Our library theme for 2020 is Your Library Card, Your Ticket to the World–because with the library, you truly can travel around the world without ever leaving the comfort of your own home. Every month in 2020, we’ll be landing at a new place on the globe. In October, we’re in Brazil.
If you enjoy biographical fiction:
Diana Giovinazzo’s The Woman in Red (2020)
This novel is about Anita Garibaldi, the Brazilian wife of Italian revolutionary Giuseppe Garibaldi. If you know your European history, you know Giuseppe as one of the key figures in the 19th century unification of Italy. However, Anita was a fiery revolutionary in her own right, devoted to the cause of winning Southern Brazil’s independence from Portugal, and her life story is a fascinating blend of adventure and romance.
Recommended for those who enjoy reading fiction about lesser-known historical figures.
If you prefer non-biographical historical fiction:
Lucinda Riley’s The Seven Sisters (2015)
Maia and her five sisters were all adopted, and it is only after the death of their doting adoptive father that they receive clues to their backgrounds. Maia’s clue takes her to Brazil and leads her to learn about events that happened 80 years earlier during the Belle Epoque of Rio in the 1920s. The story follows both Maia’s modern-day research and the historical story, which encompassed 1920s Brazil and Paris. This book is the first in a series, which covers each sister’s quest to learn about their origins. Subsequent books–all of which are in the system–take readers to Norway, England, Australia, and Kenya, among other places.
P.S. I have no idea why this is called the Seven Sisters series when there are only six sisters. I swear it’s not a typo!
Recommended for those who enjoy the work of Kate Morton.
If you love true crime:
Misha Glenny’s Nemesis (2016)
Antônio Francisco Bonfim Lopes, nicknamed “Nem,” didn’t start out intending to be a drug lord or Brazil’s most wanted criminal. Debts incurred from his daughter’s medical needs prompted Nem’s entry into the world of crime, but he quickly ascended the ranks to rule the Brazilian slum neighborhood Rocinha. British journalist Misha Glenny chronicles both Lopes’s life and conditions in Rio’s notorious slums.
Recommended for those who enjoy books that blend true crime with sociological insight.
If you want YA:
Michael Northrop’s Polaris (2017)
It’s the 1830s, and the crew of the Polaris is off the coast of Brazil. The ship is supposed to be embarking on a scientific expedition, but the adult crew has mutinied and abandoned ship, leaving the cabin boys and deckhands to fend for themselves. The youngsters try their best to manage, but then one of them disappears, and the rest start to wonder who or what else is aboard the ship with them. Blends historical adventure, horror, and science fiction.
Recommended for those who enjoy Polly Hollyoak’s The Neptune Project and Phillip Reeve’s Larklight.
Alaya Dawn Johnson’s The Summer Prince (2013)
As I was researching this post, I realized a lot of novels set in Brazil are historical fiction, so I was excited to come across this Brazilian-set futuristic dystopian thriller. June is an artist who clashes with the tradition-bound, tech-focused culture of Palmares Tres. She is excited when the new Summer King, Enki, is also an artist. Together, they work on exciting projects, and June finds herself falling hopelessly in love with Enki. The only problem? The Summer King must always die. Complications ensue.
Recommended for those who enjoy the work of Gail Carriger.
And of course these are just some of the many books in our collection that are set in Brazil. We also have books from Brazilian authors, like Paulo Coelho.
What’s your favorite book set in Brazil? Who’s your favorite Brazilian author? Have you ever been to Brazil? Tell us in the comments! As always, please follow this link to our online library catalog for more information on any of these items or to place them on hold.
Berryville Book Buzz 