Sobre Los Acantilados de Mrmol

Known for her historical romance novels, Bonelli achieved literary success in 1999 with the publication of Boda de odio (""Wedding of Hatred""). A former certified public accountant, she has gained popularity with readers in Europe and Latin America, particularly her native Argentina, building a reputation paralleling that of contemporary Spanish-language romance authors Pilar Cabero, Caroline Bennett, and Sonia Marme, as well as English-language authors and even 19th-century writers Jane Austen and the Bront\xEB sisters. Set in the streets that witnessed the birth of the tango, Marlene traces the story of Micaela Urtiaga Four, a famous soprano who decides to return to her hometown of Buenos Aires after years of absence. Known in Europe as the Divine Four, Micaela suddenly finds herself linked to Carlo Varzi, an unscrupulous pimp in the neighborhood of La Boca. Unable to resist the fearsome and ruthless man, she gives in to her powerful attraction to him. Thus begins a mesmerizing tale of remorse, fear, desire, and passion. Bonelli's heroine is strong willed and independent, and conflict is inevitable. Using the style of modern romance novels to describe the early 20th century in Argentina, the author employs everyday language, slang, and dialect. And in keeping with the tradition of the genre, the emerging dance of the tango serves as both setting and character in Marlene. The novel ensures Bonelli's growing position as an important 21st-century Latin American writer. Recommended for large public library collections and bookstores.-Sylvia D. Hall-Ellis, Univ. of Denver, CO (On the Marble Cliffs)J\xFCnger, Ernst.Despite J\xFCnger's participation in the Nazi occupation of France, his works were censored not only by the Allied forces but by the Nazi regime itself. This enigmatic novel, first translated into Spanish in 1962 (as Destino), is here translated by a friend of J\xFCnger and includes an updated prolog. It is perhaps the most dense and symbolic work by the well-known right-wing German author, who tends toward extensive controversial essays and memoirs about his life and times. An allegory of war originally published in 1939, it describes two botanist brothers' seemingly peaceful and idyllic lives, which are disrupted by the arrival of violent forces. Given the first-person narration, all of the uncertainty and fear generated by the purely fictional social structure and vague time line is conveyed to the reader who, in turn, is left to interpret the novel's possible meaning. Already significant upon its publication in Nazi Germany, this novel acquires fresh meaning in contemporary society. Recommended only for libraries with extensive collections of works in Spanish translation.-Sophie Lavoie, Univ. of New Brunswick, Fredericton