In 1879, Pilar – by some accounts the prettiest of the daughters of Ricardo Torres – is still unmarried and without even a suitor.  She is well beyond the age in which her older sisters married and began families of their own, and her younger half sisters tease her relentlessly about being a spinster. Despite living in a large household, Pilar often feels lonely. In addition, she is still grieving the fact that her mother died when she was a young child, and though the stepmother that raised her was not unkind, Pilar mourns the fact that she has no memories of her birth mother.  She loves her family and the mountain community of Juan González in the town of Adjuntas, yet she wonders if God will answer her prayers for love and marriage.

Pilar is the continuing story of the Torres family which began with Luisa and was followed by Sebastián. Based on true-life ancestors in the author’s family tree, Pilar will enlighten readers about the history and traditions of Puerto Rico during the latter part of the 19^th century, as well as immerse them in descriptions of the environment and family life.  Readers will vividly feel what it was like to live day-to-day in that era, along with the cultural elements that make this tropical Caribbean island unique.
 

Excerpt from Chapter 18 of Pilar
 

Pilar came out to the porch with the broom and began sweeping. “Lo siento, Papá,” she apologized. “I will sweep carefully so as not to choke you in a cloud of dust, but yesterday being a day of rest, the porch has not been swept in two days.”

                “No hay problema, Mija,” Ricardo answered good-naturedly. No problem.

                “Toño, move your feet, please,” Pilar said. “If I sweep your feet, you won’t get married.”

                “Is that what happened to you?” Vicenta couldn’t help asking from inside the house. “Did someone sweep your feet?” The open doors and windows and the dividing walls that didn’t go all the way up to the tin roof often permitted conversations to be heard throughout the home. Pilar could hear her younger sisters snickering and giggling. Mina and Monín poked their heads out to gauge Pilar’s reaction.

                Pilar stopped sweeping, rolled her eyes, and blew a loose strand of hair off of her forehead with a forceful breath. Ricardo chuckled.

                “Superstitions can be funny,” commented Toño, “but just in case…”  He put his feet up on the rung of the chair to get them out of the way of the broom.