From her home in Paris, Lina recalls the story of three women whose lives unfold in the conservative city of Barranquilla in Colombia. Amid parties at the Country Club and strolls along the promenade in Puerto Colombia unfurls a story of sensuality suppressed by violence; a narrative of oppression in which Dora, Catalina, and Beatriz are victims of a patriarchy that is woven into the social fabric.
Ambitious novel ... [December Breeze] placed Moreno among the emerging Latin American women writers who became part of one of the most significant literary developments in the last two decades of the 20th century ... The rich tapestry the author weaves in December Breeze includes religious references, philosophical musings, and scientific theories ... As a Colombian expat and a writer, I feel a strong connection to Moreno’s work and share her obsession with the world in which she grew up.
A layered if diffuse story ... An incisive perspective on the lives of three women ... Though the long, convoluted sentences wear on the reader, as does the lack of cohesion, Lina’s insights on domineering men are hard to ignore.
A comprehensive indictment of the conditions facing woman in that coastal Colombian city in the 1950s ... Exposing the city's sexual violence, misogyny, classism, and racism in sharp and unrelenting detail ... Each young woman’s story is told with elaborate attention ... Patience is required to discern the interlocking web of family and professional connections...and the detail...may be daunting to the casual reader ... Moreno’s dense and incrementally meandering prose recites a litany of suffering layered upon suffering.
