From Publisher’s Weekly:
Cobo’s sweet debut novel is the story of two women—a mother and daughter—and the love affairs that irrevocably changed their lives. Gabriella, 21, is a piano prodigy raised by her wealthy grandmother in Colombia and her movie producer father in Los Angeles. Her mother, Helena, was a renowned photographer who died when Gabriella was four. When she attends a party in the Hollywood Hills, Gabriella meets Angel, the man of her dreams. There’s one catch: he’s a mobster. As Gabriella tries to reconcile her conflicted feelings toward Angel, she discovers her mother’s diary. Soon she is drawn into Helena’s secret life, one that involved a passionate love affair. Betrayed and confused, Gabriela tries to find her mother’s lover. But when her own romance begins to spiral out of control, Gabriella must come to terms with the fact that she’s very much her mother’s daughter. Cobo’s well-drawn characters help bolster the story when Gabriella’s tragic romance occasionally slides into melodrama. The smooth prose and authentic Colombian settings provide a unique spin to familiar territory.
I liked this book… it was a quick, light read, but it’s got a bit of kick to it at the end. The end is not where I expected to end up, which in this case, was a good thing.
Although Gabriella lives in LA and spends her summers in Columbia, the events in this novel take place almost entirely in Columbia. This is initially what made the book is so attractive to me. I love to read books set in other countries. Columbia shows up in the story in small ways…there’s the fact that Angel’s father is a drug dealer, there’s the pressure on Gabriella to be “respectable” and not embarrass her family (certainly not limited to Columbia, but still a bigger factor than it would’ve been had the book been set in LA), there’s Gabriella’s escapes into the city and her encounters with Columbians who easily peg her as American.
Mostly though, this is a book about a young woman struggling to find her place and understand the secrets of her mother. Which could make for a trite story, except in this case, it doesn’t.
I’m supposed to recieve this book for one of my readathon prizes! This is the first review I’ve seen of it, so I’m glad to hear it worked.
.-= Amanda´s last blog ..The Graveyard Book, by Neil Gaiman =-.
This sounds good. And I love the cover!
.-= Scobberlotcher´s last blog ..Wordless Wednesday: Curious Cat =-.
Hummm. I like the sound of this — and I like that it’s not trite.
.-= Beth F´s last blog ..Wordless Wednesday (November 18) =-.
Your mention of setting reminds me that I really like how the author of the book I’m reading is quite skilled at creating authentic city streets. I hope I remember to add that to my review…
.-= Care´s last blog ..Books in My Future =-.
I really liked this book too! I did want to choke Gabriella a few times, but overall, I really liked her.
.-= Kathy´s last blog ..The Twelve Days of Christmas Cookies – Day 4 =-.
I loved reading this book, so much so that I passed it onto my mother as well. She read it at a pretty quick pace, which is saying something. It usually takes her a bit of time to get through books cause she is one busy lady.
.-= Nicole´s last blog ..Literary Feasts: Heaven to Betsy, by Maud Hart Lovelace =-.
I think this may be a book that I would enjoy; I won a copy. great review
.-= diane´s last blog ..Waiting on Wednesday – Secrets of Eden; Chris Bohjalian =-.
I’m hoping to get a copy of this from Miriam. I listened to the author on Blog Talk Radio and really got excited about it. Thanks for the review.
.-= Literate Housewife´s last blog ..#213 ~ Crossed Wires =-.
Just received this in a prize box last night!
.-= Ali (worducopia)´s last blog ..See You in a Hundred Years–Logan Ward =-.
I love the cover on this. From the comments here I expect to see a bunch more reviews coming soon, no? I bet it ends up on my list.
.-= Lisa´s last blog ..Vision in White by Nora Roberts =-.
Well, the cover is kind of cute! And I really like the sound of this one. Columbia is one place I have not read anything about!
.-= Veens´s last blog ..The Piligrims by Mark Shelley =-.