Monday, October 19, 2015

Giveaway - Twain and Stanley Enter Paradise - Oscar Hijuelos

Good morning historical fiction fans! I've got a wonderful giveaway (3 copies!) for you today - Twain and Stanley Enter Paradise by Oscar Hijuelos.

From Grand Central Publishing:

"Twain Stanley Enter Paradise, by Pulitzer Prize-winning author Oscar Hijuelos, is a luminous work of fiction inspired by the real-life, 37-year friendship between two towering figures of the late nineteenth century, famed writer and humorist Mark Twain and legendary explorer Sir Henry Morton Stanley.

Hijuelos was fascinated by the Twain-Stanley connection and eventually began researching and writing a novel that used the scant historical record of their relationship as a starting point for a more detailed fictional account. It was a labor of love for Hijuelos, who worked on the project for more than ten years, publishing other novels along the way but always returning to Twain and Stanley; indeed, he was still revising the manuscript the day before his sudden passing in 2013. The resulting novel is a richly woven tapestry of people and events that is unique among the author's works, both in theme and structure. Hijuelos ingeniously blends correspondence, memoir, and third-person omniscience to explore the intersection of these Victorian giants in a long vanished world.

From their early days as journalists in the American West, to their admiration and support of each other's writing, their mutual hatred of slavery, their social life together in the dazzling literary circles of the period, and even a mysterious journey to Cuba to search for Stanley's adoptive father, Twain and Stanley Enter Paradise superbly channels two vibrant but very different figures. It is also a study of Twain's complex bond with Mrs. Stanley, the bohemian portrait artist Dorothy Tennant, who introduces Twain and his wife to the world of séances and mediums after the tragic death of their daughter.

A compelling and deeply felt historical fantasia that utilizes the full range of Hijuelos' gifts, Twain and Stanley Enter Paradise stands as an unforgettable coda to a brilliant writing career.

Oscar Hijuelos (1951-2013), was a Pulitzer Prize-winning author and recipient of the Rome Prize. He also received grants from the National Endowment for the Arts and the Guggenheim Foundation. His nine novels have been translated into more than 30 languages."

Entertainment Weekly has listed Twain and Stanley Enter Paradise as one of its "13 blockbuster novels to look out for this fall".

"An extraordinary feat of imaginative historical re-creation." - Booklist

And if it sounds like a book you'd like to own and read, I have three copies to giveaway. Open to US and Canada, no PO boxes please. 
Enter using the Rafflecopter form below. Ends Oct. 31/15.

11 comments:

  1. Love this author fascinated by Twain&Stanleys friendship

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  2. Thanks for this captivating and wonderful giveaway. saubleb(at)gmail(dot)com

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  3. would love to read this book

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  4. I had no idea of this real life connection and am curious to read more! Thanks!
    JHolden955(at)gmail(dot)com

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  5. I am a huge fan of Twain, and this book sounds fascinating. I also want to read more by this author.

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  6. A Twain-Stanley connection - who knew! Story should be intriguing.
    kpbarnett1941[at]aol.com

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  7. I would love to read this book.

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  8. This sounds fascinating. I love history. Thanks for the post.

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  9. This book sounds like a really good read.. Hope I win!

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  10. Sounds like an interesting friendship. Thanks for the giveaway.

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  11. This looks like an interesting book. I like historical fictions.

    SueSueper

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Thank you for stopping by - your comments are much appreciated!