Due to a sudden, unexpected passing in the family a few years ago and another more recently and my subsequent (mental) health issues stemming from that, I was unable to download this book in time to review it before it was archived as I did not visit this site for several years after the bereavements. This meant I didn't read or venture onto netgalley for years as not only did it remind me of that person as they shared my passion for reading, but I also struggled to maintain interest in anything due to overwhelming depression. I was therefore unable to download this title in time and so I couldn't give a review as it wasn't successfully acquired before it was archived. The second issue that has happened with some of my other books is that I had them downloaded to one particular device and said device is now defunct, so I have no access to those books anymore, sadly.

This means I can't leave an accurate reflection of my feelings towards the book as I am unable to read it now and so I am leaving a message of explanation instead. I am now back to reading and reviewing full time as once considerable time had passed I have found that books have been helping me significantly in terms of my mindset and mental health - this was after having no interest in anything for quite a number of years after the passings. Anything requested and approved will be read and a review written and posted to Amazon (where I am a Hall of Famer & Top Reviewer), Goodreads (where I have several thousand friends and the same amount who follow my reviews) and Waterstones (or Barnes & Noble if the publisher is American based). Thank you for the opportunity and apologies for the inconvenience.

*received for free from netgalley for honest review* Really interesting book, has a lot of information so i can see who others would find it too long or boring but i liked all the info and found it really interesting

this was a really enjoyable read, the characters were great and I really enjoyed the mystery going on in the book. I look forward to reading more from the author.

Who would have thought that a book about life in Guatemala in the 1800s would prove so fascinating? The amount of research that has gone into this original and unexpectedly compelling non-fiction work of detection is quite astounding. It all starts with the bizarre and gruesome discovery of a pair of severed women’s breasts on a windowsill, followed by the discovery of a pair of severed hands, presumably from the same unfortunate woman. Drawing on contemporary records, archives and court proceedings, the author opens up a world that will be unknown to many readers and does so with enthusiasm for her subject that is infectious. Sometimes the narrative meanders a bit and lacks coherence but overall for anyone interested in the history of Guatemala, or in fact anyone interested in social history in general or even just a good mystery, this is a great read.

I enjoyed this book and found the mystery ,while different than what I am used to, intriguing.I recommend for mystery and history readers

Serious, almost post modern research volume, with ladies into conversational and informal side remarks .. looking dilemma of horrific crime of dismember
ment. crime
. How is it klll dinge, and why in contracts of that misogynistic culture are questions. I am propelled by steering questioning and drive to know rather than a narrative thrust. So, sometimes reading almost raw data, I am propelled through .. given random feel, I hang on tight. Great exploration, maybe tough read ..

A history book with the unusual companion of a mystery .Body parts found the story begins an story so well written ba book that kept me on the edge of my seat.# netgalley #yaleuniversity

Three point five out of five stars.

The Woman on the Windowsill: A Tale of Mystery in Several Parts opens in 1800 Guatemala City, with Cayetano Díaz finding a set of severed female breasts on his windowsill.

This, in itself, is enough to grab most peoples' attention.

Later, a set of hands - presumably from the same unfortunate woman - is found outside a house nearby.

This book is less a mystery specific to these incidents and more a meditation of law and punishment, with particular focus on violence against women, in 19th century Guatemala. The author brings to front the rather nuanced differences in the way violent acts were considered during the time - like most places of the time, violence against women was not considered as important as violence against men.

There is a ton of history in this book, and the author pulls from archives available in the city from the time - rather remarkable that many (or any) have survived, and that the author is able to provide other examples of how a law applied unevenly can cause not just injustice (through our more modern eyes), but also history to be lost.

It's quite lengthy, and in my mind, reads more like a research paper than what I (and, I presume, others) expect in narrative nonfiction that promises a mystery. There are some instances where transitions are a bit jarring, and while the author is obviously passionate about the place and time, a little smoothing of these and excising of history that seems to have been put in just for history's sake would have boosted this to a four star read for me.

The end pulls apart a bit, and we're left with the epilogue to tell us the end of the mystery (which I won't put here for spoilery reasons). There are extensive endnotes, for anyone looking for further information/commentary.

Overall: not quite in the vein of narrative nonfiction mystery, but if you have an interest in 19th century law enforcement and/or Latin America during this time, and you have the time, it's worth a read.

Thanks to NetGalley and Yale University press for the advance copy.

I really loved reading <b>The Woman on the Windowsill: A Tale of Mystery in Several Parts</b>. It reads as an account of life in Guatemala in the 1800s. I appreciate the author's in-depth analysis of crime, social thought and class/gender divisions within the culture at the time. As I was reading, I found myself considering how much time and effort Sylvia Sellers-García must have spent researching for this book. Her research goes beyond the events surrounding the severed body parts and encompasses many of the aspects of everyday life in Guatemala at the time. Having a Bachelor's degree in Anthropology, I am fascinated by many of the avenues Sellers-García explores when considering gender roles, the concept of violence and the role colonialism played in the formation of Guatemala city's criminal governance. The descriptions of Guatemala City, the San Juan de Dios Hospital, the residential areas and cemetery help to develop a setting that makes you feel like you are walking through 19th century Guatemala. The brief glimpses of the past from the hospital records and criminal cases also really caught and held my interest as a reader.

The historical information and the evaluation of viewpoints at each stage of the investigation deserves a 4/5 for me on my overall rating of this book. It was historically fascinating to read and taught me many things about Guatemalan history that I was not aware of. On one side, I absorbed all of the intriguing the content in this book, but on the other side, the format left me wanting more of a narrative to keep it cohesive. I will be honest in saying it reads more like an essay or a research paper, than a novel or book. The chapters are almost irrelevant; the last chapter especially deviates too far from the core investigation to keep the narrative cohesive. The epilogue brings it back somewhat, at least in my opinion. I was hoping for more of a narrative fictional or non-fictional from this book which is why I have only given it 4 out of 5 stars.

I would still highly recommend this book to people, especially those who share my passion of history in Central and South America. I have been to Guatemala City and Antigua and <b> The Woman on the Windowsill: A Tale of Mystery in Several Parts</b> really brought me back to recalling my own experience in these cities. I had the opportunity to stay for a night in the home of a resident of Guatemala City. Their home's vast and elaborate interior was exposed upon entering through large wooden doors fronting an otherwise average street. I recall being amazed at how large and welcoming the home was and how I never would have been able to guess what it held inside just passing by on the street. So I want to thank Sellers-García for bringing back some of those memories for me. I also want to thank NetGalley and Yale University Press so the opportunity to read and review this book!

I found d this book of interest but it seemed somewhat disorganized. I would recommend it only to those interested. In the early colonial history of Guatemala.