-
Your next favorite book
is waiting.
The Mambo Kings Play Songs of Love is a Pulitzer Prize-winning contemporary American classic, a book that still captivates and inspires readers twenty years after its first publication. Now, in Beautiful Maria of My Soul, Oscar Hijuelos returns to this indelible story, to tell it from the point of view of its beloved heroine, Maria.
She's the great Cuban beauty who stole musician Nestor Castillo's heart and broke it, inspiring him to write the Mambo Kings' biggest hit, 'Beautiful Maria of My Soul.' Now in her sixties and living in Miami with her pediatrician daughter, Teresa, Maria remains a beauty, still capable of turning heads. But she has never forgotten Nestor, and as she thinks back to her days - and nights - in Havana, an entirely new perspective on the Mambo Kings story unfolds.
"An intelligent and playful ending caps off a vivid story that should delight readers of The Mambo Kings and enthrall those new to Hijuelos's imaginative and florid voice." - Publishers Weekly
"Starred Review. [A] sequel that can be relished independently of the first volume while harmonizing with it. More than worth the wait." - Kirkus Reviews
"In the end, this is every bit as good as Mambo Kings and may even pique interest in the earlier work for those who don't know it." - Library Journal
"Starred Review. To fully appreciate this novel’s wondrous language and its multifaceted story, it needs to be read in tandem with Mambo Kings; to do otherwise would be like listening to a symphony through only one speaker." - Booklist
"I fell instantly in love with the glorious soul of Beautiful María of My Soul. Hijuelos has created and brought to life two beloved characters, a heart-stealing heroine and Havana during an epoch of changing fate." - Amy Tan
"Beautiful María is the Queen of the Mambo Kings! Oscar Hijuelos brings this magnificent character to life in this lyrical novel. " - Gay Talese
This information about Beautiful Maria of My Soul was first featured
in "The BookBrowse Review" - BookBrowse's membership magazine, and in our weekly "Publishing This Week" newsletter. Publication information is for the USA, and (unless stated otherwise) represents the first print edition. The reviews are necessarily limited to those that were available to us ahead of publication. If you are the publisher or author and feel that they do not properly reflect the range of media opinion now available, send us a message with the mainstream reviews that you would like to see added.
Any "Author Information" displayed below reflects the author's biography at the time this particular book was published.
Oscar Hijuelos is the son of Cuban immigrants. His seven novels have been translated into twenty-five languages. He lives in New York City.
If you liked Beautiful Maria of My Soul, try these:
by Bethany Brookshire
Published 2023
An engrossing and revealing study of why we deem certain animals "pests" and others not - from cats to rats, elephants to pigeons - and what this tells us about our own perceptions, beliefs, and actions, as well as our place in the natural world.
by Simon Barnes
Published 2015
This fascinating scientific foray into the animal kingdom examines how the world's creatures - weird, wonderful, and everything in between - are inextricably linked.
by Mary Roach
Published 2014
The irresistible, ever-curious, and always best-selling Mary Roach returns with a new adventure to the invisible realm we carry around inside.
To be ignorant of what occurred before you were born is to remain always a child
Click Here to find out who said this, as well as discovering other famous literary quotes!
Can you name the title?
Test your book knowledge with our daily trivia challenge!
Your guide toexceptional books
BookBrowse seeks out and recommends the best in contemporary fiction and nonfiction—books that not only engage and entertain but also deepen our understanding of ourselves and the world around us.
