First published 2017
Leda arrives in Buenos Aires in February 1913 carrying her father's violin and expecting to start a new life with her cousin Dante, whom she has just married. She finds Dante dead. At seventeen, widowed and alone in an unfamiliar city, she faces pressure to return to her Italian village. But the music of Buenos Aires captivates her. Tango pulses through the neighborhoods, and Leda burns to master this violin music forbidden to women. She puts on her dead husband's clothes and ventures into the night as a man. Moving through the underground world of tango musicians, she discovers her artistic power and sexual freedom. Her deception allows her to explore the limits of her talent, her desires, and her identity. Carolina De Robertis creates a story of musical passion and gender rebellion set against the backdrop of early twentieth century Argentina, when tango was emerging from the brothels and dance halls to captivate the world.
Genres: historical-fiction, 20th-century, music
Vibes: atmospheric, emotional, lyrical
Tropes: gender-disguise, new-beginnings, sexual-freedom
Setting: Argentina, Buenos Aires, Italy
Period: 1913
504 pages · Paperback · Cherche Midi