Paradise

Elena Castedo. Warner Books, $10.99 (328pp) ISBN 978-0-446-39345-4

In this 1990 National Book Award nominee, young Spanish refugee Solita and her family, living in poverty in Latin America, visit the lush estate of ``Tia'' Merce. ``Merce's constant stream of guests, their chatter and their pretensions are vividly conveyed; Solita's naive, highly accurate descriptions of her elders are often riotously funny,'' said PW . (Dec.)

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