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The Color of a Dog Running Away by Richard Gwyn
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The Color of a Dog Running Away

By Richard Gwyn

By Richard Gwyn

By Richard Gwyn

By Richard Gwyn

By Richard Gwyn
Read by Robertson Dean

By Richard Gwyn
Read by Robertson Dean

Best Seller
Paperback $13.95

Mar 11, 2008 | ISBN 9780307276872

Ebook $4.99

Mar 20, 2007 | ISBN 9780385521475

Audiobook Download $22.50

Mar 20, 2007 | 568 Minutes

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    The Color of a Dog Running Away by Richard Gwyn
    Paperback $13.95
    Mar 11, 2008 | ISBN 9780307276872

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    • $13.95

      Mar 11, 2008 | ISBN 9780307276872

      Buy from Other Retailers:

    • Mar 20, 2007 | ISBN 9780385521475

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    • Mar 20, 2007 | ISBN 9781415938409

      568 Minutes

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    About The Color of a Dog Running Away

    Lucas, a musician and translator, comes home one day to find a cryptic postcard on his doorstep. This postcard sets in motion a series of bizarre, seemingly interconnected events, leading Lucas and his girlfriend, Nuria, to be kidnapped by a religious cult with roots stretching back to the thirteenth century.

    Seeking guidance from a fire-eater, a band of mythic roof-dwellers, and his deeply skeptical friends, Lucas must figure out who to believe-or who can believe him. In his internationally acclaimed debut, Richard Gwyn takes us on a gripping ride of faith and deceit through Barcelona’s Gothic Quarter.

    About The Color of a Dog Running Away

    When I opened the door of the flat there was a picture postcard lying in the hallway. It showed a reproduction of a painting by Joan Miró. I turned the card over. Neatly written, in green ink, was what appeared to be a date and time: 20 May–11:00. There was no explanatory message, no indication of who had written the card. The printed details told me that the reproduction was entitled “Woman of the Night.” The painting could be found at the Miró Foundation. May 20 was the next day.


    Lucas, a musician and translator living in Barcelona’s Gothic Quarter, comes home one day to find this cryptic invitation. When he appears at the appointed time, he sets in motion a series of bizarre, seemingly interconnected events that disrupt his previously passive existence. He meets the alluring Nuria and they begin an intense love affair. He is approached by a band of Barcelona’s mythic roof dwellers and has a run-in with a fire-eating prophet.

    But when he and Nuria are kidnapped by a religious cult with roots stretching back to the thirteenth-century, Lucas realizes that his life is spinning out of control. The cult’s megalomaniac leader, Pontneuf, maintains that Nuria and Lucas are essential to his plan to revive the religion. While Nuria is surprisingly open to Pontneuf and his theories, Lucas is outraged and makes his escape. Back in Barcelona, Lucas wanders the streets in a drug-and-alcohol induced haze, pining for Nuria and struggling to make sense of what happened to him. He recounts his improbable adventures to his friends, who are wholly entertained by the story and deeply dubious of its truth, an understandable skepticism as Lucas fast becomes the quintessential unreliable narrator.


    With the alluring and enchanting Barcelona as a vibrant backdrop, The Color of a Dog Running Away is a love story, tale of adventure and historical thriller all rolled into one unforgettable and mesmerizing package; a novel that will beguile and disturb in equal measure.

    About The Color of a Dog Running Away

    Lucas, a musician and translator living in Barcelona’s Gothic Quarter, comes home one day to find a cryptic invitation. When he appears at the appointed time, he sets in motion a series of bizarre, seemingly interconnected events that disrupt his previously passive existence. He meets the alluring Nuria and they begin an intense love affair. He is approached by a band of Barcelona’s mythic roof dwellers and has a run-in with a fire-eating prophet.

    But when he and Nuria are kidnapped by a religious cult with roots stretching back to the thirteenth century, Lucas realizes that his life is spinning out of control. The cult’s megalomaniac leader, Pontneuf, maintains that Nuria and Lucas are essential to his plan to revive the religion. While Nuria is surprisingly open to Pontneuf and his theories, Lucas is outraged and makes his escape. Back in Barcelona, Lucas wanders the streets in a drug-and-alcohol-induced haze, pining for Nuria and struggling to make sense of what has happened to him.

    With the alluring and enchanting Barcelona as a vibrant backdrop, THE COLOR OF A DOG RUNNING AWAY is a love story, tale of adventure, and historical thriller–an unforgettable and mesmerizing novel that will beguile and disturb in equal measure.

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    Reading Guide

    About Richard Gwyn

    Richard Gwyn, in addition to being a poet, writer and translator, teaches creative writing at Cardiff University. This is his first novel.

    About Richard Gwyn

    Richard Gwyn, in addition to being a poet, writer and translator, teaches creative writing at Cardiff University. This is his first novel.

    About Richard Gwyn

    Richard Gwyn, in addition to being a poet, writer and translator, teaches creative writing at Cardiff University. This is his first novel.

    Product Details

    Category: Literary Fiction

    Paperback | $13.95
    Published by Anchor
    Mar 11, 2008 | 320 Pages | 5-3/16 x 8 | ISBN 9780307276872

    Category: Suspense & Thriller | Spiritual Fiction | Romantic Suspense

    Ebook | $4.99
    Published by Doubleday
    Mar 20, 2007 | 336 Pages | 6-1/4 x 9-1/4 | ISBN 9780385521475

    Category: Literary Fiction | Audiobooks

    Audiobook Download | $22.50
    Published by Random House Audio
    Mar 20, 2007 | 568 Minutes | ISBN 9781415938409

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    Praise

    “Evoke[s] the exhilarating unpredictability of urban life. . . . Gwyn’s plot is humming.” —The Washington Post

    “At once an absurdist riddle, a romantic quest, and a love letter to our anti-hero’s chosen home, Gwyn’s witty and assured first novel is as much about the different ways you can tell a story as it is about the story itself.” —The New Yorker

    “A delightful cornucopia of thriller trappings, history lessons, existential ruminations and cheeky asides. . . . Destined to be a cult classic.” —Philadelphia City Paper

    “Gwyn leaves many of his mysteries veiled, while providing enough detail to avert readers from a head start. . . . Beautifully precise.” —Newsday

    “A wild but entertaining ride through historic Barcelona. . . . The writing is delicious.” —Deseret Morning News

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