Absolutely excellent and heartfelt!! The emotions the characters brought me made me truly felt like I was dealing with their own struggles as they tried to adjust to a new life in America. Angie Cruz has such poetic and flowing prose that made it super easy to follow along the story. Such a wonderful read!

When structures do not accommodate you, freedom comes at a price. With the backdrop of political turmoil in the Dominican Republic, Ana Cancion is a 15-year-old girl being pulled at the seams. Survival is a game that she doesn't want to play, and Ana longs for the adolescence taken away from her. Despite the hardships, Ana is alive. Some would argue this is enough. But it calls to question: how can we make the world safer and more accessible for young girls and women of color? How can we ensure their agency? Beyond survival, how can we thrive? How can we find happiness?

Godfather but with a female protagonist. This is a bleak and often hard to read book, but one that needs to be read and will join the Latin American literature canon.

Ana Cancion is a fifteen year old girl who lives in the Dominican Republic with her family in the 1965's. She lives in the countryside and her family is struggling to make ends meet. Then she is forced to marry an older man named Juan Ruiz, who takes her to America to live with him in New York City.
There she has to learn to live in a new country as a housewife, in a cold sixth floor apartment in Washington Heights. Juan orders her mostly to stay at home as it is dangerous for her as she doesn't speak English, and there are a lot of bad things happening in the city. But the most bad thing is happening in her own home, when Juan starts to abuse her, and she finds out he has another wife of girlfriend, Caridad. And her family back in the Dominican Rebublic keep sending her letters, mostly asking for more and more money, because she is living the American Dream now right?

Political unrest starts in the Dominican Republic, and because of this Juan is traveling to there to protect is family there. Just before Ana discovers that is expecting a baby. He assigns his younger brother Cesar to take care of Ana. Suddenly Ana gets much more freedom then when Juan is around, and Cesar is kind to her and shows her a different side of America then Juan. She can take English lessons at at a local church, lie on the beach at Coney Island, see a movie at Radio City Music Hall, go dancing with Cesar. Something starts between the two of them, and Ana makes a plan to flee her life with Juan, but Cesar convinces her to stay. But when Juan returns Ana has to choose between her heart and the duty to her family.


Dominicana is a moving book about a girl in a forced marriage, which of course doesn't go well. Juan is abusive to her and keeps her life very small and inside the house, and at a young age, she can not spread her wings and feels trapped. The story is well written and the characters of Ana, Juan and Cesar are well developed, but the story lacks pace and is repetitive at many points. If some parts that didn't add much to the story where left away, the story would have had more pace and this certainly would have made the overall feeling of the story better.This is the immigrant experience against the backdrop of 1965 New York City and we see it through her eyes. She feels very responsible for her family, the reason because she was to marry Juan for hopes of “money and papers” and a better life. This is the moving red line of the story, and you hope as a reader that things make a turn for the better in the end for Ana in this life she finds herself in and that she doesn't have much influence on. Overall it is a nice well written book, lacking a little in pace, but the moving story makes up for it.

Unpopular opinion: I wasn’t blown away by this book like so many others were, but I did appreciate it for allowing a window into this experience and how lonely and isolating it must be for some. I just felt like the ending was abrupt and left so much unanswered about where the story and characters were headed.

Ana is only 15 years old when her mother arranges for her to be married to Juan Ruiz a man twice her age. He will take her to New York away from her home and family in the Dominican. The hope is that one day she can send for her family to join her. This was a gritty and heartbreaking read and I couldn't put it down..

Ana Cancion is 11 years old the first time that twice-her-age Juan Ruiz proposes. Although Ana and her family live in the countryside of the Dominican Republic, the Ruiz brothers are known to all: charismatic, rich and well-traveled from the United States and back, again and again. For four years, Ana and her ambitious, calculating mother wait until Juan makes good on his proposal. A child, tween and young teenager, Ana knows nothing of love, marriage or leaving everything she knows behind. And yet, this is the way she must help her family survive the political turmoil of the Dominican Republic, poverty and their own misguided decisions.

