Barro Y Vida

Publishers Weekly

A Spanish ceramist living in Mexico, Ruiz has written her first novel about the coming-of-age of a young Mexican artist. As a child, Marisa grows to love pottery-making at the side of her grandfather, an exile from the Spanish Civil War. After his death, she continues to communicate with him both through words and through her art. Gradually, she finds her own artistic and personal style and identity. The themes of self-knowledge and personal growth are echoed in the life stories of her family as well as her fellow art students. An abundance of detail about the art and craft of pottery, and the depiction of student life in Mexico City, lend the story an autobiographical tone. Ruiz's direct and unpretentious style is fresh and engaging. Except for a melodramatic central love story, this is a sincere and readable tale. Recommended for public libraries with large Spanish-language fiction sections and for bookstores. Lynn M. Shirey, Harvard Coll. Lib., Cambridge, MA Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information.