Brimming with pathos and rich in character, this is a knockout…
Lush and electrifying, Rodrigues’s vibrant tale about love, morality, and duty is a searing depiction of the Enlightenment. Set in the 18th century Naples and the newly minted United States, the story follows the eminent historical figures, Eleonora Fonseca Pimentel and Joseph Correia de Serra, the lovers who set on divergent paths after their breakup during their teen years. A candid, compassionate observer, Rodrigues writes about love, regrets, responsibility; about the prevalent gender and class inequality; and about liberty, progress, toleration, and fraternity, the ideals that formed the basis of the revolution. Rodrigues’s intelligent writing brings the era alive while revealing the complexity of her vividly drawn characters. By turns luminous and tragic, the novel will ensnare readers from the first few lines and lingers in the memory long after they turn the last page. This is an accomplished first effort.
Eleonora and Joseph
Passion, Tragedy, and Revolution in the Age of Enlightenment
By Julieta Almeida Rodrigues
New Academia Publishing/ The Spring
Pub date July 21, 2020
ISBN 9781734865912
Price $24.00 (USD)Paperback, $14.99 Kindle edition