I have had the book for months "Like the sun for flowers" by Irene Villa published in the Espasa Editorial, and although I started it a long time ago, I was not quite "hooked" on it. Even so, and starting with these brief lines, which could well be in my personal opinion, I have already finished reading it and I have a fairly worked opinion on the book and also comparing it with what I have previously read from the author Irene Villa.
Synopsis and book data
"Like the sun for flowers" it's a novel set at Rainbow, an NGO imaginary that aims to take care of children and adolescents whose parents cannot take care of them and work to provide them, as the case may be, adoptive families or foster homes.
Judith, the protagonist of the book is the person in charge of this NGO, a social worker who works in the adoption program of an autonomous community. She is young, enthusiastic, energetic and dedicated to her work, to the point that excess enthusiasm can become a big problem. For years her life has only focused on her work until an unfortunate decision triggers a drama that plunges her into depression and forces her to rethink her future.
Book data
- Number of pages: 304 pages
- Binding: Soft cover
- Editorial: SLU Espasa Books
- Language: Spanish
- ISBN: 9788467045161
- Price: EUR 19,90
Personal opinion
In this book we can find two clear main characters, some secondary characters and the figure of the children from the adoption center, which in my opinion is the best represented and characterized in the novel. Some characters with quite real situations and according to what it means to be an abandoned or "discriminated" minor by any other family situation and who goes from house to house, because of how difficult it is to acclimatize to a new home, with a new family and with new rules. Especially when the age of these minors is increasing.
Turning to the main character, Judith, she is a very professional woman and very dedicated to her work as a psychologist in the juvenile center. Any failure or wrong decision is a very difficult setback to overcome due to his great professionalism and perfection.
Something that has caught my attention and for good are two things:
- There are some fragments of songs of the Spanish music group «Maldita Nerea». I like that writers mention songs or musical artists in their books. This makes that immediately, if I do not know the song, go quickly in its search.
- At the end of the book, there is a note from the author Irene Villa, in which he explains how and why this book began. It was in Mallorca, specifically, in the Nazaret Foundation, a reception center for boys and girls where their parents, unfortunately, could not give them everything they need. I like that experiences as human as this, are taken to literature and are transmitted in some way to people.
As I said at the beginning of this review, I started the book months ago but I didn't quite get hooked on reading it. It lacked something for me to read day after day, as it has happened to me with many other books, among which there is also one by Irene Villa, "It is never too late, princess". The latter did hook me from start to finish. So "Like the sun for flowers" I have been reading it at times, and among other readings.
I do not like to give a grade to books, because it seems to me that reading is totally subjective to the opinion of each one (what I may like does not have to be liked by you and vice versa), but I cannot conceive a review without note so mine is 3/5.
I recommend reading it if you like books with a loaded human and sentimental content, difficult stories from which you can always get something good and positive. If, on the other hand, you are looking for something deeper, I advise against it.