“Sorrow and joy, beauty and ugliness are all here, experienced in a way that is at once individualistic but also universal. The setting, which often becomes the story, springs to life. Recommended for readers wishing to explore a sense of New York from a Latin American perspective past and present.” —Karen Bordonaro, Historical Novels Society
“[Gloria] captures the lightness, the wonder, the refreshing breath of youth’s horizon. Like a melody, it leaves an impression but with a light touch.” —Liliana Torpey, Asymptote Journal
“Vanderhyden’s translation has plenty of lovely moments . . . While Gloria is a novel based on individual memories, it has a universal familiarity as well—never more so than in showing these lives that tragedy and violence might interrupt at any moment.” —Cory Oldweiler, Southwest Review of Books
“Through this lyrical tale, finely translated, Solano provides singular insight into a pivotal moment for women as Gloria reaches for independence and fulfillment.” —Booklist
“Magnetic . . . A vivid snapshot of rosy youth and innocence lost.” —Publishers Weekly
“Gloria by Andrés Felipe Solano is a brilliant and moving book, a tribute to a time and a city—New York in 1970—and a portrait of a working woman from the perspective of a son. It is a book that I would like to have written and, since I did not write it, I tell everyone to read it.” —Daniel Saldaña París, author of Planes Flying Over a Monster
“What an absolute pleasure! I reread Gloria right after finishing it—the narrative is unpredictable and inevitable and real. Solano has created a story that is metaphysically precise, giving us the prism of a woman’s life from the inside out, and also true via gritty, exquisite details: lingerie shops, turntables, laundromats, Times Square french fries, lipstick on a cigarette—and a Kodak Instamatic. The rooms of Gloria’s ‘memory palace’ are in fact ‘immaculate, organized with monastic care,’ and we get to walk through them. This book is one life giving its heart to the rest of us.” —Jardine Libaire, author of White Fur
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