The Hacienda

De: Isabel Cañas

Narrado por: Victoria Villarreal, Lee Osorio

Mexican Gothic meets Rebecca in this debut supernatural suspense novel, set in the aftermath of the Mexican War of Independence, about a remote house, a sinister haunting, and the woman pulled into their clutches...

During the overthrow of the Mexican government, Beatriz’s father was executed and her home destroyed. When handsome Don Rodolfo Solórzano proposes, Beatriz ignores the rumors surrounding his first wife’s sudden demise, choosing instead to seize the security that his estate in the countryside provides. She will have her own home again, no matter the cost.

But Hacienda San Isidro is not the sanctuary she imagined.

When Rodolfo returns to work in the capital, visions and voices invade Beatriz’s sleep. The weight of invisible eyes follows her every move. Rodolfo’s sister, Juana, scoffs at Beatriz’s fears—but why does she refuse to enter the house at night? Why does the cook burn copal incense at the edge of the kitchen and mark the doorway with strange symbols? What really happened to the first Doña Solórzano?

Beatriz only knows two things for certain: Something is wrong with the hacienda. And no one there will save her.

Desperate for help, she clings to the young priest, Padre Andrés, as an ally. No ordinary priest, Andrés will have to rely on his skills as a witch to fight off the malevolent presence haunting the hacienda and protect the woman for whom he feels a powerful, forbidden attraction. But even he might not be enough to battle the darkness.

Far from a refuge, San Isidro may be Beatriz’s doom.

©2022 Isabel Cañas (P)2022 Penguin Audio

Reseñas de la Crítica

“A thing of uncanny, chilling beauty. Hauntings, exorcisms, incantations, forbidden love — The Hacienda transports one to a world where love triumphs over demons.”
—The New York Times

“[R]omantic, frightening, claustrophobic, and entirely satisfying.” —Vulture

“A tale of romance, dread, and supernatural menace." —Harper’s Bazaar

Only one disappointing thing

This was a very good story well performed by both narrators. However I was disappointed in the decision to narrate in English without a Spanish accent. The Spanish words that were spoken were impeccably pronounced and led interest and authenticity to the performance. But then to surround them with English pronounced without an accent was jarring and marred the experience of a story about Spanish speaking people set in their own country.

Twists and turns

This book went back and forth in time to reveal a tale complicated by lies and hatred, love and loss. Performed expertly, I was never lost but appreciated a narrative that revealed the truth, layer by layer.

Spooked.

I can definitely see why "The Hacienda" was so well-received. The way Cañas creates settings is phenomenal, and I was only a few chapters in when another reader in my book club and I both said how we could easily see this becoming a movie or limited series. There were moments I felt I was *in* the house and had to stop listening at night as I got spooked, in a good way!! It was refreshing to see non-female characters described as witches, something that I do in my own books, instead of gendering a character as a witch versus a warlock/wizard. My one qualm is that Andrés' inner monologue seemed to repeat itself a lot, both i theme and verbiage, through most of the story, but that doesn't take away from my enjoyment of it. Kudos to whomever chose what sounded like Spanish-speaking narrators for this story, and for Cañas to actively include Mexican cultural elements and fashion, without pausing the dialogue or plot so the narrator can explain what a sarape or a mantilla is. I loved that aspect of the writing and story!

Wonderful!

Great listen. Kept me intrigued through the book. Will listen again. Definitely different from other books

A little bit of everything

Some mystery, some romance and some haunting. Well intertwined. Really enjoyed the readers speaking in Spanish

Espooky

Very fun listen and griping story telling. Having the story set in post-war Mexico was a very interesting perspective. Something very different and pleased to find as a Mexican-American myself.

Rough start but so worth it

The first few chapters were a bit difficult to get interested in, but it did set the stage for the characters personalities very well. I loved the storyline and the narrators, they did a fantastic job brining the characters out.

The hacienda

Loved it. Thrilling and captivating I didn’t want to stop listening to it, even though I was scared at times.

I wanted to love this, but didnt.

This had an extremely slow beginning. I almost had to DNF this because of how slow it began. I stuck with it and enjoyed it, though. The ending left me with questions and I'm okay with that. It left the reader guessing.

Gripping story, beautiful performance.

Oh, so good. Gripping and intense story, very spooky at times, and the romantic subplot drips with the most delicious pining. The narration was wonderful.