‘Women Walking on Fire', a story of overcoming the continuous female metamorphosis
From girl to woman, from woman to mother, from mother to grandmother... How many times does a woman have to transform herself during her life, and what is the price she pays for this constant metamorphosis? These are some of the reflections presented in 'Women Walking on Fire', the first novel by Pilar Rodríguez-Castillos, a populariser and expert in Uruguayan Women's Personal Development based in Spain.
More than three hundred pages narrate the internal processes in the life of a woman who, after a dramatic family event, tries to move forward without the support of her loved ones, without vital references, without protection from the ups and downs of existence and without a feeling of belonging to a group. An intimate story full of strength and ambition to move forward despite the difficulties she encounters. Step by step and with the help of other women, who do not always have the vocation to support her, she tries to find meaning in her main desires, face her fears and give meaning to her questions about the ultimate meaning of life.
‘Women Who Walk on Fire' invites general reflection, because it is not just a particular story, but through its protagonist, it is able to represent with great breadth the feminine psychology; its problems and its contradictions, its joys and its bitterness, the complex vital process of being a woman. This novel is a lucid story, full of emotional secrets about the continuous metamorphosis of women throughout their lives.
"Through the personal journey of the protagonist and her companions, I wanted to show how women live conditioned by a continuous physical and emotional transformation that hardly allows us to relax and enjoy ourselves. Being a girl, being a woman, being a mother, being old, being invisible... How many opportunities to know, respect and love each other escape us in this vortex of unbearable metamorphosis," explains Rodríguez-Castillos.
The debut work of the Uruguayan writer is included in the 'New Classics' collection of the Mil Amores Collection, a joint initiative of Lantia Publishing and the Mediaset group to promote and renew women's literature in our country, where currently only 35% of published works are written by women.
‘Women Walking on Fire' is a work that is part of the genre of intimate narrative, although it has important notes of feminine 'bildungsroman' (or learning novel) and psychological novel, which deals with the existential anguish that many women experience. However, it is not written only for female readers, it is also intended to be read by male audiences and for men to experience the meaning of being born a woman. "It is important that they understand important things about us and that this translates into more joy in everyone's life," says the author.
Pilar Rodríguez-Castillos was born and raised in a cultural environment. With a father who was a poet and composer, she soon began to search for her voice as a singer-songwriter. After recording several albums, the last one in Spain produced by Paco Ortega and presented at the Teatro Lara in Madrid in the context of the 'Mujeres del Planeta' cycle, Rodríguez-Castillos discovered that music is not the only vehicle for helping to create a better world and set up a Female Personal Development project. She is currently dedicated to accompanying and helping intelligent, ambitious and sensitive women to find the true meaning of themselves.
The novel 'Women Who Walk on Fire' can be found in bookshops and online shops from 30 November.
