{"product_id":"006073888x","title":"The Seamstress: An Award-Winning Novel – Two Sisters, Abduction, and Marriage in Lawless Brazil","description":"\n\n\u003cp\u003eAs seamstresses, the young sisters EmÃ­lia and Luzia dos Santos know how to cut, how to mend, and how to conceal. These are useful skills in the lawless backcountry of Brazil, where ruthless land barons called colonels feud with bands of outlaw cangaceiros, trapping innocent residents in the crossfire. \u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e EmÃ­lia, whose knowledge of the world comes from fashion magazines and romance novels, dreams of falling in love with a gentleman and escaping to a big city. \u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e Luzia also longs to escape their little town, where residents view her with suspicion and pity. Scarred by a childhood accident that left her with a deformed arm, the quick-tempered Luzia finds her escape in sewing and in secret prayers to the saints she believes once saved her life. \u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e But when Luzia is abducted by a group of cangaceiros led by the infamous Hawk, the sisters' quiet lives diverge in ways they never imagined. EmÃ­lia stumbles into marriage with Degas Coelho, the son of a doctor whose wealth is rivaled only by his political power. \u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e She moves to the sprawling seaside city of Recife, where the glamour of her new life is soon overshadowed by heartache and loneliness. Luzia, forced to trek through scrubland and endure a nomadic existence, proves her determination to survive and begins to see the cangaceiros as comrades, not criminals. \u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e In Recife, EmÃ­lia must hide any connection to her increasingly notorious sister. As she learns to navigate the treacherous waters of Brazilian high society, EmÃ­lia sees the country split apart after a bitter presidential election. Political feuds extend to the countryside, where Luzia and the Hawk are forced to make unexpected alliances and endure betrayals that threaten to break the cangaceiros apart. But Luzia will overcome time and distance to entrust her sister with a great secret -- one EmÃ­lia vows to keep. And when Luzia's life is threatened, EmÃ­lia will risk everything to save her. \u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e An enthralling novel of love and courage, loyalty and adventure, that brings to life a faraway time and place, \u003ci\u003eThe Seamstress\u003c\/i\u003e is impeccably drawn, rich in depth and vision, and heralds the arrival of a supremely talented new writer. \u003c\/p\u003e\nPublishers Weekly\n\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis lavishly detailed if overlong debut novel set in 1920s and '30s Brazil follows two sisters who share excellent sewing skills, but take divergent paths into adulthood. Crippled by a childhood accident and mocked for her deformities, Luzia is considered unmarriageable. So after a bandit kidnaps her, she realizes that marrying the outlaw leader may be her only chance at independence and happiness. Beautiful Emília, yearning for the refinements of the big city, spurns her many rural suitors, but-reeling from her sister's abduction and her aunt's subsequent death-enters a disastrous marriage with a wealthy, suave stranger who has plenty of untoward secrets and a mother who treats Emília like dirt. The sisters' paths collide after Luzia, now mythologized as a vicious criminal known as the Seamstress, becomes targeted by Emília's criminologist father-in-law, unaware of the two women's connection. Though a good number of passages could have been left on the cutting-room floor, the leisurely pace and attention to detail immerse the reader in both gilded halls and unsavory bandit camps. \u003ci\u003e(Aug.)\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eCopyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cp\u003eCategories:\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cul class=\"category-tree\"\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eLiterature \u0026amp; Fiction\u003cul class=\"category-tree\"\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eUnited States\u003cul class=\"category-tree\"\u003e\u003cli class=\"category-tree\"\u003eHispanic\u003c\/li\u003e\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003cul class=\"category-tree\"\u003e\u003cli class=\"category-tree\"\u003eLiterary\u003c\/li\u003e\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003cul class=\"category-tree\"\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eGenre Fiction\u003cul class=\"category-tree\"\u003e\u003cli class=\"category-tree\"\u003eFamily Saga\u003c\/li\u003e\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003cul class=\"category-tree\"\u003e\u003cli class=\"category-tree\"\u003ePolitical\u003c\/li\u003e\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003cul class=\"category-tree\"\u003e\u003cli class=\"category-tree\"\u003eComing of Age\u003c\/li\u003e\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003cul class=\"category-tree\"\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eFamily Life\u003cul class=\"category-tree\"\u003e\u003cli class=\"category-tree\"\u003eMultigenerational\u003c\/li\u003e\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003cul class=\"category-tree\"\u003e\u003cli class=\"category-tree\"\u003eSmall Town \u0026amp; Rural\u003c\/li\u003e\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003cul class=\"category-tree\"\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eWomen's Fiction\u003cul class=\"category-tree\"\u003e\u003cli class=\"category-tree\"\u003eDomestic Life\u003c\/li\u003e\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003cul class=\"category-tree\"\u003e\u003cli class=\"category-tree\"\u003eSisters\u003c\/li\u003e\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003cul class=\"category-tree\"\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eHistorical Fiction\u003cul class=\"category-tree\"\u003e\u003cli class=\"category-tree\"\u003eCultural Heritage\u003c\/li\u003e\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003cul class=\"category-tree\"\u003e\u003cli class=\"category-tree\"\u003e20th Century\u003c\/li\u003e\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003cul class=\"category-tree\"\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eRomance\u003cul class=\"category-tree\"\u003e\u003cli class=\"category-tree\"\u003eContemporary\u003c\/li\u003e\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003cul class=\"category-tree\"\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eHistorical\u003cul class=\"category-tree\"\u003e\u003cli class=\"category-tree\"\u003eAmerican\u003c\/li\u003e\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003cul class=\"category-tree\"\u003e\u003cli class=\"category-tree\"\u003e20th Century\u003c\/li\u003e\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003cul class=\"category-tree\"\u003e\u003cli class=\"category-tree\"\u003eMulticultural \u0026amp; Interracial\u003c\/li\u003e\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003cul class=\"category-tree\"\u003e\u003cli class=\"category-tree\"\u003eNew Adult \u0026amp; College\u003c\/li\u003e\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003cul class=\"category-tree\"\u003e\u003cli class=\"category-tree\"\u003eHispanic \u0026amp; Latino\u003c\/li\u003e\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003cul class=\"category-tree\"\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eMystery, Thriller \u0026amp; Suspense\u003cul class=\"category-tree\"\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eThrillers \u0026amp; Suspense\u003cul class=\"category-tree\"\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eCrime\u003cul class=\"category-tree\"\u003e\u003cli class=\"category-tree\"\u003eKidnapping\u003c\/li\u003e\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003cul class=\"category-tree\"\u003e\u003cli class=\"category-tree\"\u003eVigilante Justice\u003c\/li\u003e\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\n\u003ch2\u003eBook details\u003c\/h2\u003e\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eAuthor:\u003c\/strong\u003e Peebles, Frances De Pontes\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eFormat:\u003c\/strong\u003e paperback\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/strong\u003e Harper Perennial\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eLanguage:\u003c\/strong\u003e English\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003ePages:\u003c\/strong\u003e 646\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eISBN-13:\u003c\/strong\u003e 9780060738884\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e","brand":"Harper Perennial","offers":[{"title":"Used - Good","offer_id":49275443413182,"sku":"006073888X-4","price":4.47,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0640\/9689\/5166\/files\/71ws2teup-L.jpg?v=1791919793","url":"https:\/\/shop.sustainablebooks.com\/products\/006073888x","provider":"Sustainable Books","version":"1.0","type":"link"}