Little Star of Bela Lua - by Luana Monteiro (Paperback)

From the Back Cover

A miraculous fish appears to an old woman in a small town in Northeast Brazil -- and so begins a series of comical, poignant, beautiful, and bizarre tales imagined by a remarkable storyteller whose singular voice resonates with lyrical grace.

Featuring an unforgettable cast of players such as a penitent priest who falls in love with a river spirit, an alcoholic alchemist plumbing the depths of his arcane knowledge for the mysteries of death and immortality, and a young beauty torn between Jesus and the lustful earth goddess who has possessed her since childhood, Little Star of Bela Lua is a rich and luminous collection of wonders that marks the arrival of a talented new voice in American fiction.

Review Quotes

"This book is dazzling. Lyrical and original, fierce and wise, sensual, intelligent, observant, and laugh out loud funny." - Elizabeth Berg, author of The Year of Pleasures and Open House
"Monteiro manages the high wire act of making the magical commonplace and the commonplace magical . . . a lovely debut collection." - Jane Hamilton, author of The Book of Ruth and A Map of the World
"Wonderful imagery and an original voice. What a talented writer!" - Sheila Kohler, author of Cracks and Crossways
"...the miraculous, the illogic of the human heart...Monteiro exposes in language...light as air and earthy.'" - Elle
"glorious debut . . . beautifully written and wonderfully drawn, this Little Star is a wonder." - People
"solid debut . . . crisp, twisty storytelling, a keen sense of the absurd, full-bodied characters . . . thrillingly strange yet eerily familiar. B+" - Entertainment Weekly
"The colorful chaos of Brazilian streets, the mystical witnessings of believers and the energy of a passionate people enliven Monteiro's vibrant pages." - Publishers Weekly