5 Things You Should Know About Defiance and Redemption, A Lifetime of Unbroken Bonds
- Based on a true story, Defiance and Redemption, covers the first third of the lives of three women in my family who lived into their late nineties.
- The main characters, Eva, Victoria, and
Marta were based on the lives of my mother, Maria, her sister, Josie, and
their lifelong friend, Rosa.
- These women were close for over eighty
years. They faced tough challenges like many women who lived in the early
20th century. They tried to find equal rights for
self-identity. The lives of women were limited in terms of education,
labor and economic independence, and social choices. In my novel the main
characters’ mutual support helps them survive those difficult times and
encourages them to seek out a future of greater independence in America.
- The novel takes place in Ecuador, South
America between 1919 to 1947. This was a period filled with amazing
history and glamour! It is a period that includes the roaring twenties,
the stock market crash of 1929, and the Great Depression. In 1939 the
Second World War begins, and the main characters Eva, Victoria, and Marta
observe it all through the news and are deeply moved. Yet, for the most
part, Ecuadorians experienced these events from across a continent.
Nevertheless, the inclusion of American music, film, and culture into
South America through the presence of American soldiers who entered the
country in large numbers during the war had as much influence on the lives
of Ecuadorians as Europe had in years past. It is this influence that
utimately inspires the hopes of our heroines!
- I was born in Ecuador but left the country
as a child. I did not return until I was in my twenties and only for a
brief period. Therefore, much of what I write about is based on what I was
told by the women in my family or is a fiction of my imagination!
Maria J. Andrade was born in Ecuador, South America, and raised in New York and California. She has a bachelor of arts degree in English literature and a master’s degree in Counseling Psychology. As a licensed therapist and writer, Maria has been diving into other people’s minds and her own, through dreams, poetry, and books for over three decades. She traveled with the Four Winds Society where she studied and was initiated into Andean shamanism in 1990.
Before Maria retired as a therapist, she specialized in women’s issues and founded the Wise Women’s Circle a ritualistic and transpersonal study group that continues today. The women support each other through life’s challenges and in the growth of mind, body, and spirit.
Maria Andrade’s books for children and adults is found in a variety of genres. This is an unforgettable first novel that reflects her imagination and creative storytelling.
Defiance and Redemption is her latest release.
Visit her website at www.booksasfriends.com or connect with her on Facebook, Twitter and Goodreads.
Title: DEFIANCE AND REDEMPTION: A LIFETIME OF UNBROKEN BONDS
Author: Maria J. Andrade
Publisher: Clara Publishing
Pages: 250
Genre: Women’s Fiction/Historical Fiction
BOOK BLURB:
Based on a true story, Defiance and Redemption, A Lifetime of Unbroken Bonds, brings to life the joys, dramas, and triumphs of two sisters, Eva and Victoria Alisio and their loyal friend Marta. The sisters are raised by their atheist Grandfather Marcus and religious Grandmother Maria Luisa. Eva, a proud and strong-willed young woman defies her family, society, and culture, faces scandal and disgrace, for her forbidden love affair. Victoria finds herself in the center of a multigenerational conflict as her benefactor bestows a great inheritance on her excluding the rightful heirs. Marta, loyal to the childhood bond with the Alisio sisters, brings humor and support to their twists and turns of fortune. The young women’s bond of love, and perseverance, carries them through ordinary and extraordinary losses, triumphs, and ultimately to their destiny in the United States.
An important novel about 20th Century women, Defiance and Redemption, is an absorbing epic that moves through decades and destinies. It blends personal and historical events into a collective tale of self-determination, love, and sisterhood.
“This book is an engrossing page turner which will pull you in and keep you cheering for your favorite actors until the very end! Defiance and Redemption is a unique book that tells a story that is both particular to a given time in Ecuador, but also universal in its themes of love, betrayal and survival.” – Nancy Mintie, Founder of Uncommon Good
“Reading Defiance and Redemption reminded me of a distant time when I read Love in the Time of Cholera by Gabriel Garcia Marquez and Like Water for Chocolate by Laura Esquivel. Like these writers, Maria Andrade took me through a captivating journey of love and deep passion. Being gripped by the strong emotions that the characters possess and what they did in the end moved me profoundly.” – Maria Donovan, Retired Verizon Executive
“In Defiance and Redemption, Maria Andrade weaves together history, biography, and fiction into a romantic love and a story of three women that defy the ability of patriarchal culture to define them. We see the young women grow up to rise above the shame that tries to silence and limit them. They learn to find their voices and make sacrifices to be true to themselves as women. They leave behind all that they knew to make a better life for themselves and their daughters. This is a book to remind women of all ages where we came from, and what it took to break out and thrive nearly a century ago. Women like these paved the way for all who came after and have the rights we have today.” – Nancy Poitou, Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist
Book Information
Release Date: September 21, 2021
Publisher: Clara Publishing
Soft Cover: ISBN: 978-1734290066; 274 pages; $24.99; Kindle Edition $17.99
Amazon: https://amzn.to/3foJnuV
Barnes & Noble: https://bit.ly/3BLZYS9
Draft2Digital: https://bit.ly/3EQFud3
Want a signed copy? www.booksasfriends.com
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