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Writer's pictureHerzie Santos

Book Review: The San Augustin

Updated: Dec 3, 2021


Summary

The San Augustin is a coming-of-age historical novel, and the second book in The Two Valleys Saga written by Mary Armstrong. The story revolves around a fictional character named Jesus ‘Chuy’ Perez Contreras Verazzi Messi, and the events that led to his uncle and young cousin’s heinous murders during the late 1800s.


Review

What an absorbing read this was! The Two Valleys Saga series relives one of the most enduring mysteries of the Southwest. It depicts the ten years leading to the disappearance and suspected heinous murders of Colonel Fountain and his eight-year-old son. In this book, there are death threats and political turmoil as sides are drawn with hints of range and political wars on the horizon. When Colonel Fountain is delayed on his trip home from a court hearing in Lincoln, I shared Jesus and Rosa’s fear of the impending danger.


Moreover, Jesus’ story stirred emotions that I thought I had left in my past. Every awkward phase of growing up had me reminisce those years when I had experienced things for the first time. Jesus has a lot of sentiments that are very relatable, like feeling ignored by his own family, being called names that he hates, and being lectured about the birds and the bees. I mean, for a guy, there is nothing more embarrassing than your girl’s parents educating you about the birds and the bees!


Although there are many highlights in this story that are impacting, there is one that really stood out for me, mainly because of how Colonel Fountain responded to it. It’s when Jesus wanted so much to change his surname because he had never felt connected to his own family and instead, he wanted to be a part of the Fountain family whom he felt more connection to. This is something I can relate with, not because I’ve had a thought about changing my surname, but because in the past, there was a time when I wanted to cut ties with my own family. Of course, that was all in the past, and we all eventually learn, most especially during these pandemic times, that family is very important.


I’m giving this book 5 out of 5 stars. It captured the historical significance of the Fountain murders in 1896, and I felt deeply about Jesus’ overwhelming fear, traumatic experiences, family drama, heart-fluttering romance, and embarrassing experiences. I highly recommend this book to readers who love coming-of-age stories, and crime mysteries based from true events.


https://www.amazon.com/San-Augustin-Valleys-Saga-Book-ebook/dp/B09MJNPFVF/ref

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