The Bitter Taste of Time

Spanning from 1920 to 1997, Gonzalez's second novel follows five generations of a wealthy family in a small Galician town as their fortunes rise and fall with Spain's changing political climate. The six Encarna women, ruled by the harsh and beautiful María, run a successful hotel in Canteira, a picturesque town “long forgotten by the central powers of Spain.” As one of the town's wealthiest families whose men either die young or otherwise leave quickly, the Encarnas are the object of much gossip in the community. From jovial Cecilia to austere Carmen, kind Matilde, withdrawn Asunción and ambitious Gloria, the women change little as the country around them is engulfed in war and political upheaval, and the novel lacks a central narrative as the family bounces from one crisis to another. While Gonzalez's descriptions of Canteira's locals and the town's slow slide into modernity can be charming and whimsical, the novel's engaging beginning peters out as the minidramas that follow fail to break out of a repetitive cycle of poor choices in men and family squabbling. (Oct.)