Not for all the wine in the world

Review of the book “Not for all the wine in the world”, by Estrella Gómez

I admit that, when I started reading Not for all the wine in the world, I disliked its protagonist. He saw her as selfish and stubborn, stubborn and obtuse. And it is, yes. But, like Brenda in the series Two meters undergroundDwight in the series The Office or Ignatius in the novel The conjuing of the ceciuosCata has ended up winning my heart little by little, discovering in her a woman full of virtues, intelligent, free and protective, without forgetting all her contrasts, fears, failures and errors, which make her human and transform her into something beyond a literary character.

And this is, I would say, the most notable point of this work published by the publishing house Libros y Literatura: its absolute humanity.

Estrella Gómez, the author, states that the manuscript began as a story to help her daughter with a class assignment, but the story absorbed her and, before she knew it, the book was already written. And believe me when I say that you can appreciate it in each of its pages: the story absorbs, captivates in its simplicity and grabs your heart tightly when it comes time to do so.

Thus, we are told the story of Cata, a psychologist who, after becoming pregnant at the age of eighteen, makes her daughter and her work the absolute pillars of her life, with no room for anything else, except perhaps wine and sex. sporadic with strangers, with an absolute rejection of commitment. But when her daughter Lina travels to London suddenly, leaving her alone, her life will begin to falter and the decisions of her past will assail her, with no possibility of escaping from her.

This entire plot is perfectly complemented by the relationship between Cata and her patient, terminally ill with cancer, which begins as therapy and becomes a genuine friendship that will help the two leave behind what anchors them to the shadows.

Estrella’s style is also tremendously agile and fluid, without forgetting moments of pause, rest, to reflect and have a glass of wine on the beach (read it and you will understand!). The chapters of Not for all the wine in the world They are short and as soon as you are careless you have read more than expected.

In this way, the Libros y Literatura publishing house is committed to a novel full of heart and soul, capable of making you smile in the middle of a chapter with tears appearing, with very well-constructed characters, full of mistakes and forgiveness, that at the end you will feel They are part of your family. Don’t you want to start reading the novel with a glass of wine in your hand?