In this thrilling new historical novel, award-winning author Cecilia Velástegui again demonstrates her talent for creating spellbinding and haunting period pieces. Lucia Zárate is based on the real-life odyssey of the world’s smallest woman. Pretty and gregarious, Lucia Zárate was just twenty inches tall. A celebrity after her ‘display’ at the 1876 Philadelphia Centennial Exhibition, Lucia’s extraordinary story is one of exploitation by sideshow hucksters and a fishbowl existence on the road, from New York to Victorian London. After leaving Veracruz, Mexico, Lucia began her life’s arduous journey among Frank Uffner’s traveling troupe, in the care of an interpreter and protector. Despite Velástegui’s extensive research, the name of Lucia’s interpreter has disappeared. Nonetheless, Velástegui masterfully creates Zoila, Lucia’s companion, as a character of depth and emotion. Zoila is a woman who’s felt the sting of exploitation at the hands of powerful vanilla growers in Mexico, but her linguistic talents and wily temperament help her protect Lucia. Zoila foils kidnapping attempts, teaches Lucía to stand-up to European royalty, and facilitates a budding romance between Lucia and General Mite. We follow the adventures of Lucía and Zoila as they grapple with life and death, finding joy and adventure in their bumpy sideshow journey of more than fourteen years. This is an artfully balanced novel that is a mesmerizing tale of survival, resilience, and the uplifting force of friendship.
About the Author: Cecilia Velastegui
Cecilia Velástegui is the international, award-winning author of five historical novels and three children's bilingual fables. Cecilia was born in Ecuador and raised in California and France. She received her graduate degree from the University of Southern California, speaks four languages, and has traveled to one hundred and eleven countries. The Association of American Publishers and the Las Comadres International organization selected her novel Traces of Bliss (2012) to the National Latino Book Club. She received First Place from the International Latino Book Awards for her novels Missing in Machu Picchu (2013) and Traces of Bliss (2012). Parisian Promises (2014) was the runner-up for the Paris Book Award and Gathering the Indigo Maidens (2011) was a finalist for the Mariposa Award. Her children’s bilingual fables: Olinguito Speaks Up, Lalo Loves to Help, and Howl of the Mission Owl have received numerous awards, including the endorsement of the Smithsonian Institute in Washington D.C. She is trademarked as the Fabulous Fableist. Cecilia has been invited to present her novels at the Los Angeles Times Book Fair, the Big Orange Book Fair, The Smithsonian Institute, Literary Orange, and has been featured in articles in Latino Magazine, Orange Coast Magazine, and the Orange County Register. Cecilia's 2018 title, Blessings from the Edge, is a historical, biblio-novel that pays tribute to a 16th century publishing masterpiece.
http://luciazarate.com/
Reviews/Quotes
Lucía Zárate is lyrical and riveting It paints Mexico with vivid brushstrokes, bringing the sights, sounds, and smells of Veracruz and its vanilla bean industry to life. "The author shows a talent for period details, sparkling dialogue and vivid characters that bring her story to life. Richly rendered, meticulously researched historical novel." "Velástegui's prose is dreamlike and evokes comparisons with the best writers of modern magical realism." FOREWORD REVIEWS Cecilia Velástegui’s historical novel, Lucia Zárate, chronicles the extraordinary life of the tiniest person who ever lived. The opening pages, lyrical and riveting, paint Mexico with vivid brushstrokes, bringing the sights, sounds, and smells of Veracruz and its vanilla bean industry to life. Like all historical fiction, Lucia Zárate plaits fact and fancy. Lucia Zárate (January 2, 1864–January 15, 1890) holds the Guinness World Record as the smallest human, measuring twenty-one inches tall and weighing less than five pounds at seventeen years of age. Velástegui describes her as “a wisp of a girl, a perfect and miniature thing, whose singular appearance and sparkling personality were as unique as the cherished fragrance of Veracruz vanilla.” Despite her diminutive size, she “spread the velvet folds and lace frills of her gowns in such a way that she extended her personal space in a wide circle all around her.” Velástegui’s sensitive descriptions of humans with a variety of deformities and odd conditions is commendable, as is her condemnation of their abominable treatment in nineteenth-century sideshows. Lucia Zárate should appeal to people interested in the human psyche, and those drawn to history should appreciate the author’s adherence to carefully researched historical details. Also, young adults with sophisticated vocabularies should enjoy this book.
Additional information
Book Author
Cecilia Velastegui
Publisher
Libros Publishing
Language
Bilingual
ISBN
978-0990671381
Pages
276
Format
Hardcover
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