The Astral Plane: Stories of Cuba, the Southwest and Beyond - Softcover

Dovalpage, Teresa

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1608010767 ISBN 13: 9781608010769

Verlag: UNIV OF NEW ORLEANS PR, 2012

Inhaltsangabe

Book by Dovalpage Teresa

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The stories are thoroughly Cuban, original, delightful, and unexpected. In this cohesive collection, Ms. Dovalpage s prodigious talent takes us on a dazzling journey of high drama, whimsical imagery, nail-biting suspense, and laugh-out-loud hilarity. Along the way she lays bare the reality of life in Cuba and totally debunks the myths of the Castro Revolution. One favorite passage includes a lyrical, evocative description of El Malecon that made me weep with longing for the sights, sounds, and smells of that drive; a paragraph later I erupted in laughter at a character s offhand comment. This savory collection is certain to become a favorite read, highly recommended. --Ziva Sahl, Babalu, February 4th, 2012

The only book parents will ever need, The Safe Baby is the most comprehensive book I ve ever seen on the topic of home safety. I can think of no better gift to the new family than a copy of this book. Even if you have already raised several children, there will be pages you turn down because you ve forgotten to be as safe as you should. --Sheri Wallace, ePregnancy

Carolina Caballero, Ph.D., LatinoLA, February 2nd, 2012 In her new compilation of short fiction The Astral Plane: Stories of Cuba, the Southwest and Beyond, Teresa Dovalpage offers a diversity characters in the midst of decisions and transitions. In the presence of South Indian Yogis, New Mexican Santeros, Afro-Cuban Orishas, Edgar Allen Poe, The Beatles and La Llorona, the author details moments in the lives of Cubans, Nuevo Mexicanos and Anglo-Americans. The stories are sometimes comical and often tragic but always engaging. In each one, Dovalpage reminds us that any choice we make, from deciding to leave the country, to walking around the block to engaging in a conversation with a total stranger, could become momentous. In the blink of an eye, the insignificant turns historic. Although each story is self contained and can be read independently, it is when they are read together that they are most affective, unsettling, comic and heartfelt. Characters, storylines, and motifs reappear from one tale to the next, informing and enriching each other. While every story is distinct, these protagonists, who are from varied cultural and economic backgrounds, share common struggles as they stumble in search for a way to escape or a place to land, to live, to be who they are. There are no heroes in these stories but they are not villains either, much like in everyday life. Oddly, that is what is most comforting, for lack of a better word, about The Astral Plane: Stories of Cuba, the Southwest and Beyond, at least for this reader. Dovalpage's characters exude an unapologetic normalcy in their flaws that even toothless false prophets, calculating serial killers, conniving prostitutes, and scheming mothers-in-law become endearing in the end. --Carolina Caballero, Ph.D., LatinoLA, February 2nd, 2012

Armin Brott, author of The New Father: A Dad's Guide to the First Year and A Dad's Guide to the Toddler Years To new parents, it sometimes seems as though there are life-threatening safety hazards lurking in every room in the house. Fortunately, there's no need to panic. In The Safe Baby, Debra Holtzman takes us on a room-by-room tour, thoroughly and calmly identifying problem areas and offering specific, easy-to-implement solutions. No home should be without a copy. --Armin Brott, author of The New Father: A Dad's Guide to the First Year and A Dad's Guide to the Toddler Years

978-1-59181-050-6

In her new compilation of short fiction The Astral Plane: Stories of Cuba, the Southwest and Beyond, Teresa Dovalpage offers a diversity characters in the midst of decisions and transitions. In the presence of South Indian Yogis, New Mexican Santeros, Afro-Cuban Orishas, Edgar Allen Poe, The Beatles and La Llorona, the author details moments in the lives of Cubans, Nuevo Mexicanos and Anglo-Americans. The stories are sometimes comical and often tragic but always engaging. In each one, Dovalpage reminds us that any choice we make, from deciding to leave the country, to walking around the block to engaging in a conversation with a total stranger, could become momentous. In the blink of an eye, the insignificant turns historic. Although each story is self contained and can be read independently, it is when they are read together that they are most affective, unsettling, comic and heartfelt. Characters, storylines, and motifs reappear from one tale to the next, informing and enriching each other. While every story is distinct, these protagonists, who are from varied cultural and economic backgrounds, share common struggles as they stumble in search for a way to escape or a place to land, to live, to be who they are. There are no heroes in these stories but they are not villains either, much like in everyday life. Oddly, that is what is most comforting, for lack of a better word, about The Astral Plane: Stories of Cuba, the Southwest and Beyond, at least for this reader. Dovalpage's characters exude an unapologetic normalcy in their flaws that even toothless false prophets, calculating serial killers, conniving prostitutes, and scheming mothers-in-law become endearing in the end.--Carolina Caballero "LatinoLA, February 2, 2012 "

The Astral Plane is the latest book by Cuban author Teresa Dovalpage. Ziva Sahl describes the stories in Dovalpage's collection as, 'thoroughly Cuban, original, delightful, and unexpected.' I had the chance to read the book and can only say that The Astral Plane is another fine accomplishment by one of our most talented Latina writers these days.--Mayra Calvani "The Examiner, May 22, 2012 "

Teresa Dovalpage s latest collection of short stories The Astral Plane features a set of stories where the characters have a tenuous connection to each other. The stories showcase how the Cuban Hispanic diaspora spread with contacts with former relatives, escapees via the rafts, and with contacts with visitors and universities that can travel to Cuba with ease. Thus, stories take place partly in Cuba, in Miami, and in Albuquerque. Throughout the tales, the change brought about by Fidel Castro seep out in details about the way people live, the food they eat, the political pressures to conform, the desire for US Cash and lifestyle and the turn to the Santeria religion. Teresa Dovalpage constructs her stories with a heavy dose of metaphor that is artfully shared by taking a distant point of view and by carefully constructing her plots. The plots unfold in a chatty fashion where you learn about the people that surround a character, their family, their friends, and their style of life. Readers will enjoy the unusual mix of character types, settings, and plots that can introduce them to a politically strong minority population in the United States. They make a potent case for democracy and capitalism.--Sheri Fresonke Harper "The Compulsive Reader, March 2012 ""

Reseña del editor

Loud-mouthed, funny and insightful, Dovalpage takes the reader for a trip from the streets of Havana to a New Mexican town. Some stories flirt with magic realism; others explore love affairs gone wrong. A Cuban teenager suddenly goes from using ration cards to discovering credit cards. An American professor falls for a young santera. A New Age group attempts to achieve self-realization amid scarcities and blackouts.

Über diese Auflage

• Verlag: UNIV OF NEW ORLEANS PR
• Erscheinungsdatum: 2012
• ISBN 10: 1608010767
• ISBN 13: 9781608010769
• Einband: Tapa blanda
• Anzahl der Seiten: 231