Drina has always loved dancing. It is the one thing that can
combat the emotional lows of her life after being treated
poorly as the daughter of a Gypsy and a Spaniard. Though
many people, especially the men, love to watch her dance,
her mother doesn't want her to. As both tragic and
beautiful events unfold, Drina has to find where her place
is in a world that doesn't understand her.
BIRD WITH THE HEART OF A MOUNTAIN by Barbara Mariconda is
an intriguing young adult historical novel that has a voice
which draws you in. Drina's narrative is set up in such a
way as to make you feel her emotions simply by the way her
mind works. The story is heavily centered on her, and you
don't get a solid look into any of the other characters,
which I think is how Drina feels, as if she can rarely see
into the actual heart of a person. Because of this, I didn't
focus so much on where she ends up in relation to the people
around her, but rather where she ends up in relation to
herself and whether she makes peace with herself or not. I
did find myself getting upset at times because I wanted to
know so badly what was going on in some of the secondary
characters' heads, but I don't think the story would have
the same impact if I knew.
The beauty, as well as the desolation, of Drina's
surroundings are told exceptionally well, and you often find
yourself getting lost in the culture of the dance. Because
of that, and Marconda's simple, well-done storytelling, I
really enjoyed BIRD WITH THE HEART OF A MOUNTAIN. I'm very
glad I read it, and I can see this being a favorite for
someone who enjoys historical fiction more.
I throw back my tumble of black hair, roll one bare shoulder
forward. The stack of bangles on each wrist shimmies and
slides as my hands rise like birds in flight.
Drina knows the men who love to watch her dance also believe
Gypsies are no better than stray dogs — but when she dances,
Drina doesn’t think. She forgets who she is. She forgets
what seems to be her legacy: I am nothing. I belong nowhere.
The daughter of a Gypsy woman and a well-to-do Spaniard who
abandoned them, Drina wants only to dance. Why then does her
mother forbid it?
Set during the chaos of the Spanish Civil War in the
fascinating world of Gypsy campgrounds, the vineyard estate
of the family she has never known and the dance halls of
Seville where flamenco reigns, Drina fights to discover who
she is and where she belongs. Can her passion — her duende —
save her from the perils of the civil war? From a father
lost, then found? And will she come to understand what it
means to be a bird with the heart of a mountain?
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