The Mapmaker's Opera - Hardcover

Gonzalez, Bea

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0312364660 ISBN 13: 9780312364663

Verlag: Thomas Dunne Books, 2007

Inhaltsangabe

IN A TOWN IN THE HEART OF LA MANCHA, home to Don Quijote and his windmills, the Clemente family lived for centuries, their fortunes tied to those of a plant…
 
So begins the grand tale that is The Mapmaker's Opera. Born in Seville, Spain to a dishonored governess, a young Diego Clemente finds solace in the world of books, in particular John James Audubon's Birds of America. Mesmerized by the wondrous images in Audobon's magnificent volume, he longs to travel to the New World to find his destiny and see these amazing creatures for himself.

When renowned American naturalist Edward Nelson enlists him by chance to create a guide to Yucatan's birds, Diego's dream comes true.  Arriving on Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula on the eve of the Mexican Revolution, Diego finds himself in a world that is as precarious as it is beautiful, where opulent henequen plantations are built on the backs of slave labor and the social order is on the brink of imploding. And there, Diego falls for the young Sofia, a woman who longs to be as free as the birds she also loves.  He tries with all his might to win her and, with Nelson's help, to save the last pair of passenger pigeons in existence. 

A mesmerizing tale of star-crossed passions, a pair of mysterious birds, and a young man's quest to honor both his passions, The Mapmaker's Opera transports its audience with stunning vistas, magical storytelling, and a universal story of love.

Über diesen Titel

Über die Autorin bzw. den Autor

Béa Gonzalez was born in Vigo, Spain. She holds her M.A. from the University of London and is an avid nature lover and opera fanatic. She lives in Toronto with her family.

Aus dem Klappentext

IN A TOWN IN THE HEART OF LA MANCHA, home to Don Quijote and his windmills, the Clemente family lived for centuries, their fortunes tied to those of a plant

So begins the grand tale that is The Mapmaker s Opera. Born in Seville, Spain to a dishonored governess, a young Diego Clemente finds solace in the world of books, in particular John James Audubon s Birds of America. Mesmerized by the wondrous images in Audobon's magnificent volume, he longs to travel to the New World to find his destiny and see these amazing creatures for himself.

When renowned American naturalist Edward Nelson enlists him by chance to create a guide to Yucatan's birds, Diego's dream comes true. Arriving on Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula on the eve of the Mexican Revolution, Diego finds himself in a world that is as precarious as it is beautiful, where opulent henequen plantations are built on the backs of slave labor and the social order is on the brink of imploding. And there, Diego falls for the young Sofia, a woman who longs to be as free as the birds she also loves. He tries with all his might to win her and, with Nelson's help, to save the last pair of passenger pigeons in existence.

A mesmerizing tale of star-crossed passions, a pair of mysterious birds, and a young man s quest to honor both his passions, The Mapmaker s Opera transports its audience with stunning vistas, magical storytelling, and a universal story of love.

Canadian praise for Béa Gonzalez and her writing:

Fascinating. Rich in historical and cultural details. The themes that drive the plot and motivate the characters are the concerns of a writer with her feet firmly planted in the fertile ground of contemporary literature. The Globe and Mail

[Told] with the emotion of Isabel Allende and the imagery of Gabriel García Márquez. A delight of a book that will stir up palpable images of Spain and Mexico, two lands of startling beauty. Books in Canada

Gonzalez enlivens the page with the color and richness of a theatrical production . THE MAPMAKER'S OPERA is nothing less than a sheer pleasure to read, and an oratorio that transports the reader. Calgary Herald

"Great story, delicious prose... a splendid piece of literature...perfection lies in the details and Gonzalez gets it so right that her imagery provokes bursts of delighted laughter." --Vancouver Sun

"In THE MAPMAKER'S OPERA, Béa Gonzalez has created a world bursting at the seams with images and ideas, social history, revolutionary fervor. A wonderfully vibrant tapestry, enveloping the reader with its richness." --Quill & Quire

Rezensionen

The fate of two pairs of lovebirds—one human, one on the brink of extinction—converge in Gonzalez's enchanting debut novel and inquiry into the nature of desire and the danger of passion in the tumultuous days preceding the Mexican Revolution. Ever since those childhood days in his native Spain spent pouring over John James Audubon's luminous illustrations, young Diego Clemente has dreamed of being able to see such birds in person. When the opportunity to work with a famous naturalist in Mexico presents itself, Diego immigrates to the Yucatán, where he immediately falls in love with Sofia, a beautiful but defiant woman just as entranced by these jeweled creatures as he is. Tragically, when hordes of revolutionaries lay waste to a villa where the last pair of passenger pigeons in existence are caged, both of Diego's loves are jeopardized. With all the scope and majesty of the operatic productions that inspired her, Gonzalez's tale of love, longing, and loss is a sweeping, romantic adventure. Haggas, Carol

Colorful, exotic birds enrapture the protagonists of this lyrical early 20th-century love story about the life of bird lover, artist and mapmaker Diego Clemente. As soon as Diego, the adoptive son of a Spanish bookseller, first comes across John James Audubon's hand-colored Birds of America, he is smitten with ornithology. When the opportunity to travel to the Yucatán to work with American scientist and author Edward Nelson presents itself, Diego promptly signs up and, once in Mexico, falls in love with his free-spirited, bird-enthusiast female counterpart, Sophia Duarte. Despite Sophia's meddlesome relatives and bumbling would-be suitor, Sophia and Diego bond. With revolutionary rumblings in the background, things come to a tense head when a workers' uprising threatens two of the world's only remaining passenger pigeons, which are being held by a greedy local plantation owner. The book comes to a tragic close that still manages to hold out a glimmer of hope. Rich descriptions of Seville and Mexico aid in creating a believable tale of romance and revolution. (Aug.)
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Details zur Ausgabe

• Verlag: Thomas Dunne Books
• Erscheinungsdatum: 2007
• Sprache: Englisch
• ISBN 10: 0312364660
• ISBN 13: 9780312364663
• Einband: Gebundene Ausgabe
• Anzahl der Seiten: 288
• Kontakt zum Hersteller: Nicht verfügbar
• Verantwortliche Person: Nicht verfügbar