The Last Flight of Jose Luis Balboa [Paperback]

Gonzalo Barr (Author), Francine Prose (Foreword)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 14, 2006

Set in vibrant, multicultural Miami, The Last Flight of José Luis Balboa is an absorbing debut collection of short stories from a gifted writer. Gonzalo Barr captures this international hub city in all its roiling guises, from the opulence of South Beach to the ferocity of Little Havana. Barr introduces us to unforgettable characters -- an unscrupulous newscaster, a Lincoln Road bar manager, a beautiful but cruel teenaged heartbreaker, and the title character, a suicidal Latin pop star -- in situations that teem with humor and brutality, absurdity and poignance. This remarkable debut offers a vivid portrait of a city defined by a blur of cultures.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

A lightly sparring debut collection of nine stories by Floridian Barr delves into the Hispanic community of Miami. "Braulio Wants His Car Back" pits the loyalty of two men who journeyed from Cuba on a raft together against their edgy relationship to American capitalism. In "Faith," a TV news anchor grapples with a potentially substantial story about a woman claiming to have seen the Virgin Mary, while all the while a hurricane bears down angrily on the city as if in divine retribution. "Melancholy Guide Through the Country of Want" is a strange, sad tale of two very wealthy neighbors—a solitary bachelor with aristocratic Caribbean roots and a lonely young wife with a restraining order against her husband—whose relationship proves a valiant but doomed attempt to cancel the violence contained within each other's respective histories. The title story, appearing last in this uneven collection, is made up of diverse voices in South Beach, high brow and low, that collide tragically on the beach with the suicide ride of an ultralight glider. Barr demonstrates fine storytelling with a good ear for nuance in this year's Bread Loaf Bakeless Prize winner, introduced by Francine Prose. (Sept.)
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Review

"Captivating . . . .stories that can't be stopped, that need to be told." --Julia Alvarez, author of How the Garcia Girls Lost Their Accents and Saving the World

"A mesmerizing collection of the first order. It's hilarious and it's harrowing. The stories here are exhilarating to read; some are breathtaking and achingly beautiful. This is a dazzling literary achievement." --John Dufresne, author of Johnny Too Bad

"Something about Gonzalo Barr's pitch and timbre is absolutely perfect for his characters and their often out-of-control lives." Los Angeles Times

"Many of the stories sparkle with daily ritual, along with the bonus (beyond pleasure) of a spirit-cleansing kindness, patience and tolerance." Los Angeles Times

"Barr demonstrates fine storytelling with a good ear for nuance." Publishers Weekly

"Captivating. Gonzalo Barr's ear for dialogue and eye for character are unfailing. Each story illuminates yet another corner of the human heart." --Julia Alvarez, author of Saving the World

"Engaging, funny, highly enjoyable . . . With their deceptively modest authority and just as deceptively easy charm, these stories draw you in." --from the foreward by Francine Prose, author of A Changed Man

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 208 pages
• Publisher: Mariner Books; None edition (September 14, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0618658866
• ISBN-13: 978-0618658862
• Product Dimensions: 5.5 x 8.4 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #499,454 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Gonzalo Barr is the winner of the 2005 Bakeless Prize for fiction, selected by Francine Prose and awarded by Middlebury College and the Bread Loaf Writers' Conference. His first book, "The Last Flight of Jose Luis Balboa," a collection of short stories, was published by Houghton Mifflin Mariner in 2006. He lives in Miami.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Last Flight of Jose Luis Balboa, June 10, 2010

By 

Mrs. V. Cosgrove (London, UK) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Last Flight of Jose Luis Balboa (Paperback)

I bought The Last Flight of Jose Luis Balboa on a friend's recommendation and happy I listened.

I'd had other books of short stories and find they are generally hit or miss. This one is a hit, then another hit, then another, etc... I can certainly see why he won an award for this collection, it's great!

Barr has great character development, a thoughtful imagination, good structure and a wonderful delivery. Really great stories, one after the other.

The day the book arrived, I opened it to have a look and just kept reading. It's one of those! This book jumpped the queue on my bedside table from day one. And, it makes excellent bedtime reading, one lovely story per night (if you can put it down between stories). Perfect, perfect, perfect. Well done Gonzalo Barr!

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Amazing stories, January 3, 2007

By 

L. Coutant - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Last Flight of Jose Luis Balboa (Paperback)

Great stories with the true flavor of Miami and South Beach cultures yet grounded in classic literature.

5.0 out of 5 stars The Last Flight of Jose Luis Balboa--a delightful reading of short stories at its best!, January 4, 2012

By 

Beatriz Guim - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Last Flight of Jose Luis Balboa (Paperback)

I took the time to read Gonzalo Barr's captivating collection of short stories on the recommendation of my dear brother and I was very glad I did. This is the type of book that you cannot put down until you are done reading at least one short story each night. His storytelling skills are magnificent and the clarity and fluidity of his characters' colloquial dialogue and picturesque settings transport you to the times when we were born free and with no "real" responsibility except for the quest for adventure and good times. Some are hilarious and other stories can be surreal. Stories that let you relish in the authentic essence of Miami and South Beach at its best. In sum, c'est magnifique, Mr. Gonzalo Barr!