Maya's Notebook

Zusatztext “A riveting new novel…From the very start, Maya is in possession of a strong and authentic voice that guides the novel and gives it shape.” Isabel Allende is the author of twelve works of fiction, including the New York Times bestsellers Maya’s Notebook, Island Beneath the Sea, Inés of My Soul, Daughter of Fortune , and a novel that has become a world-renowned classic, T he House of the Spirits . Born in Peru and raised in Chile, she lives in California. Neglected by her parents, nineteen-year-old Maya Nidal grows up in a rambling old house in Berkeley with her grandparents. Her grandmother, Nidia, affectionately known as Nini, is a force of nature—a woman whose formidable strength helped her build a new life after emigrating from Chile in 1973. Popo, Maya's grandfather, is an African American astronomer and professor—a gentle man whose solid, comforting presence helps calm the turbulence of Maya's adolescence. When Popo dies of cancer, Maya goes completely off the rails. With her girlfriends Maya turns to drugs, alcohol, and petty crime, eventually bottoming out in Las Vegas. Lost in a dangerous underworld, she is caught in the crosshairs of warring forces—a gang of assassins, the police, the FBI, and Interpol. Her one chance for survival is Nini, who helps her escape to a ­remote island off the coast of Chile. Here Maya tries to make sense of the past, unravels mysterious truths about life and her family, and embarks on her greatest adventure: the journey into her own soul. The New York Times bestselling author’s surprising new book is a novel of suspense and a contemporary coming of age story narrated by an American teenage girl who falls into a life of drugs, crime, and prostitution and is forced to flee for her life. — Nineteen-year old Maya Vidal is struggling to make it through her teenage years. Abandoned by her Danish mother as an infant and neglected by her father, she lives with her grandparents in a rambling old house in Berkeley. Maya’s grandmother Nidia, affectionately known as Nini, is a force to be reckoned with-willful and outspoken, unconventionally wise with a mystical streak, and fiercely protective-she emigrated from Chile in 1973 with her young son, Maya’s father. Nini’s husband, a gentle African-American astronomer and professor at the University of California, is beloved by Maya and a solid, comforting presence in the turbulent waters of her American adolescence. When her Popo dies of cancer, Maya is devastated and goes completely off the rails. With her girlfriends—together they are known as the vampires-she falls into a life of drugs and alcohol and petty crime. Even a stint at a rehabilitation center in Oregon fails to make a dent in Maya’s downward spiral, and she ends up in Las Vegas where she descends into a dangerous underworld of big time drugs, crime, and prostitution. With a gang of assassins, the police, the FBI, and Interpol in hot pursuit, Maya flees with the help of her Nini to a remote island off the coast of Chile. Entrusted to her grandmother’s old friend, Manuel Arias, Maya begins to write the story of what happened to her in the States while she gradually adapts to a completely strange new life in an insular community time seems to have forgotten. On Chiloé, in the company of a torture survivor, a lame dog, and other unforgettable characters, Maya records her thoughts as well as her story, uncovers a terrible family secret, comes to understand the meaning of love and loyalty, and initiates the greatest adventure of her life: the journey into her own soul. ...

Report

What sets Maya's Notebook apart from the usual teen-in-trouble fare is the soaring redemption Maya finds in Chile. The village's peaceful pace is a tonic to both Maya and the reader...a captivating read by a great storyteller." - John Barron, Chicago Tribune
"A brilliant storyteller, Allende creates a giant spiderweb of relationships; pull one thread and the whole structure shudders...fans of Allende and those new to her work will find a great deal of satisfaction in following the often-harrowing but always enlightening adventures of Maya Vidal." - Philadelphia Inquirer
"A gritty, violent, cautionary tale set firmly in the present. . . . But the writing is still all Allende: driven by emotion...framed by her brand of lyrical description." - Miami Herald
"Maya's Notebook sings a contemporary tune...the narrative expands from harsh twenty-first century language to lyrical descriptions of Maya's unfolding exterior and interior worlds. It's a coming-of-age tale achieved by immersion in ageless wisdom...the beauty of Allende's writing remains undeniable." - San Jose Mercury News
"Maya's story is soul-restoring in its fierce conviction that there is no damage done to a society, family or individual that cannot be eclipsed by hope and love. Allende makes you believe that, even if you don't, at least for a while." - Minneapolis Star Tribune
"Longtime fans of Isabel Allende's work will find much of the author's beguiling mix of clear-eyed toughness and lightness of spirit in her new protagonist, and will welcome another chapter in Allende's continuing exploration of Latin America. Those introduced to Allende by Maya's Notebook surely will want more." - Seattle Times
"Allende can spin a yarn with the grace of a poet." - Entertainment Weekly
"Gripping...Allende retains the storytelling magic that is her signature, while deftly juxtaposing the alternating universes of the past-including Chile's dark history of political terror-and present...A tale of a girl's journey toward self-discovery, of the fierce power of truth, and of the healing force of love." - Jane Ciabattari, O magazine
"Isabel Allende enchants in Maya's Notebook." - Vanity Fair
"Allende paints a vivid picture contrasting Maya's drug-clouded past and her recovery in Chiloé. Yet another accomplished work by a master storyteller that will enthrall and captivate. This is a must-read." - Library Journal (starred review)
"Allende is a master at plucking heartstrings, and Maya's family drama is hard to resist." - Kirkus Reviews
"An explosive novel...Every character is enthralling...This is a boldly plotted, sharply funny, and purposefully bone-shaking novel of sexual violence, political terror, "collective shame," and dark family secrets, all transcended by courage and love." - Booklist (starred review)
"Bruising and cinematically vivid...Maya's Notebook exerts a raw and genuine power...Its strength is Maya's distinctive voice: vulnerable but spiked with irony, wounded yet defiant, like a teenage emo-punk's pierced tongue." - Reed Johnson, Los Angeles Times
"A riveting new novel...From the very start, Maya is in possession of a strong and authentic voice that guides the novel and gives it shape." - Malena Watrous, San Francisco Chronicle

Product details

• Authors: Isabel Allende
• Assisted by: Anne Mclean (Translation)
• Publisher: Harper Collins Usa
• Languages: English
• Product format: Paperback
• Released: 28.01.2014
• EAN: 9780062326058
• ISBN: 978-0-06-232605-8
• No. of pages: 400
• Dimensions: 106 mm x 171 mm x 27 mm
• Series: Harper
• Subjects: Fiction > Narrative literature; Chilenische SchriftstellerInnen; Werke (div.), FICTION: Women, LITERATURE: WOMEN'S LITERATURE, FICTION: Thrillers / General, FICTION: Urban & Street Lit