Deborah's Reviews > The Mango Bride

THE MANGO BRIDE by Marivi Soliven was one of the Reading Women podcast discussion book picks for May as part of their focus on Asian Pacific Islander Heritage Month. I haven’t read much literature focusing on that region of the world, so this sounded like a great book to pick up.

The book focuses on two women from the Philippines. Amparo has had a privileged upbringing in a family with money and staff. Beverly has been raised by her aunt in relative poverty after her single mother’s death and she must work to help support herself. Taking very different routes both women wind up in California seeking freedom and a better life. There, Amparo and Beverly find their lives interweaving in unexpected ways.

This was a beautiful book and I felt like it conveyed a lot about life in the Philippines. The author’s descriptions of the food will leave you hungry and her descriptions of the culture’s customs and celebrations give this novel a strong sense of place.

The men in the story are cast in a much more negative light. The local men are caught up in family appearances and making a living. Men from the U.S. come to seek the perfect subservient “mango bride” to take home more as a servant than a true life partner. While the female characters are well developed, both imperfect and relatable, I would say that the male characters are a less developed.

This book was heart-breaking and beautiful and I’m glad that I was encouraged to pick it up as it is probably not one I would have otherwise read on my own. This also fulfilled my #aroundtheyearin52books