Beautiful María of My Soul by Oscar Hijuelos audiobook

Beautiful María of My Soul

By Oscar Hijuelos
Read by Armando Durán

Blackstone Publishing 9781401323349

Unabridged

Format : Library CD (In Stock)
  • 4 Formats: CD
  • 4 Formats: Library CD
  • 4 Formats: MP3 CD
  • 4 Formats: Playaway

  • ISBN: 9781441740328

  • ISBN: 9781441740304

  • ISBN: 9781441740335

  • ISBN: 9781441740366

Runtime: 12.60 Hours
Category: Fiction
Audience: Adult
Language: English
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Summary

Summary

AKirkus Reviews’ Best BooksKirkus Reviews’ Best Books

Winner of an AudioFile Earphones Award

ABooklist Top 10of2010: Fiction

The Mambo Kings Play Songs of Love is a contemporary American classic, a book that still captivates and inspires readers more than twenty years after its first publication. Now, in Beautiful Maria of My Soul, Oscar Hijuelos returns to this indelible story, to tell it from the point of view of its beloved heroine, María.

She's the great Cuban beauty who stole musician Nestor Castillo's heart and broke it, inspiring him to write the Mambo Kings' biggest hit, "Beautiful Mar├¡a of My Soul." Now in her sixties and living in Miami with her pediatrician daughter, Teresa, Mar├¡a remains a beauty, still capable of turning heads. But she has never forgotten Nestor, and as she thinks back to her days—and nights—in Havana, an entirely new perspective on the Mambo Kings story unfolds.

Editorial Reviews

Editorial Reviews

“I fell instantly in love with the glorious soul of Beautiful María of My Soul. Hijuelos has created and brought to life two beloved characters, a heart-stealing heroine and Havana during an epoch of changing fate.” —Amy Tan
“María enchants whether she’s dancing in clubs, appearing in advertisements, or walking the sweltering streets of Havana. Her story is one of fierce love, luscious sex, and otherworldly beauty, but also of heartbreak and hardness…Hijuelos’ Havana is as much a full-fleshed character as María as it endures the rise of Castro and the mass exodus of Cubans to Miami in the 1960s. An intelligent and playful ending caps off a vivid story that should delight readers of The Mambo Kings and enthrall those new to Hijuelos’ imaginative and florid voice.” —Publishers Weekly
“Armando Durán’s interpretation couldn’t be more sensitive, more evocative, or more erotic as he tackles the complexities and contradictions of Beautiful Maria…Durán maintains a narrator’s objective distance yet creates unforgettable characters brimming with passion…Durán’s sensual performance will melt your earbuds. Winner of the AudioFile Earphones Award.” —AudioFile
“Yes, it is a story of grand passion found, lost, and mourned, but it is also the story of a young, illiterate girl escaping a life of rural poverty and making a career for herself in the city. Nobody writes sex scenes like Hijuelos—graphic and poetic at once, a symphony of lush language, both sweaty and transcendent—but he brings the same passion to his descriptions of María…To fully appreciate this novel’s wondrous language and its multifaceted story, it needs to be read in tandem with Mambo Kings; to do otherwise would be like listening to a symphony through only one speaker.” —Booklist (starred review)
“The novel, which takes Maria from Havana to Miami and from uneducated girl to experienced woman, is elegantly written and dramatic. Duran effortlessly switches from Cuban to American accents, masterfully representing the large cast, especially Cuban characters, who receive differing, recognizable voices. A rich and compelling performance.” —Booklist
“A sequel to The Mambo Kings Play Songs of Love that sings with the sweet sensuality of its predecessor…the novelist returns to tell the story of María, to render her as flesh and blood as well as exotic (and erotic) inspiration…the novel shows how the beautiful María chooses her destiny, rebels against it and makes peace with it. The prose combines the simplicity of a folk tale with the lyricism of a romantic balladeer and the depth of a philosopher, as it encompasses what María considers ‘her holy trinity: God, love, and death’…The result is a sequel that can be relished independently of the first volume while harmonizing with it. More than worth the wait.” —Kirkus Reviews

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Author

Author Bio: Oscar Hijuelos

Author Bio: Oscar Hijuelos

Oscar Hijuelos (1951–2013) was a recipient of the Pulitzer Prize, the Rome Prize, and grants from the National Endowment for the Arts and the Guggenheim Foundation. He was also nominated for the National Book Award.

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Details

Details

Available Formats : CD, Library CD, MP3 CD, Playaway
Category: Fiction
Runtime: 12.60
Audience: Adult
Language: English

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