Dulcinea

Reviews

“Ana Veciana-Suarez’s Dulcinea, an impressive historical novel, imaginatively answers the question: Who was Cervantes’ muse? With potently lyrical prose, rich historical detail, and a cast of compelling characters, readers will be utterly transported to a time in Spanish history that is contradictory, complex, and surprisingly similar to the modern world.”

“In Dulcinea, Ana Veciana-Suarez takes the reader on a journey of all the passionate and oftentimes contradictory emotions that comprise a life. Heartfelt and moving, this book pulses with the same lively energy as its memorable heroine.”

“This is a beautiful book about art and love, and the passions that ignite them both.”

“Dulcinea is full of fervor and adventure, and Ana Veciana-Suarez writes with assurance and an eye for detail. The feminist reimagining we’ve always needed!”

“Dulcinea is a brilliant approach to Don Quixote from the point of view of ‘the other woman.’ Ana Veciana-Suarez reimagines the world of Cervantes and the streets of old Barcelona through conflicts that are contemporary to us. The pages fly by. The reader is in the hands of a woman in search of her truth. A love story without parallels.” 

“A feminist reclamation of Don Quixote’s Dulcinea that explores what happens when the woman who inspired the character is able to confront the writer.”

“Love can defy class and rank…affinities can defy law and logic…and a woman can define her own fate. Set in enchanting Barcelona and on the treacherous Spanish roads during the dark days of the Inquisition, Ana Veciana-Suarez’s gripping novel Dulcinea is a journey, a quest, and a bold, passionate love story. Told through the eyes of a woman who might have been Cervantes’s secret lover—a cousin Dulcinea, for whom he names his own hero’s muse—Dulcinea is a bold work of revelatory imagination filled with secrets, trysts, love, loyalty, deceptions, and passion. It is the perfect twenty-first century companion to Don Quixote.”

“A treat for aficionados of Catalonia and Spain, Dulcinea transports the reader with lush language and exquisite historical detail in a spirited tale of love, betrayal, and remorse. Readers will delight in seeing Dulcinea liberated from her previous minor role in one of literature’s most influential novels, allowed to lead her own rollicking adventure and tell her own passionate story.”

“An exquisite brocade of history and imagination, Dulcinea tells the story of Cervantes’s fictional muse, Dolca Llull Prat. Set in Spain during the height of the Inquisition, Dulcinea weaves a captivating tale of passion, betrayal, and adventure. Readers will be enthralled by Ana Veciana-Suarez’s fresh feminist perspective on the classic hero’s journey. A must-read.”

“Dulcinea is a marvel—richly imagined, luminously written, and deftly textured. With meticulous attention to detail and a cast of characters flawed, fascinating, and indelible, Ana Veciana-Suarez recreates a lost world and invites us in.”

“For fans of Maggie O’Farrell’s Hamnet and Year of Wonder by Geraldine Brooks, Dulcinea is an immersive and beautiful novel that hooks readers with the question: Will she reach him before it’s too late?”

“January LaVoy has a robust, elegant voice perfect for narrating the story of the determined Dolça Llull Prat…Her pacing and emotional command in the passages involving the feared Holy Inquisition heighten suspense.”

“Deftly incorporating poetic, detailed descriptions and lyrical dialogue, Veciana-Suarez vividly portrays Spain’s history, land, customs, and people during the dangerous times of the Spanish Inquisition…An entertaining, mesmerizing coming-of-age story.”

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