Die ein Jahrhundert umspannende, detailverliebte und lebensstrotzende Geschichte einer Familie. Der fantasievolle Erzähler breitet sie in der ihm eigenen Mischung aus liebevoller Charakterschilderung, Sinnlichkeit und epischem Schwung aus.(dzblesen.de)

Oscar Hijuelos- an American writer of Cuban descent -gives a truly authentic flavor to his diverse characters. As this novel begins and all 14 of the O’Brien sisters are introduced in order of their age, we quickly discover that Emilio was the last to be born into her unusually large family. Although each sister is featured individually throughout the tale, most of the attention goes to first-born Margarita and to last-born Emilio. At times the narrative regresses back to the past, telling the story of how the Irish father and Cuban mother met in her home town in Cuba, came to the United States, and settled on a small farm in Pennsylvania.

As the O’Brien children become adults, they scatter to Cuba, Hollywood, New York City and other less notable locations. And with a family that big, you know there is plenty of action: marriages, affairs, divorces, births and deaths. The story is quaint, nostalgic, and beautifully written. The love scenes, though sexually graphic, are benign and sterile in their poetic cadence.

Emilio ends up in Hollywood starring in B rated movies. Several sisters perform in up-scale nightclubs in Manhattan, thus Hijuelos provides lots of trivia information about the entertainment industry in the 1930s.

The plot is interesting with all the characters realistically presented and vividly detailed. "The Fourteen Sisters of Emilio Montez O’Brien" is one of the few novels I’ve ever read that portrays elderly people as totally functional independent participants in life. Margarita finds love and re-marries at the age of 90, as another slightly younger sister has a short but beautifully romantic affair. So for those readers who think romantic life ends at age 60 or even 70, this is a huge revelation… and totally believable in the context of the story.

After being impressed with Oscar Hijuelos’ Pulitzer Prize winning novel "The Mambo Kings Play Songs of Love", I was looking forward to reading The "Fourteen Sisters of Emilio Montez O’Brien". My only complaint is that the story drags on and on, with too little drama, guarded emotion. and simply way too many sisters. In the early 1900s it was customary to have as many as 7 or 8 children, but 15? What was Hijuelos’ intention in creating such a large family? Perhaps there is some underlying message but it doesn’t bode well... a Cuban mother that never learned to speak English, pumping out babies year after year while her husband struggles to support the family and hides his anguish with alcohol and drugs. But this is not written in Faulkner’s dark depressing style, nor the introspective cynical philosophy of Sinclair Lewis. Hijuelos has a lighter style. He doesn’t dig too deeply into the tragic side of life. "The Fourteen Sisters" is a bit more upbeat, with a complacent contemporary Latino flair. Hijuelos implies there is no sense in contemplating life too deeply because what will be, will be, or as they say in Spanish, “Que Sera, Sera”. ( )

Margarita, la mayor de las catorce hijas del irlandés Nelson O´Brien, un fotógrafo poco corriente, y de la cubana Mariela Montez, una mujer sensible y aficionada a la poesía, nos cuenta cómo, en un soleado domingo de 1925, nace por fin en la familia un varón, Emilio, que crecerá en el alegre y sensual universo femenino que le rodea. Mientras Margarita va recordando el pintoresco pasado de sus padres, va también dando cuenta de los amores y las tragedias que van marcando su propia existencia poco común y la no menos excéntrica de sus trece hermanas. Sigue también de cerca las peripecias de Emilio en su época de bohemia, su paso por el ejército y finalmente por Hollywood, donde se convierte en actor de películas de serie B, codeándose con gran soltura y encanto con los grandes ídolos del cine de los años cuarenta y cincuenta. Poco a poco, el lector va descubriendo la hermosa y emocionante trama que hilvana esta historia múltiple y se siente llevado, entre sonrisas y lágrimas, a lo largo de una aleccionadora y entretenida saga familiar. ( )

this is a beautiful tribute to a successful 20th century family. each sibling has her own personality; still, most manage to gravitate toward one or
two to whom they feel closest. ( )

I believe I have now read all of Hijuelos' books and this one didn't disappoint. Although the oldest sister is the focal point of the story, the reader really gets to know the entire family -- each girl with her strengths, weaknesses, dreams, disappointments, and triumphs, and then there is Emilio surrounded by all those women in his life. The writing is so readable; the words just seem to "paint" a picture of this remarkable yet so ordinary family.

The book covers time from the turn of the century into the 1970's from Cuba, Ireland, and the US. The plot is an ongoing saga with no great twists and turns although as in real life, surprises do occur. The culture of US and Cuba is a realistic backdrop. Overall, great story about a great family -- but one not much different than any families we might know (of course, 15 children is a bit rare today).

The writing in this book just pulls you in; it's not a "page turner" of excitment. Rather it is a slow addiction. ( )