DECEMBER 2011 - AudioFile
In the sequel to his bestselling novel THE HUMMINGBIRD'S DAUGHTER, author and narrator Luis Alberto Urrea offers another enjoyable performance. The story centers around Urrea’s great aunt, Teresita, dubbed the Saint of Cabora, who narrowly escapes her enemies in Mexico. Once she’s in the U.S., her life becomes fraught with more turmoil, forcing her to flee Arizona for California, where she hopes to be left in peace to continue her healing practices. Urrea’s narration is engrossing. Without fuss or flash, he brings credibility to Teresita; her father, Tomás; and her brutish husband, Rodriguez, as well as to dozens of secondary characters, each of whom takes on a life of his own. This latest episode in Urrea’s family saga offers an irresistible blend of history, mysticism, and humanity. S.J.H. © AudioFile 2011, Portland, Maine
From the Publisher
Praise for QUEEN OF AMERICA:
"'Who is more of an outlaw than a saint?'" one of Luis Urrea's characters poses. The answer is this ferocious, ribald romance of the border. Jaunty, bawdy, gritty, sweet, Queen of America has a bottomless comic energy and a heart large enough to accept-even revel in-all of human folly."—Stewart O'Nan, author of Emily Alone and Songs for the Missing
"Captivating...With deft humor and a poetic lyricism that seamlessly folds one scene into another, Urrea unfolds the story of his real-life great-aunt Teresita, a teenage saint who was known for healing miracles... Each scene in Queen of America unfurls gracefully like delicate wisps of smoke. Whether Teresita is being held captive in Northern California by a band of profiteering medical professionals, or being feted like a queen in New York's social circles, this epic novel paints a portrait of America-and its inhabitants-with grace and style. It will spark fire in readers' hearts."—Megan Fishmann, Bookpage
"Urrea delights in the texture of things. Turn-of-the-century America, particularly New York, comes alive at his fingertips: He sees both the silk and the mud... In imagining the story of his great-aunt Teresita, Urrea might have chosen to make her a hero; that would have been easier. What we get is more complicated, more modern... Hers is the story of what it means to have a gift, and how a talent can also be a burden."—Carolyn Kellogg, Los Angeles Times
"Colorful [and] exuberant."—Sam Sacks, Wall Street Journal
"A magnificent work of literary alchemy, so masterfully infused with myth and history, you will feel these characters in your heart, your gut. You will grieve for their immortal souls."—Jamie Ford, author of Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet
"A gritty, bold, and much-anticipated sequel to The Hummingbird's Daughter... Fiercely romantic and at times heartbreaking but also full of humor, Urrea's latest novel blends fairy tale, Western adventure, folk tale, and historical drama. Fans of Hummingbird and readers new to Urrea's work will surely enjoy this magnificent, epic novel."—Library Journal
Megan Fishmann - Bookpage
"Captivating...With deft humor and a poetic lyricism that seamlessly folds one scene into another, Urrea unfolds the story of his real-life great-aunt Teresita, a teenage saint who was known for healing miracles... Each scene in Queen of America unfurls gracefully like delicate wisps of smoke. Whether Teresita is being held captive in Northern California by a band of profiteering medical professionals, or being feted like a queen in New York's social circles, this epic novel paints a portrait of America-and its inhabitants-with grace and style. It will spark fire in readers' hearts."
Karen R. Long - Cleveland Plain Dealer
"I am happy to report, a bit wet-eyed, that this new work holds its own, cleverly written so that a reader could take up the saga here...Urrea's touch with secondary characters is Dickensian; his long years of research into remote time and place inspires our surrender. Best of all, perhaps, is the sensual, musical prose set to English. Urrea dances along the fertile crescent between Spanish and English...Queen of America reads like a thrill, and in its conclusion feels like a blessing...The magic made here is all Luis Alberto Urrea's own
Sam Sacks - Wall Street Journal
"Colorful [and] exuberant."
Carolyn Kellogg - Los Angeles Times
"Urrea delights in the texture of things. Turn-of-the-century America, particularly New York, comes alive at his fingertips: He sees both the silk and the mud... In imagining the story of his great-aunt Teresita, Urrea might have chosen to make her a hero; that would have been easier. What we get is more complicated, more modern... Hers is the story of what it means to have a gift, and how a talent can also be a burden."
Vanity Fair
"Queen of America magically spins a vibrant, larger-than-life fiction based on the "Saint of Cabora."
Michael David Lukas - San Francisco Chronicle
"Urrea has given us that rare breed of literary sequel, a story that will satisfy fans of the original while standing solidly on its own...The Hummingbird's Daughter [is] the magical, engrossing and too-crazy-to-be-anything-but-completely-true story of his great-aunt...[and is] a tough act to follow...but Queen of America is filled with wondrous, wide-eyed descriptions of life in the United States in the beginning of the 20th century...At once magical and corporeal, grounding and transporting."
Alan Cheuse - Chicago Tribune
"Lively and beautifully composed...Urrea's novelist descendant conducts the new book in as striking a manner, deploying the passion of a visionary, making music with his phrases, evoking a world in the ebullient manner of antique storytellers while employing effective modern narrative techniques. This sequel is a world in itself, with the spiritually gifted Teresita...The novelist's powers work their way in this entertaining and intelligent historical fiction, studded with delights, rich in image and metaphor, the voice strong and at the same time comforting as it creates a universe replete with a multiplicity of characters, complete in body and soul. And as in the best of fiction, though the novelist himself is not physically present, his voice speaks worlds."
