Miguel de Cervantes, the author of Don Quixote, lived quite an interesting life. He was a poet, soldier, war hero, prisoner, husband, brother, uncle, father, and author. His writing might portray a man of honor and dignity, but his home life was messy. You see, Miguel was married, but his daughter was not the daughter of his wife, Catalina de Salazar. His daughter, Isabel, was illegitimate, and when her mother died, Miguel decided the best possible solution was to invite Isabel to live with his sisters and his niece. What’s the worst that could happen? Martha Batiz explores the women's lives connected to Miguel de Cervantes in her debut novel, “A Daughter’s Place.”

I would like to thank the House of Anansi Press and Net Galley for sending me a copy of this novel. I had never read Don Quixote, and I knew nothing about Miguel de Cervantes or his family, so I was excited to learn more. Stories like this add depth to the understanding of the late 16th and early 17th centuries in Spain and Europe as a whole.

This novel is broken into five sections and contains three different narrators: Isabel, the illegitimate daughter of Miguel de Cervantes, Constanza de Ovando, Miguel’s niece, and Catalina de Salazar, Miguel’s wife. Our story begins with Isabel, who just turned fifteen. All of her life, she believed that she was the daughter of a tavern owner, that is, until she met Magdalena de Cervantes, who claims to be her aunt, as Isabel’s true father is none other than the famous war hero turned author Miguel de Cervantes. After the death of Isabel’s mother, Miguel has decided to have Magdalena as Isabel’s legal guardian and raise her to be part of his family, although not with the de Cervantes name. Constanza de Ovando has been dumped after a long engagement and is nearing the age of spinsterhood. She is jealous of Isabel and wonders if she will ever marry and have her own life. Finally, we have Catalina de Salazar, who lives far away from the family and did not know that her husband, Miguel, had an illegitimate child.

We see this family slowly adjust to having a new family member and the repercussions of Isabel being part of the de Cervantes family. While the family is getting used to one another, King Philip III of Spain threw a monkey wrench into their plans as he moved the royal court from Madrid to Valladolid and back to Madrid. Since Miguel is writing his magnum opus, Don Quixote, and is looking for sponsors, the family has to move alongside the court, which causes its special kinds of headaches and heartbreaks. There are so many twists and turns, especially the last twist, that kept me guessing until the end of how this novel was going to end.

Batiz has created such a believable world of 16th and 17th century Spain with a colorful cast of characters in the de Cervantes family. I got very attached to this family, and to see what would happen to them as life kept causing chaos. As a debut historical fiction novel, this is such an enjoyable, beautifully written, and extremely well-researched novel, and I hope that Batiz continues to write historical fiction. If you want an excellent novel about one of the most celebrated authors in Spanish history and his family, I highly recommend you read “A Daughter’s Place” by Martha Batiz.

This book was a really good read. I'm always interested in the women who are sometimes lost though history. I really liked the stroy that was set around Miguel de Cervantes' life. Defiantly recommend to friends

I really enjoyed this book! The first third felt slow and difficult to get into but I flew through the rest and really enjoyed learning about a period and people that are almost completely new to me. The author's note at the end was also really interesting and I love learning about the mix of fiction and fact that are woven together in books like this one.

So incredibly well done!

I'm always interested to learn the stories of the women behind the scenes in history, and A Daughter's Place did not disappoint. This story provided a fascinating look at a strong woman's response to extremely difficult circumstances -- not to mention interesting context around Miguel de Cervantes' life.

Thanks to the House of Anansi and to NetGalley for the opportunity to read a digital ARC of this book in advance of publication (and in advance of the arrival of my pre-ordered copy!).

I thought this was very well-written and found it fascinating that it was based on a real family. It captured my attention all the way through.

An engaging work of historical fiction that sheds light on the overlooked lives of the women behind the making of Don Quixote. I appreciated the chance to learn more about the period — not just through facts, but through the emotional and social realities of women connected to Cervantes, who, despite their proximity to literary greatness, suffered under the weight of societal restrictions and the poor choices of the men around them.

One of the most compelling aspects of the novel is its structure: each chapter is narrated by a different woman, giving voice to those often silenced or erased. The men are still present — making decisions that shape the course of everyone’s lives — but their perspectives are never center focus. Instead, we witness the hopes, frustrations, and mounting anger of the women forced to navigate a world not built for them.

