{"product_id":"9781538722190","title":"A Simple Habana Melody","description":"\u003cb\u003eFrom Pulitzer Prize-winning author Oscar Hijuelos comes a “massively engaging…masterpiece of history, music, wonder, and sorrow” about a composer returning to his beloved homeland after WWII (\u003ci\u003eKirkus, \u003c\/i\u003estarred review).\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e The year is 1947. Israel Levis, a Cuban composer whose life once revolved around music and love, is finally returning home. En route to Habana, Cuba from Spain, he is a shadow of his former self, disillusioned after he was mistakenly sent to a camp during the Nazi occupation of France.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e In Habana, he escapes his anguish by reminiscing about his happiest moments before the war, when he lived a life of pleasure and excitement—and had a loving, if unrequited romance with Rita Valladares, the alluring singer who inspired Levis’ most famous composition, “Rosas Puras.”\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e A tender homage to music, art, and a vibrant country at the edge of modernity, \u003ci\u003eA Simple Habana Melody \u003c\/i\u003eis a melodic, virtuoso performance from one of America’s most talented writers.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eIncludes a reading group guide. \u003c\/i\u003e","brand":"Oscar Hijuelos","offers":[{"title":"Grand Central Publishing |  Paperback \/ softback  |  2025-02-11","offer_id":46308097458431,"sku":"9781538722190","price":24.99,"currency_code":"CAD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0329\/9075\/7001\/files\/BNCImageAPI_46c9968d-3b26-43e8-a18c-8ed3f155ae73.jpg?v=1730917306","url":"https:\/\/riverbookshop.com\/products\/9781538722190","provider":"River Bookshop","version":"1.0","type":"link"}