A generational saga that mixes historical fiction with the romance and intrigue of a Latin soap opera.When Malena Sevilla’s tidy, carefully planned world collapses following her father’s mysterious suicide, she finds a lettersigned with an A”which reveals that her mother is very much alive and living in San Isidro, a quaint town tucked in the Andes Mountains. Intent on meeting her, Malena … meeting her, Malena arrives at Alameda Street and meets four sisters who couldn’t be more different from one another, but who share one thing in common: all of their names begin with an A.
To avoid a scandal, Malena assumes another woman’s identity and enters their home to discover the truth. Could her mother be Amanda, the iconoclastic widow who opens the first tango nightclub in a conservative town? Ana, the ideal housewife with a less-than-ideal past? Abigail, the sickly sister in love with a forbidden man? Or Alejandra, the artistic introvert scarred by her cousin’s murder? But living a lie will bring Malena additional problems, such as falling for the wrong man and loving a family she may lose when they learn of her deceit. Worse, her arrival threatens to expose long-buried secrets and a truth that may wreck her life forever.
Set in 1960s Ecuador, The Sisters of Alameda Street is a sweeping story of how one woman’s search for the truth of her identity forces a family to confront their own past.
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A fascinating look into the world of 1960s Ecuador, as a young woman struggles to find herself amid the clash between the old and the new — and within the family that might or might not be hers.
Intergenerational mysteries, hidden histories, and the richly overlapping stories of four sisters intertwine to offer a fascinating glimpse into one family living in small town 1960s Ecuador. The Sisters of Alameda Street is an absorbing, fast read that will appeal to those who enjoy their historical fiction with a splash of romance, a dash of intrigue, and plenty of intimate family secrets.
Wonderfully crafted and believable characters. A mystery concealed in a romance within a “finding oneself” story. Author, Lorena Hughes, touched all the right notes. This book gives one good food for thought about lies, secrets, and consequences. I sure hope that Ms. Hughes treats us to another novel soon!
Deep, compelling book, with a rich, authentic feel and tone. Great world-building on the author’s part as I felt I was right there in the thick of the story. Reading this book took me away to another culture and time, and I learned a good deal as I read. I enjoyed reading it with its sharply drawn characters and well-crafted sentences.
The story starts off with a simple enough concept. Malena, a young woman in Ecuador in 1962, sets out to find her biological mother–a woman she had believed long dead until she found a hidden letter in her late father’s things. Malena has an address from the letter, but the only identifying information on her biological mother is that her name started with the letter A. But when she arrives at the address, she finds three sisters living there and all of their names start with A. Any one of them could be her mother. Soon Malena learns there was a 4th sister, also with a name beginning with A, but she has died–though the circumstances are hidden from the reader and from Malena at first.
Though it starts with a simple concept, “The Sisters of Alameda Street” is a complex story, but author Lorena Hughes composes it all with amazing smoothness. The story-telling in this book is very skilled and flows with a natural pacing, even as the plot lines become more and more complicated and interwoven.
Lorena Hughes is talented, and I’ll be on the look out for her next book.
A family saga like no other — a story that’s hard to put down.
Gripping and suspenseful, The Sisters of Alameda Street is the fascinating story of a young woman’s quest to find her mother among a family she never knew she had. Hughes’s cast of characters and their mysterious pasts twist and turn as mistaken identities, long-kept secrets, and long-lost loves are revealed to create a delightfully intriguing read.
Lorena Hughes draws on an exotic and beautiful setting in South America to tell a story both piquantly new and ageless.
This was a fun read that packed a few punches to my heart at the end. I liked that it presented the story both in the past (1940s) and in the book’s present (1960s) and from the perspective of several characters. A large family with love, secrets and mystery are all interwoven. I haven’t read a book set in Ecuador before, so that aspect was interesting to me as well. This book reminded me of books written by Adriana Trigiani. I will be watching for the next book written by Lorena Hughes!
Rather confusing
Well written, original plot line.
It was okay.
As possible I tarried over Sisters as I did not want my visit to come to an end; simultaneously I wanted to solve the mystery of who are Malena’s parents?
The characters, even the despicable ones like Curzo, Enzo, and Fausto have likeable characteristics: Curzo appears to be an excellent editor except for his heinous, cruel treatment of Enrique and the slanderous article that he publishes about him, full of lies; Enzo, the reader learns is twisted by his ill-fated romance with Ana; Fausto, perhaps before puberty, is a faithful and fun friend to Alejandra. Only Rafael appears to have NO redeeming qualities. Achieving this roundedness with such a panoply of characters is a major achievement.
Layers of time and reality.
Set in 1960s Ecuador, this is a story of four of possibly the most unlucky in love sisters ever – one of which is Malena’s mother. The story that unfolds as she tries to reveal which one, without admitting her true identity, is full of lies, secrets, and infidelity. As truths are revealed, so are the heart breaking sacrifices each sister made to protect the others.
This is one full of twists and turns, kept me guessing till the end.
A good read.
Not my kind of book.
Interesting in an easy to read sort of way. Good to read on a long plane ride or journey. Not particularly thought provoking but a mindless entertainment sort of pass time.
The author was superb keeping this reader wondering the search result.
This is a heart warmer book. Want to keep reading to see what happens next to the variety of characters.
I really liked this book.
I wanted to love this book but the writing was heavy and the plot dragged