Author:
Format: Paperback
Publisher: Harpercollins
Published: Dec 2004
Genre: Fiction - War & Military
Retail Price: $14.99
Pages: 248
The year is l854. In Paris, Francisco Solano -- the future dictator of Paraguay -- begins his courtship of the young, beautiful Irish courtesan Ella Lynch with a poncho, a Paraguayan band, and ahorse named Mathilde. Ella follows Franco to Asunción and reigns there as his mistress. Isolated and estranged in this new world, she embraces her lover's ill-fated imperial dream -- one fueled by a heedless arrogance that will devastate all of Paraguay.
With the urgency of the narrative, rich and intimate detail, and a wealth of skillfully layered characters, The News from Paraguay recalls the epic novels of Gabriel García Márquez and Mario Vargas Llosa.
This was a worthwhile historical novel. It kept my attention and had interesting characters, setting, and taught me a little bit about that interesting country and interesting times.