At times, the inner monologues veer a little toward over-explanation, which slightly softens the emotional impact — but this is a minor flaw in an otherwise rich and thoughtful debut.

Thank you to NetGalley and House of Anansi Press for the ARC.

I ate this up in 3 days! This book brought me out of my reading slump. It was an immersive historical narrative that follows the journeys of three women with ties to Miguel de Cervantes. I particularly found that the sections following Isabel were most dynamic and fleshed out, but I enjoyed all three different perspectives of the women. I am not an expert in early modern Spanish history but enjoyed the historical detail and appreciate that this book was written by a scholar of theater in the same location and period. I enjoyed all of the different entanglements the women got into and loved many of the supporting/side characters.

Some of the Spanish was at too high of a level for me to follow with my intermediate conversational competency. I am not sure if this is due to the author using old Spanish, Spaniard Spanish, or it was just too advanced for me! Haha

Regarding critiques, I did find that, especially in the first half of the book, some of the scenes that were serious, or that had with many people and lots of action, passed by very quickly relative to their importance to the story in a way that made the pacing feel off.

I also found that some of the language was a bit too modern for a work of historical fiction. I saw in the authors note that, like Don Q, the author strove to write the book in everyday speech. However, at time turns of phrase felt anachronistic or out of place relative to the register of speech (older terms of phrase, formality) present in most of the book.

Oh, and the ending was a bit sudden! If Catalina was so rich, why couldn’t she pay for the item of discussion? I felt that the resolutions could’ve been a bit cleaner and tied the narrative off.

Otherwise, I really enjoyed this book! The relationships between all of the women were, I think, my favorite part.

Thank you to NetGalley and House of Anansi press for the eARC!

Martha Bátiz's *A Daughter's Place* is a historical fiction novel set in Madrid during the Spanish Golden Age (late 1500s to early 1600s). Unsurprisingly, these years weren't particularly golden for women. *Daughter's Place* follows Miguel de Cervantes' two sisters, niece, and illegitimate daughter, Beatriz. Martha Bátiz, a Canadian author, conducted extensive research on these four women but also had to rely on her imagination, as historical records for women are scarce.
Beatriz is the main character, and what a character she is! In the afterword, Bátiz describes the records of Beatriz's life as a telenovela, which is quite accurate. Vilified for years by historians, Bátiz presents all sides of Beatriz, a complicated woman, showcasing her intelligence and occasional ruthlessness, alongside her loving nature. I learned so much about that time period as well as about de Cervantes and Don Quixote (my dad's favourite book).
Thank you so much to NetGalley and House of Anansi Press for this ARC.

If you love women-focused narratives, classic literature, and European history, this book is for you!

ARC review- i thought this was a well written historical fiction! i remember reading “don quixote” in college so the blurb of this book immediately intrigued me. i really enjoyed the multiple points of view from all the women behind miguel. the ending was the only part that felt a bit abrupt but other than that i really enjoyed!!

How lucky I am to have received an advance readers copy of A Daughter’s Place for it was such an incredible novel! A Daughters Place is a five act novel (mirroring Cervantes’ plays) about the women in Miguel de Cervantes’ life: his daughter, his niece, and his wife. In a stunning and immersive experience, Batíz masterfully weaves together history and fiction to show the unknown, incredibly rich stories of these women. Combining luminous creativity and dedicated research and expertise, Batíz has written a modern classic. If you are a fan of writing, reading, art, history, and incredible women finally having their stories told, A Daughter’s Place is the book for you! A simultaneous homage and criticism on Cervantes, A Daughter’s Place is not a book to miss.

I normally love historical fiction, but I just couldn't get into this one- maybe that's because I haven't read Cervantes. Still, I appreciate all the research and work that went into writing A Daughter's Place.

As a lifetime reader of Historic Fiction, a Daughter’s Place had me hooked from the first page to the last. For all of you who have grown weary of WWII novels, give this one a try. You will not be sorry.

This is a wonderful book! Historical fiction at its finest. This story follows Isabel, the illegitimate daughter of Miguel de Cervantes. I've spent a lot of time in Spain to especially appreciated Madrid as the backdrop. This book is part day-to-day life of Cervantes' sisters, niece, and daughter, and part a reflection of the limitations placed on women during this time.It is also a reflection of familiar relationships and the ebb and flow of feelings and actions.
At times I was sad by the storyline, and other times frustrated with some of the characters and their actions.
Thank you, NetGalley and the publisher, for access to this eARC.