Description
It is 1937, and Europe is on the brink of war. Hitler is circulating a most-wanted list of artists, writers, and thinkers whose work is deemed a threat to the new regime. To prevent the destruction of her favorite art (and artists), American heiress and modern art collector Leonora Calaway begins swiftly chartering boats and planes for an elite group of surrealists to Costalegre, a mysterious resort in the Mexican jungle, where she has a home.
The story of what happens to these artists is told by Lara, Leonora's neglected fifteen-year-old daughter, who has been pulled out of school to follow her mother to Mexico. "I am destined," Lara writes, "for a destiny I haven't had the chance to meet." Inspired by the beautiful and talented Charlotte, alongside an eccentric menagerie of other surrealists, Lara begins to discover herself as an artist. In days filled with writing, dreaming, horseback riding, and exploring her new home, she grapples with her own ambition, hoping to find a sensitive ear in her mother but often finding herself alone. It's not till she meets the outcast sculptor Jack Klinger, a much older man who has already been living in Costalegre for some time, that Lara thinks she might have found the understanding she so badly craves.
Product Details
| Publisher | Tin House Books |
| Publish Date | July 14, 2020 |
| Pages | 240 |
| Language | English |
| Type |  Paperback / softback |
| EAN/UPC | 9781951142018 |
| Dimensions | 7.6 X 5.0 X 0.8 inches | 0.5 pounds |
About the Author
Reviews
A mesmerizing story of alienation, intimacy, and the elusive powers of art.-- "NYLON"
A rich and delectable tale of art, love, and war.-- "Publishers Weekly, Starred Review"
A soul-searching, atmospheric novel set in a hot, humid climate as torrid as the affairs of the characters who inhabit it.-- "Library Journal"
A vividly drawn novel of family, sacrifice, and the limits of understanding.-- "Southern Living"
A whimsical and poignant account of art and self-discovery, explored through the lens of a girl who yearns to be understood.-- "Buzzfeed"
An arty, lavish novel, Costalegre examines one of the relationships that is often the most surreal to dissect: the one between mother and daughter.-- "Thrillist"
An excellent way to spend a summer weekend.-- "Vulture"
An intimate fever dream.-- "Los Angeles Review of Books"
Beautiful. . . . A story about growing up and looking for love.-- "GOOP"
Compelling. . . . freshly original and unusual.-- "Book Riot"
Delightful. . . . In Lara, Maum has given a little-considered daughter a more hopeful future.--Mona Simpson "The New York Times Book Review"
Delivered in spades. Highly recommended.-- "Glamour, Best Books of the Decade"
Enchanting.-- "Kirkus, Starred Review"
Its charm lies less in its summarizable qualities . . . than in Maum's superb balance between humor and grief, and her talent for saying just enough, never too much.-- "BOMB"
Maum's coming-of-age novel among some of Europe's elite is heartbreaking in its evocation of a teenage girl whose mother collects artists to save but who ignores the daughter struggling not to drown.-- "Star Tribune"
Mesmerizing and unsettling, Costalegre is a wonder, and Courtney Maum shows herself once again to be a writer of many gifts. This is a book for anyone who's ever loved, and not felt sufficiently loved in return; and for anyone who's had to try to grow up; for, that is, everyone.--R.O. Kwon, author of The Incendiaries
Reveals the power a mother holds over her daughter.-- "TIME"
Slender, intelligent. . . . A portrait of the young woman amidst the artists.-- "The Boston Globe"
Taut and lush.-- "Washington Post"
With its captivating mix of true-to-life characters and WWII history, Costalegre is surreal, intelligent, and full of integrity.--Mark Eisner, author of Neruda: The Biography of a Poet
A special book, by a writer who proves on these pages that she can do anything.--Julie Buntin, author of Marlena
A spectacular high-wire act that dazzles and devastates.--Laura van den Berg, author of The Third Hotel
As heady, delirious, and heartbreaking as a young girl just beginning to fall in love with the world.--Samantha Hunt, author of The Seas
Memorable and meaningful, Maum's work remains with me as a reminder of love in the agony of teenage years and art in the terror of war.--Amelia Gray, author of Isadora
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