The Invisible Life of Euridice Gusmao

Author(s): Martha Batalha; Eric M. B. Becker

General Fiction

Euridice is young, beautiful and ambitious, but when her rebellious sister Guida elopes, she sets her own aspirations aside and vows to settle down as a model wife and daughter. And yet as her husband 's professional success grows, so does Euridice 's feeling of restlessness. She embarks on a series of secret projects from creating recipe books to becoming the most sought-after seamstress in town but each is doomed to failure. Her tradition-loving husband is not interested in an independent wife. And then one day Guida appears at the door with her young son and a terrible story of hardship and abandonment.
The Invisible Life of Euridice Gusm Eo is a wildly inventive, wickedly funny and keenly observed tale of two sisters who, surrounded by a cast of unforgettable characters, assert their independence and courageously carve a path of their own in 1940s Rio de Janeiro. A deeply human and truly unforgettable novel from one of the most exciting new voices in world literature.

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'The arc of this novel, the writing, the characters, are a joy to read.' * Book Riot * 'Tremendous fun...A story of kindness and grace, which does not need to be any longer, but is sufficiently addictive to make us wish it were.' * Philippa Williams, The Lady * 'With something of Chocolat's charm about it, this is a funny, empowering tale of two sisters in forties Rio de Janeiro whose lives diverge only to come back together as they search for a sense of their own lives. A real gem of a book.' * Stylist * 'Batalha's debut shines a light on often-overlooked members of society and paints a thorough and riveting portrait of its characters that will keep readers engaged till the end.' * Booklist * 'A worthy debut for Batalha, full of wry humor.' * Kirkus * 'Spellbinding...Batalha is one of those rare writers who can summarise an entire life in a single paragraph, so when she spends an entire book on a single life, the reader is in for a treat.' * Laia Jufresa, author of Umami * 'Martha Batalha...tells the story of the brilliant sisters Guida and Euridice with humour, social awareness and wit.' * Mariana Enriquez, author of Things We Lost in the Fire * 'The Invisible Life of Euridice Gusmao is earthy and witty, and the lives of its heroines of everyday existence are memorable and inspiring.' * Meg Nola, Foreword Reviews * 'Extraordinary. You can't put this book down.' * Vogue (Brazil) * 'A unique and enchanting novel.' * Elle (France) * `We love the raging irony of this story and its portrayal of a secret rebel.' * Cosmopolitan (France) * `A jubilant novel about the emancipation of women.' * Madame Figaro * `Martha Batalha creates a nostalgic, exotic microcosm...full of compassion, but with a good pinch of irony and a hearty helping of humour.' * literaturkritik.de * `Martha Batalha delivers a feminist debut [...] and a beautiful journey through folkloric Rio filled with the scent of spices, coconut milk and guava marmalade.' * Le Parisien Magazine * `Razor-sharp, dry, caustic and intelligent.' -- Alberto Mussa, author of The Mystery of Rio 'Clever and unusual...filled with amusing tales told through its array of memorable characters.' * Carlos Saldanha, film director * 'An epic saga, a roman-fleuve.' * Ruy Castro, writer * 'A remarkable narrative.' * Alberto Mussa *

Martha Batalha studied journalism and literature in Brazil, working first as a reporter before starting her own publishing company. The Invisible Life of Euridice Gusmao is her first novel. Martha lives in Santa Monica, California, with her husband and two children. Eric M. B. Becker is editor of world literature journal Words without Borders and a translator of literature from Portuguese into English. He lives in New York.

General Fields

  • : 9781786072986
  • : Bloomsbury Publishing PLC
  • : Oneworld
  • : 0.27
  • : September 2017
  • : 216mm X 135mm
  • : United Kingdom
  • : December 2017
  • : books

Special Fields

  • : Martha Batalha; Eric M. B. Becker
  • : Paperback
  • : 1217
  • : English
  • : 869.35
  • : 272