Who Would Have Thought It? (Annotated)
Enriched Edition. My Story of the American Civil War (Autobiographical Novel)By María Ruiz de Burton
Length12h 47m
About this audiobook
Who Would Have Thought It? is a sharp, satirical novel that follows Lola Medina, a Mexican girl rescued from captivity and brought into a hypocritical New England household during the Civil War era. Through domestic intrigue, racial prejudice, religious posturing, and wartime profiteering, the novel exposes the moral contradictions of U.S. society. Its style blends sentimental fiction, political satire, and social comedy, placing it in dialogue with nineteenth-century reform novels while unsettling their assumptions about race, nation, and virtue. María Ruiz de Burton, born in Baja California to an elite Californio family, became one of the first Mexican American novelists writing in English. Her life after the U.S.-Mexican War, including marriage to an American military officer and experience with dispossession under U.S. rule, deeply informed her critique of Anglo-American power. She wrote from the perspective of a bilingual, bicultural woman attentive to how conquest reshaped law, property, and identity. This novel is highly recommended for readers interested in early Mexican American literature, Civil War fiction, feminist satire, and the hidden political complexity of nineteenth-century American writing.
This enriched edition has been carefully crafted to add value to your reading experience.
- A succinct Introduction situates the work's timeless appeal and themes.
- The Synopsis outlines the central plot, highlighting key developments without spoiling critical twists.
- A detailed Historical Context immerses you in the era's events and influences that shaped the writing.
- A thorough Analysis dissects symbols, motifs, and character arcs to unearth underlying meanings.
- Reflection questions prompt you to engage personally with the work's messages, connecting them to modern life.
- Hand‐picked Memorable Quotes shine a spotlight on moments of literary brilliance.
- Interactive footnotes clarify unusual references, historical allusions, and archaic phrases for an effortless, more informed read.
Audiobook details
Rating★★★★ 3.5 (444)
Includes Goodreads, StoryGraph, LibraryThing, Amazon
GenreGeneral Fiction, Historical Fiction
Length12 hrs 47 mins
Narrated byListen with 1,000+ voices
FormateBook with Audio
Publish dateFeb 4, 2021
LanguageEnglish
Table of contents
1Love Under Fire (Annotated)
2Introduction
3Synopsis
4Historical Context
5CHAPTER I. THE ARRIVAL.
Show all chaptersShow less
6CHAPTER II. THE LITTLE BLACK GIRL.
7CHAPTER III. THE MYSTERIOUS BIG BOXES.
8CHAPTER IV. WHAT THE MYSTERIOUS BOXES CONTAINED.
9CHAPTER V. THE ROUGH PEBBLES.
10CHAPTER VI. LOLA COMMENCES HER EDUCATION.
11CHAPTER VII. LOLA'S MOTHER.
12CHAPTER VIII. THE TROPHIES OF MILTIADES DO NOT LET ME SLEEP."
13CHAPTER IX. POTATIONS, PLOTTING, AND PROPRIETY.
14CHAPTER X. HOW A VIRTUOUS MÅTRON WAS KEPT AWAKE.
15CHAPTER XI. MRS. NORVAL DID NOT ENJOY HER BUCKWHEAT-CAKES, AND JULIAN WOULDN'T WRITE ANY MORE POETRY.
16CHAPTER XII. SOMETHING ABOUT THE SPRIG PEDIGREE.
17CHAPTER XIII. WHAT MR. ISAAC SPRIG FOUND AT THE OFFICE. "DEAD-LETTER OFFICE"
18CHAPTER XIV. THE DOCTOR WAS REWARDED FOR LISTENING TO MR. HACKWELL'S SERMON.
19CHAPTER XV. MRS. NORVAL'S HIGH PRINCIPLES BEGIN THEIR WORK.
20CHAPTER XVI. "VENI, VIDI, VICI."
21CHAPTER XVII. JULIUS CÆSAR CACKLE, A MODERN DARIUS.
22CHAPTER XVIII. LAVINIA TO THE RESCUE.
23CHAPTER XIX. MRS. NORVAL'S HIGH PRINCIPLES ON THE RAMPAGE.
24CHAPTER XX. LAVINIA OUTDOES THE SPARTAN WOMEN.
25CHAPTER XXI. JULIAN AND HACKWELL INSPECT THE HORRID SPOTS.
26CHAPTER XXII. "THE AWFUL LITTLE BELL" DESCRIBED BY MRS. CACKLE.
27CHAPTER XXIII. "IT MAY BE FOR YEARS, AND IT MAY BE FOREVER."
28CHAPTER XXIV. LAVINIA'S EXPERIENCES IN WASHINGTON.
29CHAPTER XXV. AT THE CAPITOL.MR. CACKLE AT HOME.
30CHAPTER XXVI. "MUST ISAAC BE LEFT TO STARVE?"
31CHAPTER XXVII. NO, ISAAC SHALL NOT BE LEFT TO STARVE.
32CHAPTER XXVIII. MR. HACKWELL AND THE MADAM CONSOLE EACH OTHER.
33CHAPTER XXIX. LAVVY'S EXPERIENCE AS HOSPITAL NURSE.
34CHAPTER XXX. CAPTAIN HACKWELL BECOMES A HERO AND IS BREVETED.
35CHAPTER XXXI. THE MAJOR IS THE OBJECT OF GREAT SOLICITUDE.
36CHAPTER XXXII. MRS. NORVAL'S CONSCIENCE SPEAKS LOUDLY.
37CHAPTER XXXIII. MRS. NORVAL'S CONSCIENCE WAXES DICTATORIAL.-SHE OBEYS.
38CHAPTER XXXIV. MRS. NORVAL'S VIRTUOUS IMPULSE REWARDED.
39CHAPTER XXXV. MESSRS. WAGG AND HEAD TRAVEL TOGETHER.
40CHAPTER XXXVI. THE RETURNED PRISONERS, AND WHAT THEY SAID.
41CHAPTER XXXVII. MRS. NORVAL'S MENTAL DEBUT.
42CHAPTER XXXVIII. IN WHICH THE MAJOR, LIKE YORICK, WAS A FELLOW OF INFINITE HUMOR.
43CHAPTER XXXIX. JULIAN CARRIES THE WAR INTO AFRICA.
44CHAPTER XL. THE MAJOR'S STAFF.
45CHAPTER XLI. ISAAC IN THE SOUTHERN CONFEDERACY.
46CHAPTER XLII SHAKE NOT THY GORY LOCKS AT ME. THOU CANST NOT SAY I DID IT."
47CHAPTER XLIII. ISAAC IN THE LAND OF THE AZTECS.
48CHAPTER XLIV. BOUND FOR THE UNITED STATES.
49CHAPTER XLV. HOW JULIAN'S PATRIOTIC SONG WAS CUT SHORT.
50CHAPTER XLVI. "OH, ROMEO, WHERE ART THOU? "JE PLEURE, ET LE ROI S'AMUSE!"
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