Imperfect Pearl: A Novel

by Metty Vargas Pellicer

252 pages

Writing with an eye for historical accuracy, the author illustrates how events that we have no control over can influence our choices and make us stronger.

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Category: Fiction:Romance:Historical	Read a FREE excerpt (requires Adobe Reader)
About the Book
This is the story of Zonta, a woman raised in a convent by her widowed mother, who is very conservative and traditional in her values and who instilled in Zonta, behavioral and thinking modes that are strongly influenced by social approval and traditional concept of what is appropriate in a given circumstance. The book illustrates how these traditional values created ambivalence in her response and choices of behavior after life events that occured during these tumultuous periods in Philippine history. This is also the story of the Philippines during the revolution and during the period of American occupation, how it acquired a sense of nationhood and how that emerging identity figured in it becoming independent from American control. The book tells the story of many Filipino beliefs and how the religious influence is strill manifest in many segments of population. This is the story of a deep friendship and how these friends navigated experiences that betrayed trust, and how that deep friendship survived and affirmed the relationship once again. It is the story of friendship between two girls who grew up in different circumstances but found each other as equals later in life as they navigated trust and honesty and feelings of alienation and betrayal. It is the story of love in its many manifestations, that of carnal desire, sexual love, love between husband and wife between friends, love of one’s children, family, love of country and love of human kind, of faith and love of god. It is a story of hope and ambition and discipline and determination and of forgiveness and thereby finding love again. It is a story of courage, finding one’s strength and imagination to survive what life has dealt which one had no control over. In the end one finds that hope springs eternal and survives when one opens itself to love.
Reviews
This heart-warming story brings the reader into the life of a young mother bearing the weight of a painful secret as she seeks fulfillment through her creative abilities. Interwoven throughout the story is a taste of the history of the Philippines that will tug at your heartstrings and your curiosity. It is an engaging read. - Betty Martin; community activist, author fiction and creative non-fiction This tale of a woman’s resilience against adversity is lyrical and exotic. The protagonist is endearing and makes the book hard to put down. Lyrical, treated with sensitivity and elegance, it is sure to please. Added to it the descriptions of faraway Philippines add an element of adventure. - Catherine Jo Chaddic, author fiction and creative non-fiction Fans of romance novels will find The Imperfect Pearl to be a compelling read. By the end of Chapter One, they will find themselves immersed in the life of Zonta, the story’s appealing protagonist, and eager to find out where the situation introduced in Chapter One is going to lead her. Pellicer also skillfully manages to infuse the narrative with historically accurate details of Philippine history which serve both to give the novel a palpable sense of time and place and illuminate the place of women in the Filipino culture. - Helen Putre; ALLES director, author fiction and creative non-fiction
Related Titles
HELLO, FROM SOMEWHERE: Stories of the Roads I Traveled (A Memoir) by Metty Pellicer Travel, memoir, life after loss, adventure, personal challenge, rebirth, friendships, self-fulfillment FROM MIMAN, WITH LOVE: A Grandmother's Memoir by Metty Vargas Pellicer A memoir of a grandmother addressed to her grandchildren Invisible History: Growing Up Colored in Cape Charles, Virginia by A Memoir by Tom Godwin, As Told To Metty Vargas Pellicer A personal recollection of growing up Black in Cape Charles, Virginia that is surprising in its details of family and community life and how robust was the parallel universe that evolved in response to the segregation of the Jim Crow era. This one man's account hopefully will contribute to move the races towards equality and social justice.

About the Author

Metty Vargas Pellicer is a grandmother, woman, doctor, traveler. She speaks Tagalog and Bicol gaining a bit of proficiency in Spanish. English is her second language. This is her first attempt at writing fiction and her fourth self-published book, the first three being memoirs. With encouragement from her writing group, Expressions, she completed the novel. She has retired to Cape Charles, Virginia in 2017 and remains an avid traveler.