The Valdepenas [Hardcover]

Richard Lortz (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 1980

The story begins with a seemingly realistic depiction of a group of vacationers summering on an island off the coast of Spain, then becomes progressively surrealistic. Suspense builds to a chaotic ending making this a one-sitting, hard-to-put-down book".

--This text refers to the Kindle Edition edition.

Editorial Reviews

Review

An ominous, portentous serenity pervades the lifestyle and conversations of vacationers on Corbodera, an island off the coast of Spain. The summer is hotter than usual, the pace of the daily routine is almost somnambulistic. Marion Carter, maternal owner of the island's hotel, orchestrates the intellectual and physical activity of her guests. They include a lovely Italian actress, a frustrated young man who writes novels, an American psychiatrist and his French wife, a fragile young woman infatuated with an eccentric French painter and a Countess who adores her charge, a 14 year old boy. In brief, tight, chapters Lortz focuses on one or more of his characters, who spend their days discussing art, love, happiness, the unconscious, dreams. The insufferable heat, the omnipresent sea and the theft of the valdepenas, a flower that only blooms every seven years, are premonitions of the novel's eerie conclusion. --Publisher's Weekly

 

The story begins with a group of vacationers summering on an island off the coast of Spain, then becomes progressively surrealistic. Suspense builds to make this a one-sitting, hard-to-put-down book. --Library Journal

 

A small gem. --New Yorker

 

--This text refers to the Kindle Edition edition.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 219 pages
• Publisher: Permanent Pr Pub Co (February 1980)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 093325606X
• ISBN-13: 978-0933256064
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.7 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.