A Storm Hits Valparaiso [Kindle Edition]

David Gaughran (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

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Catalina Flores de la Peña's tongue got her in more trouble than any other part of her body, even though there were far more likely candidates. But when a storm rolls into her sleepy port town, she finds herself embroiled with a gang of adventurers, mercenaries, and prostitutes on a journey to free South America from the Spanish Empire.

A Storm Hits Valparaíso is an epic, historical adventure starring two brothers torn apart by love; a slave running for his life; a disgraced British sailor seeking redemption; and José de San Martín, an Argentine general who deserts the Spanish Army to lead a bloody revolt against his former masters.

Praise for A Storm Hits Valparaiso: 

"Gaughran assembles a multi-national cast of characters in an ambitious story of love and betrayal, sea and land battles, victory and defeat in a war for independence. In characters drawn from real historical figures, the author delves into the politics of war and how battles turn on the smallest of details or the whims of a single man."--JW Manus

"A work of sweeping historical fiction that captivates and entertains ... engaging and richly textured."--John Glass

"A romping classico... it reminded me of Louis de Bernières."--Stuart Noss

About the Author

David Gaughran is a 34-year old Irish writer, living in Sweden, who spends most of his time travelling the world, collecting stories.

He is the author of the South American historical adventure A Storm Hits Valparaiso and the short stories If You Go Into The Woods and Transfection as well as the popular self-publishing guide Let's Get Digital: How To Self-Publish, And Why You Should.

He runs the publishing blog Let's Get Digital and the South American history site South Americana, has a regular column at Indie Reader, and his work has been featured in the Huffington Post, the Sunday Times, and the Irish Times.

Product Details

• Format: Kindle Edition
• File Size: 1779 KB
• Publisher: Arriba Arriba Books (December 20, 2011)
• Sold by: Amazon Digital Services
• Language: English
• ASIN: B006OPORV8
• Text-to-Speech: Enabled
• Lending: Enabled
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #14,083 Paid in Kindle Store (See Top 100 Paid in Kindle Store)

More About the Author

David Gaughran is a 34-year old Irish writer, living in Sweden, who spends most of his time travelling the world, collecting stories.

He is the author of the South American historical adventure "A Storm Hits Valparaiso" and the short stories "If You Go Into The Woods" and "Transfection" as well as the popular self-publishing guide "Let's Get Digital: How To Self-Publish, And Why You Should".

He runs the publishing blog Let's Get Digital and the South American history site South Americana, has a regular column at Indie Reader, and his work has been featured in the Huffington Post, The Sunday Times, and the Irish Times.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Storm That Packs A Wallop, January 8, 2012

By 

John Glass - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: A Storm Hits Valparaiso (Kindle Edition)

A Storm Hits Valparaiso is a work of sweeping historical fiction that captivates and entertains both in terms of the characters and the story narrative. The story follows the exploits of San Martin, a deserter from the Spanish army who returns to South America to fight for the continent's independence from Spain. Of course drawn into all of this are the local inhabitants whose loyalties and actions are tested by the uncertainty of San Martin and his followers' ability to carry out their ambitious task.

Gaughran makes a concerted effort to preserve the accuracy of the historical record and uses the deft touch of his creative imagination to fill in the gaps, as is required in a work of this sort, creating a story that is at once engaging and richly textured.

Adding to this is the world of characters that inhabit the story who are by turns heroic and tragic, vain and magnanimous - in short Gaughran has created believable characters who display the wide range of traits and personalities one would expect in a work of this nature. From military commander to foot soldier to inn keeper to prostitute, each of them attempts to make sense of and survive in a world turned upside down by war and personal tragedy.

The strength of this novel lies in the author's ability to pull together the stories of a wide range of individuals without adversely affecting the story's narrative arc, or worse causing the reader to get too sidetracked in character development at the expense of losing the plot.

I would certainly recommend this novel to anyone who enjoys good historical fiction driven by interesting characters and a well conceived and executed narrative.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The War to Free a Continent, January 18, 2012

By 

Cathryn Leigh (The Merry Land of USA) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: A Storm Hits Valparaiso (Kindle Edition)

This epic tale of South America's struggle for freedom is told from seven perspectives. Starting with a barmaid in Valparaiso we are lead back and forth across the Atlantic to follow multiple characters. As the story progressed it became a game to figure out who would cross paths with who and how. Sometimes the moment was brief and other times the paths became interwove. Through it all it is clear that war changes everything. I definitely enjoyed reading this.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fun Romp of Historical Fiction, February 17, 2012

By 

Neil Davis - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: A Storm Hits Valparaiso (Kindle Edition)

What this story is: Full of ironic humor, historical tidbits, and a flavor of the times. The reader comes out truly understanding the forces that ripped apart the Spanish empire after this read. The tie ins with British and French history add just the right amount of flavor.

What this story isn't: You do not feel the 'grit' of the characters. While the story is * extremely* enjoyable, it is often the view from altitude. However, if one is trying to truly understand the historical events, it would be impossible to do any more detail and still encompass the broad time frame.

One of the best historical fiction reads yet! An amazing first novel.

Neil