News from Paraguay

<p><strong>Brimming with rich descriptions of a beautiful country....<em>The News From Paraguay</em> evolves from a quirky elegant tale of an unconventional love affair into a sweeping epic. -- <em>Fort Worth Star-Telegram</em></strong></p><p><strong>Lily Tuck's impressive novel offers a kaleidoscopic portrait of 19th century Paraguay a largely untouched wilderness where European and American figures mix with the Spanish aristocracy of the capital and the indigenous peoples from the surrounding areas. </strong></p><p>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 a horse 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.</p><p>With the urgency of the narrative rich and intimate detail and a wealth of skillfully layered characters <em>The News from Paraguay</em> recalls the epic novels of Gabriel García Márquez and Mario Vargas Llosa.</p>