Summary | Excerpt | Reading Guide | Reviews | Beyond the book | Readalikes | Genres & Themes | Author Bio
Critics' Opinion:
Readers' Opinion:
First Published:
Jun 2006, 400 pages
Paperback:
Oct 2007, 400 pages
Book Reviewed by:
BookBrowse Review Team
Buy This Book
From the author of
The Yokota Officers Club comes a novel about two young American women caught up in the fevered excitement of
the flamenco revival that swept the American South-West in the
late '50s and early '60s. This
is not just the saga of Rae and Didi, but also of Doña Carlota's
childhood in 1930s Spain shadowed by the civil war (a story that
is in danger of overwhelming the main plot). What sets The
Flamenco Academy above your average easy read is the
irresistible drive and energy of the narrative, the rich
settings and, of course, the history and intricacies of flamenco
itself which, at one point, Didi describes as
"obsessive-compulsive disorder set to a great beat"!
Bird says that she was compelled to write a novel of obsessive
love because of her own 7-year-long obsessive love affair. In
an effort to break free of this relationship she traveled around
Europe for a year and a half at the age of 20 where, very early
one morning in a tiny club outside Barcelona, she saw her first
flamenco performance. She says it was "the first materialization
I'd witnessed that mirrored my tumultuous inner landscape". For
years she tried to capture the experience of her relationship on
paper but "it always came out as a suburban melodrama."
Decades later, she remembered that night in Barcelona and The
Flamenco Academy was born.
This review was originally published in The BookBrowse Review in July 2006, and has been updated for the
November 2007 edition.
Click here to go to this issue.
Become a Member and discover books that entertain, engage & enlighten.
The Lost Apothecary
by Sarah Penner
A forgotten history. A secret network of women. A legacy of poison and revenge. Welcome to The Lost Apothecary.
Reader ReviewsSmalltime
by Russell Shorto
Family secrets emerge as a best-selling author dives into the history of the mob in small-town America.
Reader ReviewsBand of Sisters
by Lauren Willig
"A crackling portrayal of everyday American heroines…A triumph."
— Fiona Davis
Visitors can view some of BookBrowse for free. Full access is for members only.
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.