Cantoras
A novel
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4.8 • 18 Ratings
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- $4.99
Publisher Description
In defiance of the brutal military government that took power in Uruguay in the 1970s, and under which homosexuality is a dangerous transgression, five women miraculously find one another—and, together, an isolated cape that they claim as their own.
Over the next thirty-five years, they travel back and forth from this secret sanctuary, sometimes together, sometimes in pairs, with lovers in tow or alone. Throughout it all, they will be tested repeatedly—by their families, lovers, society, and one another—as they fight to live authentic lives.
A groundbreaking, genre-defining work, Cantoras is a breathtaking portrait of queer love, community, forgotten history, and the strength of the human spirit.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
This sensuous tale from De Robertis (The Gods of Tango) takes readers to the author's native Uruguay during the 1970s to follow the harrowing lives of five women living under dictatorship. Bonded as cantoras, or "women who sing" (a coded term for lesbians at the time), Flaca, Romina, Anita, Malena, and Paz escape the oppression of their country's new regime and enjoy freedom at Cabos Polonio, a little known beach. Flaca is a risk taker who bucks tradition; Paz, a 16-year-old romantic just discovering who she is; Romina, a revolutionary who continues to fight despite punishment; Malena, a mysterious one hiding a dark past; and Anita, a beautiful housewife with dreams beyond her marriage. Back home in Montevideo, people disappear and women are raped, but in Polonio, relationships and romance flourish. Over the course of 35 years, these friends and lovers form a makeshift family as they struggle to find their place and awake to their true desires. After the dissolution of the civic-military dictatorship in 1985, formerly forbidden romances are allowed to take root and the characters learn how to live under democracy. De Robertis does a fine job of probing the harsh realities of what it takes to carve out a life of freedom under an oppressive government.
Customer Reviews
Beautiful and heartbreaking
This book reminded me that there is good, beautiful, and hopeful fiction about queer women out in the world. Definitely worth reading. Especially when you’re cold and lonely. It feels like friends at the beach but keeps you grounded in the realities of fascism so you learn something honest while falling in love with each character.
Awesome!
I’ll never forget this engrossing and heart-tugging story!