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Harper
August 2008
On Sale: August 5, 2008
656 pages
ISBN: 0060738871
EAN: 9780060738877
Hardcover
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Fiction
As seamstresses, the young sisters Emília and Luzia dos
Santos know how to cut, how to mend, and how to conceal.
These are useful skills in the lawless backcountry of
Brazil, where ruthless land barons called "colonels" feud
with bands of outlaw cangaceiros, trapping innocent
residents in the cross fire. Emília, whose knowledge of the world comes from fashion
magazines and romance novels, dreams of falling in love
with a gentleman and escaping to a big city. Luzia also longs to escape their little town, where
residents view her with suspicion and pity. Scarred by a
childhood accident that left her with a deformed arm, the
quick-tempered Luzia finds her escape in sewing and in
secret prayers to the saints she believes once saved her
life. But when Luzia is abducted by a group of cangaceiros led by
the infamous Hawk, the sisters' quiet lives diverge in ways
they never imagined. Emília stumbles into marriage with
Degas Coelho, the son of a doctor whose wealth is rivaled
only by his political power. She moves to the sprawling seaside city of Recife, where
the glamour of her new life is soon overshadowed by
heartache and loneliness. Luzia, forced to trek through
scrubland and endure a nomadic existence, proves her
determination to survive and begins to see the cangaceiros
as comrades, not criminals. In Recife, Emília must hide any connection to her
increasingly notorious sister. As she learns to navigate
the treacherous waters of Brazilian high society, Emília
sees the country split apart after a bitter presidential
election. Political feuds extend to the countryside, where
Luzia and the Hawk are forced to make unexpected alliances
and endure betrayals that threaten to break the cangaceiros
apart. But Luzia will overcome time and distance to entrust
her sister with a great secret—one Emília vows to keep. And
when Luzia's life is threatened, Emília will risk
everything to save her. An enthralling novel of love and courage, loyalty and
adventure, that brings to life a faraway time and place,
The Seamstress is impeccably drawn, rich in depth and
vision, and heralds the arrival of a supremely talented new
writer.
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