So begins Angie Cruz’s DOMINICANA, a vivid and timely portrait of both the immigrant experience and the coming-of-age of a young woman in a vibrant world. At turns naive, possessed of a wisdom beyond her years and a deep-seated pain, Ana shines as the heroine of a story thrust upon her by familial bonds, the era and, of course, the bonds of womanhood.

On January 1, 1965, 15-year-old Ana dons a gaudy wedding dress, suffers an agonizing sexual encounter with her now-husband, and flies to America dirty, brokenhearted and lonely. She arrives in America as Ana Ruiz, wife to Juan and proud renter of a six-floor walk-up in Washington Heights. Her new home is cold and inhabited by a third person --- Juan’s brother, Cesar --- as well as old makeup, colorful scarves and a lingering smell of perfume indicating that Juan has never been faithful. Not surprisingly, Ana is terrified not only of her husband, but of the city around her with its many sounds and smells.

At the same time, Juan, both dangerously possessive and overprotective, tells Ana only of New York City’s dangers and not its joys. Avoid the homeless, junkies will kill you, he says; avoid Puerto Ricans, they only want to take you from me, he says; avoid blacks/Jews/neighbors/police, he says. Through it all, she has only the advice of her mother: do everything Juan asks and be the perfect wife. One day he will send for us, and we will be together again so we can build something new.

The backdrop for Ana’s arrival in New York City is tumultuous, to say the least. Malcolm X is assassinated right across the street. As Cesar blasts the Rolling Stones from their record player, Ana watches as Vietnam takes over the news. All the while, she searches the television channels --- punctuated by “I Love Lucy” episodes --- and newspapers, desperate for news about the revolution in the Dominican Republic, worrying for her family, a boy she left behind and her future in America. Amidst the political turmoil of the US and her growing concern for her beloved DR, she also must learn who she is as a person and what kind of woman she will become.

Slowly, Ana adapts to life in America, her unfaithful and occasionally abusive husband, and the pressures of her mother’s phone calls. Cruz describes Ana beautifully; though she is the woman of the house (and, at times, obviously the most mature member of the Ruiz household), she is still a child, as evidenced by her conversations with the pigeons that visit her kitchen window and her Dominicana, a doll in which she hides the money she makes through Juan’s business dealings. This dissonance is never more glaring than when Ana hatches a disastrous plan to escape and learns that she is pregnant, now tied to Juan forever. This juxtaposition creates one of the more interesting characters I have ever read, which would be cause enough to pick up this magnificent book, but Cruz does not stop there, infusing Ana with wit, wisdom and a lyrical talent for words.

Soon, Juan is called back to the Dominican Republic to deal with his business ventures there and check on Ana’s family. Finally, Ana is free to experience the real New York, with Cesar as her guide. She signs up for ESL lessons, visits Coney Island, makes a friend, starts a business selling her homemade food to Cesar’s coworkers, and strikes up a powerful camaraderie with Cesar --- to dangerous ends. But with her due date and Juan’s return approaching, she must decide if she will choose her family or her heart; her duty or her freedom; her head or her heart. And did I mention she is only 15?

I won’t spoil the ending, but what I can say is that Cruz writes Ana with such an unbridled, rebellious capacity for joy and hope that she shines through even the darkest moments --- and believe me, her life is full of darkness. She is a true heroine: brave, headstrong and full of potential, and though Cruz does not stray from the harsh reality of her situation, she makes the most of her limitations and brings her to life in a way that many authors simply could not.

DOMINICANA is a staggering portrait of the immigrant experience, not only in 1965, but also today. Combined with Ana’s coming-of-age storyline, this makes for a book perfect for anyone who has ever felt lonely, stagnant or trapped. But most of all, it is for the families who have waited far too long to have their stories told --- families who gave up homes, lives and loved ones for something greater, only to be faced with hatred, discrimination and a different kind of political turmoil. America comes alive through Ana’s eyes, with all of its benefits and flaws, and her story of resilience is one that will stick with anyone who reads it.

Fifteen-year-old Ana is forced to grow up too fast when her family pushes her into a marriage to a man twice her age. Although moving to New York is the dream of many of her friends and family in the Dominican Republic, it isn't her dream. And when she arrives, she feels lost. But when political turmoil in her home country pulls her husband away, she has a chance to find her own voice.

