Mohr, Nicholosa | MIGUEL A. ORTIZ
MIGUEL A. ORTIZ
Nilda is the story of a Puerto Rican family living in New York. It is narrated from the point of view of a young girl; Nilda is ten years old at the outset of the story which covers a four year period, from 1941 to 1945. I presume the author chose this time period because it coincided with her own childhood and early adolescence. There is no evidence in the novel that there was any other reason. The author was not striving to capture the flavor of the forties. The biggest event of the time, World War II, is incidental to the story. (p. 6)
The accumulation of details without dramatic purpose results in overwhelming boredom. This, I suppose, is more a failure of technique than of intention. The portrait of life in El Barrio is fair enough but the author seems to be depending on the inherent drama of poverty to carry the book. That drama never materializes. The characters have no depth. Though none of their actions strikes a false note,...
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