

Beautiful Maria of My Soul
Author: Oscar Hijuelos
Narrator: Armando Durn
Unabridged: 12 hr 36 min
Format: Digital Audiobook Download
Publisher: Blackstone Audio, Inc.
Published: 06/01/2010
Categories: Fiction, Literary Fiction
Author: Oscar Hijuelos
Narrator: Armando Durn
Unabridged: 12 hr 36 min
Format: Digital Audiobook Download
Publisher: Blackstone Audio, Inc.
Published: 06/01/2010
Categories: Fiction, Literary Fiction
Oscar Hijuelos, the son of Cuban immigrants, was in New York City in 1951. He is a recipient of the Rome Prize, the Pulitzer Prize, and grants from the National Endowment for the Arts and the Guggenheim Foundation. His novels -- Mambo Kings, Our House in the Last World, The Fourteen Sisters of Emilio Montez O'Brien, Mr. Ives' Christmas, Empress of the Splendid Season, and A Simple Habana Melody -- have been translated into twenty-five languages.
Halfway thru the reading of this novel, I had to drop it and run to the computer and open itunes where I proceeded to listen to The Mambo Kings for what may have been the first time in my life. My interest was picqued. I didn't buy this book to learn about the Mambo Kings. I got it cause the subject......more
This is historical fiction and a sequel to The Mambo Kings, telling the story of the Maria behind the Castillo's bolero "Beautiful Maria of My Soul". The problem for me was, I didn't care. Perhaps by design, Maria is a cold character - beautiful, at first naive, and just, well, not a character I rel......more
A great read on many levels, with some serious shortcomings that might bother feminist readers. Be prepared for graphic sex scenes. Hijuelos' great strength lie in recreating a place, a time and a culture. See the review I wrote for the Portland Oregonian here: [URL not allowed]......more
I read Oscar Hijuelos'’ award-winning novel The Mambo Kings Play Songs of Love nearly 20 years ago, when it was first published, and never gave much thought to its having a sequel. But when I learned that it had one - told from the perspective of the woman who inspired the fictional Castillo brother......more
In 1990, Oscar Hujuelos wrote “The Mambo Kings Play Songs Of Love” and won a Pulitzer Prize. I didn’t read that book about the Castillo brothers, but “Beautiful Maria of My Soul” tells the story of the woman who captured the heart of Nestor Castillo, who with his brother Cesar left Cuba for New York......more