Description
Benedicta Takes Wing and Other Stories is the debut collection of short fiction by Filipino American writer Veronica Montes. In these fourteen stories, Montes explores the intricate workings of Filipino families as they struggle to define their place in the world. Two American-born sisters bumble their way through an unforgettable night at a Manila nightclub famed for its staff of midgets. The mother of legendary warrior Gabriela Silang has been lost to history, but here she is given voice to share her story. A lonely, middle-aged woman's life changes when she stumbles on a surrogate son and together they create a makeshift family. "Veronica Montes limn the lives of Filipino families," writes author Benito Vergara, "with wit, simmering fury, and an abundance of generosity. With her sharp eye for the telling detail, she depicts the grief and everyday joy handed down as inheritance, the affections and denials the bind Filipino families together."
Reviews
"Montes' stories are a profound collection that moves us fluidly among and beyond physical places, myth, real and dream time. Each story feels like a mantra bringing us back to center, in longing and belonging, reminding us how we lose and find each other in the world." -- Arlene Biala, author of her beckoning hands
"Filipino American author Veronica Montes limns the lives of Filipino families with wit, simmering fury, and an abundance of generosity. Each piece is a stunningly vibrant photograph found in a faded album, with ates and titas and lolas who live and bicker and mourn and laugh. With her sharp eye for the telling detail, she depicts the grief and everyday joy handed down as inheritance, the affections and denials that bring Filipino families together." -- Benito Vergara, author of Pinoy Capital
About the Author
Veronica Montes was born in San Francisco and came of age in Daly City. Her writing has appeared in many literary magazines and anthologies. She is co-author, along with Cecilia Brainard, Erma Cuizon, Susan Evangelista, and Nadine Sarreal, of the dugtungan novel Angelica's Daughters.
Benedicta Takes Wing and Other Stories is the debut collection of short fiction by Filipino American writer Veronica Montes. In these fourteen stories, Montes explores the intricate workings of Filipino families as they struggle to define their place in the world. Two American-born sisters bumble their way through an unforgettable night at a Manila nightclub famed for its staff of midgets. The mother of legendary warrior Gabriela Silang has been lost to history, but here she is given voice to share her story. A lonely, middle-aged woman's life changes when she stumbles on a surrogate son and together they create a makeshift family. "Veronica Montes limn the lives of Filipino families," writes author Benito Vergara, "with wit, simmering fury, and an abundance of generosity. With her sharp eye for the telling detail, she depicts the grief and everyday joy handed down as inheritance, the affections and denials the bind Filipino families together."
Reviews
"Montes' stories are a profound collection that moves us fluidly among and beyond physical places, myth, real and dream time. Each story feels like a mantra bringing us back to center, in longing and belonging, reminding us how we lose and find each other in the world." -- Arlene Biala, author of her beckoning hands
"Filipino American author Veronica Montes limns the lives of Filipino families with wit, simmering fury, and an abundance of generosity. Each piece is a stunningly vibrant photograph found in a faded album, with ates and titas and lolas who live and bicker and mourn and laugh. With her sharp eye for the telling detail, she depicts the grief and everyday joy handed down as inheritance, the affections and denials that bring Filipino families together." -- Benito Vergara, author of Pinoy Capital
About the Author
Veronica Montes was born in San Francisco and came of age in Daly City. Her writing has appeared in many literary magazines and anthologies. She is co-author, along with Cecilia Brainard, Erma Cuizon, Susan Evangelista, and Nadine Sarreal, of the dugtungan novel Angelica's Daughters.