Overview

I was thirteen. Being thirteen is like being in the middle of nowhere. Which was accentuated by the fact that I was in the middle of nowhere. In a house that wasn't mine. In a city that wasn't mine, in a country that wasn't mine, with a one-man family that, in spite of the intersections and intentions (all very good), wasn't mine. When her mother dies, thirteen-year-old Vanja is left with no family and no sense of who she is, where she belongs, and what she should do. Determined to find her biological father in order to fill the void that has so suddenly appeared in her life, Vanja decides to leave Rio de Janeiro to live in Colorado with her stepfather, a former guerrilla notorious for his violent past. From there she goes in search of her biological father, tracing her mother's footsteps and gradually discovering the truth about herself. Rendered in lyrical and passionate prose, Crow Blue is a literary road trip through Brazil and America, and through dark decades of familial and political history.

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9781620403365

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Confidently written . . . Adriana Lisboa's prose is a wonderful invitation, and her characters are that of the globalized world. She has much to say, and she knows just how to say it. -- Jornal do Commercio , on Crow Blue Riveting . . . [Lisboa] deftly weaves together scenes of past and present . . . bringing the story to a satisfying crescendo. -- Publishers Weekly , on Symphony in White It's what renews our faith: this young author from Rio de Janeiro is the most stunning revelation in the Brazilian literature of her generation. -- Correio Braziliense , on The Hut of Fallen Persimmons

Lisboa is excellent on tiny details--the significance of little objects, fleeting instants that change us. Moments in conversations, or the wonder of Vanja's first snowfall, are touching and sometimes mesmerising; but Lisboa is not sentimental, and Vanja isn't, either. With its fresh and instantly familiar voice, Crow Blue tells the human story of a migrant experience, but there's no self-pity in Vanja's sense of dislocation. Her story may be full of warmth and love, but she is also insightful, practical and forthright. There's a fine sense of rhythm and tone, rendered with vibrancy and precision by Alison Entrekin. -- The Independent, Books of the Year A classic coming-of-age narrative that also explores the dark side of Brazil's political history. -- The Observer Confidently written . . . Adriana Lisboa's prose is a wonderful invitation, and her characters are that of the globalized world. She has much to say, and she knows just how to say it. -- Jornal do Commercio Riveting . . . [Lisboa] deftly weaves together scenes of past and present . . . bringing the story to a satisfying crescendo. -- Publishers Weekly on Symphony in White It's what renews our faith: this young author from Rio de Janeiro is the most stunning revelation in the Brazilian literature of her generation. -- Correio Braziliense on The Hut of Fallen Persimmons Multi-layered narrative [and] deftly translated . . . In Crow Blue, Lisboa succeeds in writing an imaginative story that keeps its interconnected plotlines moving simultaneously. With lyrical prose and keen insight, Crow Blue shows how the search for a long-lost father can reveal the meaning of family itself. -- High Country News

Author Information

Brazilian author Adriana Lisboa was awarded the Jose Saramago Literary Prize in 2003 and was named one of the most distinguished Latin American writers under the age of thirty-nine by the Hay Festival in 2007. Her work-novels, stories, poetry, and books for children-has been translated in several languages, including Spanish, French, German, Italian, and Swedish. A native of Rio, she has lived in France, where she sang bossa nova professionally. She now resides near Boulder, Colorado. www.adrianalisboa.com

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