A Ballad of Love and Glory

A Ballad of Love and Glory is described as A Long Petal of the Sea meets Cold Mountain, and I can definitely see that. It's very detailed on the historical side of things, alongside a love story between what seems like an unlikely couple, but their love transcends culture and ethnicity.

In a word: epic.

We follow Ximena and John separately at first, and then together as their worlds collide through the war. Their love story is so unlikely, yet at the same time, it makes sense. They both have broken lives due to the war, and it brings them together.

There's just a ton going on in this book. The historical element is very well defined and you get a lot of background into what's happening and why. Having also just read A Long Petal of the Sea, I can see how the writing is similar, with so much history rolled into it, but I actually like Love and Glory better because it didn't take as much time out of the story in order to go over history lessons.

Besides a ton of historical facts, this book is also pretty raw in the details. It's a book about war, and it doesn't shy away from some depictions of what things were really like. There's a lot of violence, a lot of death, and a lot of suffering. I wasn't quite expecting that to be honest, and it made the book pretty heavy at times. I had a hard time picking it up a few times, knowing I was descending into a land of death and destruction, but I also couldn't stay away.

Read my full review: https://literaryquicksand.com/2022/03/review-a-ballad-of-love-and-glory-by-reyna-grande/