Mythili G. Rao - New York Times
"Enchanting...Fantastical...Urrea has stitched a seamless end to the saga."
Jamie Ford - author of Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet
"A magnificent work of literary alchemy, so masterfully infused with myth and history, you will feel these characters in your heart, your gut. You will grieve for their immortal souls."
Stewart O'Nan - author of Emily Alone and Songs for the Missing
Praise for QUEEN OF AMERICA:
"'Who is more of an outlaw than a saint?'" one of Luis Urrea's characters poses. The answer is this ferocious, ribald romance of the border. Jaunty, bawdy, gritty, sweet, Queen of America has a bottomless comic energy and a heart large enough to accept-even revel in-all of human folly."
Megan Fishmann
Captivating...With deft humor and a poetic lyricism that seamlessly folds one scene into another, Urrea unfolds the story of his real-life great-aunt Teresita, a teenage saint who was known for healing miracles... Each scene in Queen of America unfurls gracefully like delicate wisps of smoke. Whether Teresita is being held captive in Northern California by a band of profiteering medical professionals, or being feted like a queen in New York's social circles, this epic novel paints a portrait of America-and its inhabitants-with grace and style. It will spark fire in readers' hearts.
— Bookpage
Karen R. Long
I am happy to report, a bit wet-eyed, that this new work holds its own, cleverly written so that a reader could take up the saga here...Urrea's touch with secondary characters is Dickensian; his long years of research into remote time and place inspires our surrender. Best of all, perhaps, is the sensual, musical prose set to English. Urrea dances along the fertile crescent between Spanish and English...Queen of America reads like a thrill, and in its conclusion feels like a blessing...The magic made here is all Luis Alberto Urrea's own
— Cleveland Plain Dealer
Sam Sacks
Colorful [and] exuberant.
— Wall Street Journal
Carolyn Kellogg
Urrea delights in the texture of things. Turn-of-the-century America, particularly New York, comes alive at his fingertips: He sees both the silk and the mud... In imagining the story of his great-aunt Teresita, Urrea might have chosen to make her a hero; that would have been easier. What we get is more complicated, more modern... Hers is the story of what it means to have a gift, and how a talent can also be a burden.
— Los Angeles Times
Michael David Lukas
Urrea has given us that rare breed of literary sequel, a story that will satisfy fans of the original while standing solidly on its own...The Hummingbird's Daughter [is] the magical, engrossing and too-crazy-to-be-anything-but-completely-true story of his great-aunt...[and is] a tough act to follow...but Queen of America is filled with wondrous, wide-eyed descriptions of life in the United States in the beginning of the 20th century...At once magical and corporeal, grounding and transporting.
— San Francisco Chronicle
Alan Cheuse
Lively and beautifully composed...Urrea's novelist descendant conducts the new book in as striking a manner, deploying the passion of a visionary, making music with his phrases, evoking a world in the ebullient manner of antique storytellers while employing effective modern narrative techniques. This sequel is a world in itself, with the spiritually gifted Teresita...The novelist's powers work their way in this entertaining and intelligent historical fiction, studded with delights, rich in image and metaphor, the voice strong and at the same time comforting as it creates a universe replete with a multiplicity of characters, complete in body and soul. And as in the best of fiction, though the novelist himself is not physically present, his voice speaks worlds.
— Chicago Tribune
Mythili G. Rao
Enchanting...Fantastical...Urrea has stitched a seamless end to the saga.
— New York Times
Jamie Ford
A magnificent work of literary alchemy, so masterfully infused with myth and history, you will feel these characters in your heart, your gut. You will grieve for their immortal souls.
— author of Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet
The Portland Oregonian
Urrea's eloquent language and warm sense of humor...enriches the narration, which acts as a biographical chronicle of the saint but one that is enlivened by a particularly fine novelist's view of her world.
The Clevland Plain Dealer
Queen Of America reads like a thrill, and in its conclusion feels like a blessing...The magic made here is all Luis Alberto Urrea's own.
The San Francisco Chronicle
Urrea has given us that rare breed of literary sequel, a story that will satisfy fans of the original while standing solidly on its own.
DECEMBER 2011 - AudioFile
In the sequel to his bestselling novel THE HUMMINGBIRD'S DAUGHTER, author and narrator Luis Alberto Urrea offers another enjoyable performance. The story centers around Urrea’s great aunt, Teresita, dubbed the Saint of Cabora, who narrowly escapes her enemies in Mexico. Once she’s in the U.S., her life becomes fraught with more turmoil, forcing her to flee Arizona for California, where she hopes to be left in peace to continue her healing practices. Urrea’s narration is engrossing. Without fuss or flash, he brings credibility to Teresita; her father, Tomás; and her brutish husband, Rodriguez, as well as to dozens of secondary characters, each of whom takes on a life of his own. This latest episode in Urrea’s family saga offers an irresistible blend of history, mysticism, and humanity. S.J.H. © AudioFile 2011, Portland, Maine
