Jean M. Roberts

This is a fascinating book by an author who enlivens and personalizes history, without sacrificing historical authenticity. In this book, the events in 1836 that culminated in Texas independence, are seen through the eyes of two friends, Francita and Magda, who accompany the Mexican army into Texas. Francita is a Mexican from a well to do family, who has become enamored with an officer in General Urrea’s army. Through a touch of fantasy, her friend Magda is a modern-day American who travels back in time, and becomes stuck there for about four months. When Magda arrives, the two friends concoct a plausible story to explain her presence, but she is in constant danger of being exposed.

We empathize with them both, but especially with Magda: she has to adjust to life without the amenities that we take for granted today, like indoor plumbing for hot showers, and modern medical treatment for ailments and injuries.

Both women endure the privations of traveling with an army, and they witness many of the horrors of war firsthand, including the infamous execution of some 400 Texan prisoners in March of 1836 under the orders of Santa Anna. It is their attempts to save the doomed prisoners that forms both the heart and the culmination of this book.

Details are convincing and well rendered. Deft touches abound, including many poignant exchanges between the two friends, and a juxtaposition of diary entries with events of life with an army on the move.… (mehr)