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A haunting classic of modern Catalan literature from one of Spain's most prestigious authors
Extending from the prosperous Barcelona of the 1870s to the advent of the Franco dictatorship and the Spanish Civil War, A Broken Mirror follows three generations of a fractured aristocratic family at the turn of the 19th century.
When Salvador Valldaura first meets Teresa Goday he is seduced by her velvety eyes and contagious laughter. Valldaura, a wealthy diplomat, and Teresa, a widowed fishmonger's daughter, marry and move into a grand, sprawling villa on the outskirts of Barcelona. In that house, their family flourishes and fractures across a century of change: from Teresa's second husband and her secret, illegitimate son Masdéu, to daughter Sofía and Sofía's playboy husband Eladi, and son, Ramon, tormented by a heinous act from his childhood and unknowingly in love with his half-sister, as well as several generations of servants, ghosts - and even a rodent.
Through a kaleidoscope of perspectives and turning upon events both intimate and historic, A Broken Mirror tells the story of a splintering matriarchal dynasty founded on love, lies, secrets, and betrayals.
About the author
Mercè Rodoreda was born in Barcelona in 1908. She published five novels between 1932 and 1937, then fled into exile at the end of the Spanish Civil War. She did not publish again until 1959. Afterwards, she regularly produced novels and collections of short stories and became a fixture on Catalan bestseller lists. She died in Barcelona in 1983.
Summary
Extending from the prosperous Barcelona of the 1870s to the advent of the Franco dictatorship and the Spanish Civil War, A Broken Mirror follows three generations of a fractured aristocratic family at the turn of the 19th century.
Beginning with Teresa Goday, a fishmonger's daughter who marries a wealthy older man, the novel brilliantly intertwines the many perspectives of the various occupants of their sprawling villa throughout the years - their progeny and their spouses, loyal servants, illegitimate grandchildren, ghosts, and even a rodent - revealing a panoramic vision of humanity and an intricate labyrinth of connection that spans decades and lives. Turning upon events both intimate and historic, Merce Rodoreda follows the founding of this matriarchal dynasty through to its eventual, seemingly inevitable disintegration and calls into question the legacies that bind people together.
A Broken Mirror is a haunting classic about the inexorable passing of time.
Foreword
A haunting classic of modern Catalan literature from one of Spain's most prestigious authors
