Series Info/Source: 1st story in the Trespass series. I borrowed a copy of this on ebook through Kindle Unlimited.

Thoughts: This was a well done story. It was very entertaining and impactful for the short story it was. I actually enjoyed it a lot more than some of Moreno-Garcia's full length books.

The story talks about a young woman living with her family in 1917 Mexico. As they dodge soldiers and revolutionaries and try to eke out a living on their farm, are heroine longs for true adventures. Little does she know she's about to have a scary adventure of her own where her and her brother run into a tiger on the mountain.

This is beautifully written and highly entertaining. I fell in love with the characters quickly and enjoyed the look into 1917 revolutionary Mexico. I liked the improbability of an escaped circus tiger wandering the mountains.

The story does end up a bit melancholy. The encounter with the tiger is a crazy event that happened during some desperate times. As the main protagonist wanders into a more settled life, you can tell that some of the toughest times of her life were the most exciting and alive for her.

My Summary (4/5): Overall this was well worth the read and a pleasant surprise for me since I picked it up on a whim. If you enjoy historical fiction and especially short entertaining stories that are very engaging I would definitely recommend it. I look forward to reading more short stories in the Trespass series. ( )

This was a short story that took place in Mexico and was really a comment on the 1905 (?) revolution as played out in the fears of fending off wild animals. 27 pages free Prime reading from March, 2022. In this case, I got what I paid for! ( )

This short story is both a wonderful tribute to family and an interesting read. Well worth devoting a slice of your day to. ( )

I love determined girls in tough circumstances. ( )

Taking Tiger Mountain
Review of the Amazon Original Kindle eBook released simultaneously with the Audible Original audiobook (February 24 2022).

I enjoyed this short story by Silvia Moreno-Garcia which was inspired by her own family legend of her great-grandmother. Moreno-Garcia sets her tale in the midst of the Mexican Revolution (1910-20) when both the Federal and Revolutionary forces would loot the villages for food and people for the war effort. Women, children and animals would hide in mountain caves when the human predators came calling. In the story, there is a circus train derailment and the animals are also roaming the countryside. The 13-year-old heroine is forced to defend her sickened brother against the predation of a wandering circus tiger.

I've always found Moreno-Garcia to be terrific on building atmosphere and tension. She concludes this short story with an author's note, saying:

After the war ended, my great-grandmother went to work in the city as a maid. She did not attend school and was illiterate. She is the reason I’m a writer.

The Tiger Came to the Mountains is one of six Amazon Kindle eBooks released February 24, 2020 as part of their Amazon Original Trespass collection of short stories which "Take a walk on the wild side. When nature gets up close and personal, it isn’t always pretty. A fallen tree sparks a poisonous feud between neighbors. A child searches the darkness for the gleam of a tiger’s teeth. A woman holds off a colony of oddly relentless prairie dogs. In unsettling stories that range from horror to magical realism, award-winning authors lay bare the secrets hidden in the land. ( )