Delia's Crossing - Delia, Bk 1 Author:V. C. Andrews KIDNAPPED BY CRUEL FATE... — After her parents are killed in a truck accident, Delia Yebarra's life is turned upside down. At fifteen, she leaves the rural Mexican village where she grew up and embarks on a new life in America. Coming to her wealthy aunt Isabella's huge estate in Palm Springs, California, should be a dream come true... more » for a simple country girl like Delia -- so why does it feel like a nightmare?
A PRISONER OF DESTINY...
Her aunt refuses to acknowledge Delia's heritage, relegating her to servants' quarters with a licentious language tutor intent on exploiting a beautiful young foreigner. Her cousin Edward is kind, but cousin Sophia is cruel, manipulative, and resentful of Delia's smoky Latina looks. And just when Delia tries to embrace the life of a real American girl, a heartbreaking chain of events sends her spiraling back to a Mexico she hardly recognizes.... Will Delia find a place to call home?« less
To sum this book up in one word: Dull. I grew up devouring V.C. Andrews books, I couldn't put them down. I was excited after her death to hear the family found unfinished manuscripts and story ideas left behind. They hired a writer to bring them to fruition and the results have been a steady decline in quality. I had trouble even caring for the main character, some sympathy for the cousin, Sophie, and lukewarm feelings for the good guys, Edward and Jesse. Ignacio and his family were the only characters I actually had some caring for. Only curiosity kept me till the last page.
This book was given to me by a friend.. I enjoyed it alot. It includes alot of spanish words and phrases, but they are always explained. While I personally found this a bit different, I enjoyed the book very much. I think you will too.
Living a content life in her small Mexican village, Delia has just celebrated her fifteenth birthday. She lives with her parents and her grandmother in a small house. They don't have a lot of money, but Delia knows she is loved and wouldn't trade her life for anything.
But Delia's parents are killed in a freak accident and her grandmother is too old to provide for her. Her grandmother tells her that she is going off to America to live with her aunt. Delia doesn't know her aunt. Isabela left Mexico and married an older rich American. Isabela refuses to acknowledge any reminders of her life in Mexico.
Upon arrival in Palm Springs, Delia hopes for a new life. She is homesick for her grandmother, but vows to make the best of things. However, her aunt has other ideas. After arriving at the house, Delia is sent off to a dingy room at the back of the grounds. Because of her limited grasp of the English language, she is to be treated as an employee rather than as a long-lost relative. No one besides Isabela and the English tutor knows her true identity.
Delia struggles to do everything her aunt asks of her. But things go from worse to tragic. It's only after her cousin, Edward, learns who Delia truly is, does life take a turn for the better. Delia finally gets to attend school. Rather than the private school that her cousins Edward and Sophia attend, Delia is stuck in the ESL class at the local high
school.
But as with any V.C. Andrews story, life doesn't remain rosy for long. Sophia has plans of her own that may sabotage Delia's tentative happiness.
DELIA'S CROSSING started out a bit slow. The background was being set for the hardships that Delia was about to encounter. But once Edward is brought into the picture, the story unfolds at a brisk pace, pitting Delia against all the evil people she meets in America. Delia is an innocent thrust into the den of lions.
There are redeeming characters in America, such as her cousin Edward and his friend, Jesse, but it's the evil ones that Delia must endure that make the book so exciting.
Delia's struggles in America continue in the next installment, DELIA'S HEART.
(Note: There are situations that Delia is thrust into that are best left for the older reader.)
