They Firefly Letters

Engle, Margarita. (2010). The Firefly Letters: a Suffragette’s Journey to Cuba. New York, NY: Henry Holt and Company, 151 pages. $16.99 ISBN: 9780805090826

Plot Summary:

Cecilia is a young slave girl who is owned by Elena’s family.  When Fredrika comes to stay with Elena’s family Cecilia is sent to serve as Fredrika’s translator for the duration of her stay since Cecilia’s English is better than Elena’s.  Elena is twelve and very sheltered, her days are spent inside embroidering linens for her future marriage.  Meanwhile Cecilia and Fredrika become fast friends, sketching and releasing captive fireflies together about town.  Soon Fredrika asks Elena’s father to find her and Cecilia a place to stay in the country because she is concerned for Cecilia’s health.  Cecilia is pregnant and the city air has given her a severe cough.  Elena misses the friendship of the older girls while they are away, finding Fredrika’s influence has caused her to rethink her future and immediate goals.  When Fredrika and Cecilia return to the city Elena shares with Fredrika a plan she has been developing; a plan she believe Fredrika will not only approve of, but willingly assist in. 

Critical Review:

The Firefly Letters is beautifully written in verse.  The story is based on the letters of Swedish suffragette Fredrika Bremer, who visited Cuba in 1851.  Cecilia really existed and served as translator to Bremer during her stay in Cuba, but the author notes that Elena is fictional.  Engle’s verse and imagery make it easy to imagine the lush island’s warm evenings lit by the glow of fireflies above.   Engle also describes the practice of slavery as it existed on Cuba at the time.  This story is touching, written from three the viewpoints of three very different young women: independent Fredrika, sheltered Elena, and slave Cecilia.  All three lead very different lives and yet all become true friends.  Cecilia is the only one who is literally owned, but in a way all three are captives of their gender.  Because they are women they automatically have fewer rights and less say in their futures and the futures of their children.  Cecilia realizes this as she wonders about what kind of future her baby will have.  Elena wonder what kind of future she will have with the man her father chooses for her to marry when she turns fourteen in two short years.  Fredrika refused to be trapped by marriage in Sweden and leaves to travel the world.  Engle’s story was brief, under 150 pages, but it conveyed a world of feeling and emotion.  This is a true gem.

Genre:

Poetry

Historical Fiction

Interest Level:

Grades 7 and up

Similar Books:

The Surrender Tree by Margarita Engle

Subjects/Themes:

Cuba

Slavery

Poetry

Women’s Suffrage

Awards/Honors:

Pura Belpré 2011 Honor Book

ALA Notable Book 2011

ALA Amelia Bloomer List 2011

Annotation:

The Firefly Letters tells the story in verse of three girls contemplating their futures in a world ruled by men.

Book Talking Ideas:

The Firefly Letters is an historical novel written in lyrical verse.  The story follows Swedish suffragist Fredrika Bremer as she visits Cuba in the 1850’s.  Fredrika is an independent, free thinker who refused to be tied down by marriage, deciding to travel the world instead.  In Cuba Fredrika meets Cecilia and Elena and changes their world and future by just being their friend. 

Why I chose to include this Book:

I included The Firefly Letters because I was blown away by the beautiful, lush verse and vivid descriptions in the novel.