This book like many others, has undoubtedly been my favourite read so far. I appreciated the lighthearted feel to the book even though the themes tend to be on the deeper side. The story follows a women and her journey to find love and break free from the norms that bound women in a society run by men. Ana realizes through her journey of life that love is a concept made up by people who think woman are dependent, sentimental and emotional beings.

As a woman trying to find herself in life, this book related to me in many ways and I found comfort in Ana Maria and her life. The outdated thoughts of being raised to breed and marry are challenged often in this book by Ana Maria, especially after she loses her “precious” virginity and becomes impregnated by Ricardo. Personally I was rooting for this and was extremely upset when Ricardo abandoned her and she ended up in a marriage with Antonio. It felt like every single story I have ever been told about women was repeating itself while Ana became a shell of herself during the years of being married.

Although I feel she tried her hardest to overcome the patriarchal society women are forced to live in, she eventually became dependent on a man. Even though she did not love Fernando, she waited for him even on her deathbed and this dependence. As she lays on her deathbed she realizes that you are who you project onto others. She projected dependence and emotional tendencies such as pettiness, naivety, and selfishness and became a person she was trying to escape from.

Overall, this book was a refreshing change of pace and was more of an easy read. I related and learned a lot from this book so I am glad I read it. A question I have is when you die, would you rather live through all your memories or just forget everything?