Bitter Grounds: A Novel"Bitter Grounds" depicts the luxurious lives of the wealthy in Salvadoran society through the Contreras family, owners of a coffee plantation. Elena de Contreras travels to Europe with her daughter to select wardrobes, spends idle time at luncheons and teas with society friends, and supports her daughter in opening an expensive gift shop in town. Yet when betrayal rocks Elena's protected and pampered world, she reveals an iron will no one had glimpsed in her before. Their lives are a stark contrast to the lives of the coffee pickers, who must live a hard-scrabble existence in close proximity to the privileged elite. Jacinta Prieto comes from such a background, and as housekeeper to the Contreras family, is privy to their innermost secrets. Jacinta has secrets of her own, including a love affair with a married man whose identity she risks all to conceal. By interweaving the stories of these women, Benitez draws dramatic differences and surprising parallels in their worlds, evoking their passions and revealing their hatred with amazing empathy. |
Contents
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS | |
AUTHORS NOTE | |
CHAPTER ONE | 3 |
CHAPTER TWO | 8 |
CHAPTER THREE | 17 |
CHAPTER FOUR | 25 |
CHAPTER FIVE | 30 |
CHAPTER SIX | 33 |
CHAPTER THIRTYFIVE | 234 |
CHAPTER THIRTYSIX | 243 |
CHAPTER THIRTYSEVEN | 253 |
CHAPTER THIRTYEIGHT | 256 |
CHAPTER THIRTYNINE | 262 |
CHAPTER FORTY | 269 |
CHAPTER FORTYONE | 276 |
CHAPTER FORTYTWO | 284 |
CHAPTER SEVEN | 40 |
CHAPTER EIGHT | 49 |
CHAPTER NINE | 53 |
CHAPTER TEN | 56 |
CHAPTER ELEVEN | 69 |
CHAPTER TWELVE | 80 |
CHAPTER THIRTEEN | 89 |
CHAPTER FOURTEEN | 97 |
CHAPTER FIFTEEN | 103 |
CHAPTER SIXTEEN | 112 |
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN | 118 |
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN | 125 |
CHAPTER NINETEEN | 128 |
CHAPTER TWENTY | 131 |
CHAPTER TWENTYONE | 135 |
CHAPTER TWENTYTWO | 141 |
CHAPTER TWENTYTHREE | 153 |
CHAPTER TWENTYFOUR | 164 |
CHAPTER TWENTYFIVE | 170 |
CHAPTER TWENTYSIX | 175 |
CHAPTER TWENTYSEVEN | 182 |
CHAPTER TWENTYEIGHT | 190 |
CHAPTER TWENTYNINE | 192 |
CHAPTER THIRTY | 199 |
CHAPTER THIRTYONE | 206 |
CHAPTER THIRTYTWO | 214 |
CHAPTER THIRTYTHREE | 222 |
CHAPTER THIRTYFOUR | 228 |
CHAPTER FORTYTHREE | 289 |
CHAPTER FORTYFOUR | 294 |
CHAPTER FORTYFIVE | 299 |
CHAPTER FORTYSIX | 304 |
CHAPTER FORTYSEVEN | 310 |
CHAPTER FORTYEIGHT | 316 |
CHAPTER FORTYNINE | 330 |
CHAPTER FIFTY | 337 |
CHAPTER FIFTYONE | 347 |
CHAPTER FIFTYTWO | 358 |
CHAPTER FIFTYTHREE | 373 |
CHAPTER FIFTYFOUR | 381 |
CHAPTER FIFTYFIVE | 389 |
CHAPTER FIFTYSIX | 392 |
CHAPTER FIFTYSEVEN | 399 |
CHAPTER FIFTYEIGHT | 403 |
CHAPTER FIFTYNINE | 409 |
CHAPTER SIXTY | 410 |
CHAPTER SIXTYONE | 413 |
CHAPTER SIXTYTWO | 416 |
CHAPTER SIXTYTHREE | 421 |
CHAPTER SIXTYFOUR | 426 |
CHAPTER SIXTYFIVE | 430 |
CHAPTER SIXTYSIX | 435 |
CHAPTER SIXTYSEVEN | 442 |
EPILOGUE | |
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Common terms and phrases
Alvaro arms asked baby Basilio beside candles Cecilia chair Chenta Chico church coffee Congo dark daughter don Orlando door dream dress dresser dropped El Congo El Salvador Elena Enrique Ernesto Ernesto Contreras eyes face father Fernando finca fingers Flor Flor's gave girl Gladis Goyo guardia hair hand head Ignacio Isabel Izalco Jacinta Joaquín Júnior kitchen la niña legs lifted lips looked machete Magda Mamá María Mercedes María Mercedes's Martín mesón Metapán Miguel morning mother mouth Nanda Nena night niña nodded padre Papá patio patrón Pedro Pilar poked Prieto pulled pupusas ring road Rosalba Rutilio Grande Salah San Salvador Santa Ana shoulders side slipped smell Socorro Sonsonate stood talk tapado tell Tesoros There's thing thought Tino Tobar took tortillas trees turned Victor Morales walked wall watched window woman women