Following Ana through her first year in America is eye-opening and emotional. Danger lurks at every corner for Ana, and although this is historical fiction, her experiences are still very real to many. Dominicana is beautifully and thoughtfully written, and Ana's story is quietly powerful.

Beautiful story that was so difficult to read. I loved the writing style. I loved Ana and found myself rooting for her so much and hurt when she was hurt. Though I do not know much about this particular time period, I still felt the characters and their actions and decisions were so relatable. This was not an easy read but it was a beautiful and necessary read,

Dominicana very much recalls for me the work of Sandra Cisneros and Julia Alvarez, and brought to the surface the same emotions I felt reading 'The House on Mango Street' and "In the Time of the Butterflies' for the first time. This is a beautiful, unflinching coming-of-age tale that perfectly captures New York in the tuburlent yet vibrant 1960s. I don't think that narratives exploring the dark truths of the "American Dream," especially for immigrants, will ever become stale, especially when we have such talented writers as Angie Cruz taking the helm. Thought-provoking and emotional, brutal yet hopeful.

¨Fifteen-year-old Ana Cancion never dreamed of moving to America, the way the girls she grew up within the Dominican countryside did. But when Juan Ruiz proposes and promises to take her to New York City, she has to say yes. It doesn’t matter that he is twice her age, that there is no love between them. Their marriage is an opportunity for her entire close-knit family to eventually immigrate. So on New Year’s Day, 1965, Ana leaves behind everything she knows and becomes Ana Ruiz, a wife confined to a cold six-floor walk-up in Washington Heights. Lonely and miserable, Ana hatches a reckless plan to escape. But at the bus terminal, she is stopped by Cesar, Juan’s free-spirited younger brother, who convinces her to stay.

As the Dominican Republic slides into political turmoil, Juan returns to protect his family’s assets, leaving Cesar to take care of Ana. Suddenly, Ana is free to take English lessons at a local church, lie on the beach at Coney Island, see a movie at Radio City Music Hall, go dancing with Cesar, and imagine the possibility of a different kind of life in America. When Juan returns, Ana must decide once again between her heart and her duty to her family.¨

Angie Cruz delivers a heartbreaking coming of age story, I live in D.R. and this book for me felt like home.
Cruz´s writing is captivating, we as readers, felt it was Ana telling her story. A story based on the life of the author's mother, a book that explores immigration issues, sacrifices, love, and family. But despite all the sadness in her short life, the resilience, and courage of Ana to find happiness is something worth reading. Highly Recommended

Thank you NetGalley and Flariton Books who provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. #NetGalley #Dominicana

I feel as if I read this one already. Is it some kind of reissue, or does it simply overlap with an earlier novel about a poor girl from a Caribbean island who marries a brutish husband to help her parents and ends up unhappy in an apartment overlooking a busy street in Washington Heights? Anyway, it’s an immersive, deceptively simple read that bring Ana and her predicaments to colorful life. The author is good on life lessons, alienation and compromise. Nicely done.

This was an interesting coming of age story. I like books that expose me to different cultures and this one did just that. The down side of this book was that it was hard to read due to the lack of quotation marks. I understand that this is both part of creative writing and a cultural aspect in many different areas but it took me some getting use to.

Four yesss another heart-wrenching, powerful, emotional, shaking you to the cores kind of amazing story about a young woman who learn how to get out of the restraints and earn her own independence stars!

Young Ana didn’t know what kind of future she was about to embrace when she left her life in Dominican countryside by accepting Juan’s marriage proposal and moved to NYC in mid-60’s.

Finally she realizes that is not only a journey to another continent, city, culture, civilization but that is also a big journey to her self-discovery. She begins to learn how to survive in difficult situations and lighten up her mood at the darkest times. Her communication with her doll was outstanding and so emotional that reminds us even she’s married woman, she is still a young child.

She’s struggling to get rid of her boring life she has to live with her abusing and neglecting husband but she also needed to support her family financially and help them immigrate to the states. So that’s her dilemma that she needed to find a way to accept her realities and resume her new life.

Her interactions with her brother-in law helped her feel still alive and discover more about herself and see the different life forms from different perspectives to broaden her horizon. As the time passed, she was not the naïve, little girl who was trapped in a marriage, forced to live in a foreign country. She developed, grew up, adapted. She learned more about her own flaws, her weaknesses, her strengths. She was not a victim anymore, she was fighter, survivor.

