Queen of America: A Novel Audiobook

Quotes

• “‘Who is more of an outlaw than a saint?’ one of Luis Urrea’s characters poses. The answer is this ferocious, ribald romance of the border. Jaunty, bawdy, gritty, sweet, Queen of America has a bottomless comic energy and a heart large enough to accept—even revel in—all of human folly.”

  — Stewart O’Nan, New York Times bestselling author

• “A magnificent work of literary alchemy, so masterfully infused with myth and history, you will feel these characters in your heart, your gut.”

  — Jamie Ford, New York Times bestselling author of Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet

• “Enchanting…Fantastical…Urrea has stitched a seamless end to the saga.”

  — New York Times Book Review

• “Urrea delights in the texture of things. Turn-of-the-century America, particularly New York, comes alive at his fingertips: He sees both the silk and the mud…In imagining the story of his great-aunt Teresita, Urrea might have chosen to make her a hero; that would have been easier. What we get is more complicated, more modern…Hers is the story of what it means to have a gift, and how a talent can also be a burden.”

  — Los Angeles Times

• “Striking…[Urrea] deploy[s] the passion of a visionary, making music with his phrases, evoking a world in the ebullient manner of antique storytellers while employing effective modern narrative techniques…The novelist’s powers work their way in this entertaining and intelligent historical fiction, studded with delights, rich in image and metaphor, the voice strong and at the same time comforting as it creates a universe replete with a multiplicity of characters, complete in body and soul. And as in the best of fiction, though the novelist himself is not physically present, his voice speaks worlds.”

  — Chicago Tribune

• “Queen of America is filled with wondrous, wide-eyed descriptions of life in the United States in the beginning of the twentieth century…At once magical and corporeal, grounding and transporting, Queen of America tells the compelling true story of a young woman caught between worlds.”

  — San Francisco Chronicle

• “Gritty, bold, and much-anticipated…Fiercely romantic and at times heartbreaking but also full of humor, Urrea’s latest novel blends fairy tale, Western adventure, folk tale, and historical drama…[a] magnificent, epic novel.”

  — Library Journal

• 'Who is more of an outlaw than a saint?'" one of Luis Urrea's characters poses. The answer is this ferocious, ribald romance of the border. Jaunty, bawdy, gritty, sweet, Queen of America has a bottomless comic energy and a heart large enough to accept-even revel in-all of human folly.

  — Stewart O'Nan, author of Emily Alone and Songs for the Missing

• Captivating...With deft humor and a poetic lyricism that seamlessly folds one scene into another, Urrea unfolds the story of his real-life great-aunt Teresita, a teenage saint who was known for healing miracles... Each scene in Queen of America unfurls gracefully like delicate wisps of smoke. Whether Teresita is being held captive in Northern California by a band of profiteering medical professionals, or being feted like a queen in New York's social circles, this epic novel paints a portrait of America-and its inhabitants-with grace and style. It will spark fire in readers' hearts.

  — Megan Fishmann, Bookpage

• Urrea delights in the texture of things. Turn-of-the-century America, particularly New York, comes alive at his fingertips: He sees both the silk and the mud... In imagining the story of his great-aunt Teresita, Urrea might have chosen to make her a hero; that would have been easier. What we get is more complicated, more modern... Hers is the story of what it means to have a gift, and how a talent can also be a burden.

  — Carolyn Kellogg, Los Angeles Times

• Colorful [and] exuberant.

  — Sam Sacks, Wall Street Journal

• A magnificent work of literary alchemy, so masterfully infused with myth and history, you will feel these characters in your heart, your gut. You will grieve for their immortal souls.

  — Jamie Ford, author of Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet

• A gritty, bold, and much-anticipated sequel to The Hummingbird's Daughter... Fiercely romantic and at times heart­breaking but also full of humor, Urrea's latest novel blends fairy tale, Western adventure, folk tale, and historical drama. Fans of Hummingbird and readers new to Urrea's work will surely enjoy this magnificent, epic novel.

  — Library Journal