The Spanish Bow
By Andromeda Romano-Lax
In her ambitious debut novel, The Spanish Bow (Harcourt, September 2007, $25.00), author Andromeda Romano-Lax delivers a rich and beautifully written story of love, music, and political unrest set against half a century of Spanish history. In a small, turn-of the century Catalan village, young Feliu Delargo receives a cello bow, bequeathed to him by his late father, which sends him on the unlikely path of becoming a musician. When a local landowner’s wrath threatens his family, Feliu escapes to anarchist Barcelona, then on to the ill-fated court of the Madrid monarchy, where a music master’s daughter gives him his first lessons in the art of love. Later, he meets up with the charismatic and eccentric piano prodigy Justo Al-Cerraz. Their contradictory personalities and artistic and political sensibilities set the stage for a lifelong friendship and collaboration, and lifelong rivalry and conflict. When the tensions propelling a war-torn world toward catastrophe bring the lovely Aviva, an Italian violinist with a haunted past, into their lives, the two men embark on their final and most dangerous collaboration ever.
Set in France, Spain, and Germany in the years between 1892 and 1940 and inspired by the life of Pablo Casals and others who wrestled with the competing demands of art and conscience in times of war, The Spanish Bow examines the fine line between heroism and self-interest, and explores the power of art to shape the destinies of individuals and nations.
Andromeda Romano-Lax has been a journalist, a travel writer, and an amateur cellist, as well as the author of numerous nonfiction books. The Spanish Bow is her first novel. She lives in Anchorage, Alaska, with her family. For further information on the author, go to her Web site at www.RomanoLax.com
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