I like her journey, I like heartwarming storytelling. The only thing I didn’t like much is ending of the book. I think this epic, moving, colorful journey deserved more meaningful ending. But that’s just my opinion. Mostly this is really good written book and I loved to read every part of Ana’s story.

Well done Angie Cruz, looking forward to read more books of yours.

Thanks to Flatiron Books and NetGalley for sharing ARC COPY of this emotional journey in exchange my honest review.

I LOVE Sandra Cisneros and have been struggling to find another voice that can measure up. Angie Cruz might just be that person. A beautiful immigration story that should be required reading for all Americans.

Dominicana is a coming of age story that is set in NYC in the turbulent and bustling 1960s. Angie Cruz shares a remarkable story about a young girl named Ana. At 15, Ana was forced to marry a man twice her age and move from the Dominican Republic to America...with her family's hope, she could achieve the "American Dream".

Upon her arrival, Ana ends up finding herself isolated from her family and at the mercy of a husband who neither seems to care for her or her needs. While this was a heartbreaking story in many ways, it was also a tale of strength, persistence, and resilience.

I loved that Cruz chose to share this story from the point of view of Ana. While it was very clear she was a teenager in many ways, she has this introspection that made her wise beyond her years. I loved watching her learn how to exert her own independence in difficult situations when the hits just kept on coming. The connection between Ana and her doll Dominicana was just so beautiful and heartbreaking and added so much to the story for me.

This book follows her as blooms both literally and figuratively into the self-assured women she was meant to become. She is able to find joy in the darkest times and I loved the feeling of lightness she was able to find when she spent time with her brother in law. Ana was able to just be without the constraints of other's expectations or the brutal reality of her marriage to Juan.

This was one of those books that I enjoyed reading but found it even more thought-provoking and powerful once I finished and reflected upon it. I think it would make a wonderful book club selection and I look forward to following more of Angie Cruz' writing in the future.

Thank you to NetGalley and Flatiron Books for an advanced copy of this book.

"Dominicana" by Angie Cruz is a heart-wrenching coming-of-age story. Set in the 1960's, fifteen year old Ana, pressured by her family, marries a man twice her age so that she can leave the Dominican Republic and achieve the American Dream for herself and, eventually, her family in New York City. Despite her hopes for fancy dresses and shoes, Ana finds her reality to be very different. Juan, her husband, is abusive, unfaithful, controlling, and often neglectful, leaving young Ana to make her own way in a strange city. However, Ana's desire to pave the way to America for the rest of her family outweighs the suffering she endures at the hands of her husband. She matures from an inexperienced and naive girl to a young woman who can make her own choices and take care of herself.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book and found myself rooting for Ana. The writing was lyrical and richly descriptive, though the author did not utilize quotation marks, which may discourage some readers. The characters came alive and the story was completely believable; indeed I bet a similar story plays out in the lives of many real immigrants every day. Cruz's use of actual historical events adds even more to the feeling that this is a true story about a real young woman. She obviously did a lot of research for this novel and took great pains to make it accurate and realistic.

Many thanks to NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for the privilege of reading an advanced digital copy of this fabulous story. I have already recommended it to so many others, and will continue to do so.

Ana is a young and poor Dominican girl who leaves her homeland during a time of great turmoil to resettle in New York. She is alone, and pregnant. It is only her brother-in-law who offers her hope, friendship and love.

This is complicated when her family joins her and her brutal husband returns. Ana is a survivor and as a reader, I am rooting for her success.

I enjoyed the book and I was engaged by the struggling young Ana.

I will recommend it to students, especially those working with the large Dominican population here in New York City.

I featured this title as a heads-up for those going to BEA, but will have a review or deeper feature closer to publication date.

DOMINICANA is a a layered, absorbing work. Angie Cruz delivers a stunning coming-of-age tale of a determined young woman told through the lens of the immigrant experience of the 1960s - amid all the social maelstroms of that era - full of heart, passion, and courage. You’ve absolutely got a winner on your hands, and it’s pretty much ideal for book groups.