voice for the mother's journal, which appears in excerpts throughout the book. Fans of the author's previous novels (A Place Where the Sea Remembers; Bitter Grounds, etc.) will appreciate her detailed descriptions of Annie's emotional growth-much of which happens during the intimate conversations she has with a Berkeley professor who's staying at her hotel (while Annie's husband is at home taking care of the kids). Thanks to Ben tez's superb, lyrical writing, this evocative novel manages suspense without sacrificing beautiful prose. (Jan.) Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information.
Library Journal
Annie Rush is a happily married mother of two whose past is riddled with tragedy and loss that come to the fore when she must attend to her dying mother. To cope, Annie disconnects her heart from her head, but that does not free her from her duty. Before she dies, Annie's mother begs Annie to find her brother, who left home 20 years before; the only clues to his whereabouts are a series of postcards. Annie eventually narrows her search to Oaxaca, Mexico, where she meets Joe Cruz, an anthropology professor and guardian angel in disguise. With his help, she locates her brother and reunites her heart and mind. Benitez (A Place Where the Sea Remembers) creates a moving story about loss, guilt, anger, and forgiveness, set against the colorful mingling of the North American and Latin American cultures (Benitez was reared in both). Speaking to the human need to tell one's story, Benitez's fourth novel is recommended.-Joanna M. Burkhardt, Univ. of Rhode Island Coll. of Continuing Education Lib., Providence Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information.
Kirkus Reviews
A young woman searches for her long-lost brother in Oaxaca, Mexico, during the Christmas festivities-in a small family saga from four-time novelist Ben'tez (The Weight of All Things, 2001, etc.). At 33, Annie Hart Rush has just begun to settle into the confines of her life. Happily married and the mother of two boys, Annie has managed to build a good life for herself after a childhood heavily clouded over with grief. The first blow was the loss of Maggie, her twin sister, more than 20 years ago. Maggie's death (in a tractor accident) set off a chain reaction of tragedy in the Hart family: Maggie's father Elmer (who had been driving the tractor) killed himself in a fit of grief not long after the accident, and her older brother Hub, equally depressed, ran away from home at age 17 and was never heard from again. Or so Annie thought, until her mother Flo confesses on her deathbed that she had received postcards from Hub over the years since he left, all from different places and none with a return address. In the last throes of emphysema, Flo begs Annie to try to find Hub and reunite the family-a task made even more urgent by Flo's will, which leaves the house to Hub. Annie sets off as a kind of private sleuth, partly out of fascination and partly to take her mind off her mother's death. She's able to track Hub as far as Oaxaca before the trail runs cold. There, she's helped in her quest by Joe Cruz, a Berkeley anthropology professor whom she meets at her hotel. Joe has his own family demons (his wife and son died in a fire three years earlier), and Maggie sees him as a sort of kindred soul. Eventually, during the Night of the Radishes (December 23), everything in Maggie's past and presentbegins to converge, and she must decide who she is and-more importantly-who she wants to be. As soap operas go, this is pretty good: a nice mix of family drama, exotic settings, mystery, and psychology.
Read More Show Less

Product Details

  • ISBN-13: 9780786864003
  • Publisher: Hyperion
  • Publication date: 1/7/2004
  • Pages: 288
  • Product dimensions: 5.50 (w) x 8.50 (h) x 0.81 (d)

Customer Reviews

Average Rating 3.5
( 3 )
Rating Distribution

5 Star

(0)

4 Star

(1)

3 Star

(2)

2 Star

(0)

1 Star

(0)

Your Rating:

Review Guidelines
Add Recommendations
Your Name: Create a Pen Name or

Barnes & Noble.com Review Rules

Our reader reviews allow you to share your comments on titles you liked, or didn't, with others. By submitting an online review, you are representing to Barnes & Noble.com that all information contained in your review is original and accurate in all respects, and that the submission of such content by you and the posting of such content by Barnes & Noble.com does not and will not violate the rights of any third party. Please follow the rules below to help ensure that your review can be posted.

Reviews by Our Customers Under the Age of 13

We highly value and respect everyone's opinion concerning the titles we offer. However, we cannot allow persons under the age of 13 to have accounts at BN.com or to post customer reviews. Please see our Terms of Use for more details.

What to exclude from your review:

Please do not write about reviews, commentary, or information posted on the product page. If you see any errors in the information on the product page, please send us an email.

Reviews should not contain any of the following:

  • - HTML tags, profanity, obscenities, vulgarities, or comments that defame anyone
  • - Time-sensitive information such as tour dates, signings, lectures, etc.
  • - Single-word reviews. Other people will read your review to discover why you liked or didn't like the title. Be descriptive.
  • - Comments focusing on the author or that may ruin the ending for others
  • - Phone numbers, addresses, URLs
  • - Pricing and availability information or alternative ordering information
  • - Advertisements or commercial solicitation

Reminder:

  • - By submitting a review, you grant to Barnes & Noble.com and its sublicensees the royalty-free, perpetual, irrevocable right and license to use the review in accordance with the Barnes & Noble.com Terms of Use.
  • - Barnes & Noble.com reserves the right not to post any review -- particularly those that do not follow the terms and conditions of these Rules. Barnes & Noble.com also reserves the right to remove any review at any time without notice.
  • - See Terms of Use for other conditions and disclaimers.
Search for Products You'd Like to Recommend

Recommend other products that relate to your review. Just search for them below and share!

Create a Pen Name

Your Pen Name is your unique identity on BN.com. It will appear on the reviews you write and other website activities. Your Pen Name cannot be edited, changed or deleted once submitted.

 
Your Pen Name can be any combination of alphanumeric characters (plus - and _), and must be at least two characters long.

Continue Anonymously
Sort by: Showing all of 3 Customer Reviews

  • Posted March 10, 2013

    I've been to Oaxaca Mexico so was interested in reading this nov

    I've been to Oaxaca Mexico so was interested in reading this novel, found it kind of slow in getting to the main plot of the story.

    Was this review helpful? Yes  NoThank you for your feedback.   Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.

  • Anonymous

    Posted March 20, 2013

    No text was provided for this review.

  • Anonymous

    Posted January 27, 2009

    No text was provided for this review.

Sort by: Showing all of 3 Customer Reviews
If you find inappropriate content, please report it to Barnes & Noble
Why is this product inappropriate?
Comments (optional)