luisa de la cueva was born on the caribbean island of malagita, of a plantation owner's son and a native woman, a servant in the kitchen. her years on malagita were sweet with the beauty of bamboo, banana, and mango trees with flocks of silver-feathered guinea hens underneath, the magic of a victrola, and the caramel flan that mama sneaked home from the plantation kitchen. luisa's father, fearing revolution, takes his family to new york. in the barrio his once-powerful name means nothing, and the family establishes itself in a basement tenement. for luisa, malagita becomes a dream. luisa does not dream of going to college, as her friend ellen does, or of winning the lottery, as her father does. she takes a job as a servant and, paradoxically, grows more independent. she marries and later raises a son alone. she works as a servant all her life. a servant's tale is the story of a life that is simple on the surface but full of depth and richness as we come to know it, a story told with consummate grace and compassion by paula fox.