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Start giftingOlga Dies Dreaming
A Novel
Length
11 hours 22 minutes
Language
English
Bookseller recommendation
“Olga’s mother abandoned her family to fight for Puerto Rico’s liberation, and since then both Olga and her brother Prieto have tried to fill the void she left. Olga seeks attention and approval in meaningless relationships, while Prieto seeks approval and acclaim as a politician. Both finally face truths about their revolutionary mother and themselves and gain their own liberation from the years of heartbreak. This is a story focused on individuals and family and trauma, but it also highlights the far-reaching effects of colonialism.”
Nancy,
Raven Book Store
Bookseller recommendation
“Olga Dies Dreaming is a ridiculously fun and compelling read, moving from hilarity to heartbreak and everything in between. I adored Olga and her brother Prieto and loved their story of family, politics, ambition, and what it means to be American in the 21st century. The full-cast audiobook was a complete delight, but I loved it so much I'll still buy a hard copy to keep on my shelf! ”
Kate,
Bookmarks
Bookseller recommendation
“What a debut! If you’re looking for a compelling, well written story about a woman at odds with her heritage, her family and trying desperately to figure out her place in the world Olga Dies Dreaming is the book for you. I couldn’t put it down-I stayed up until 2:30 in the morning because I had to know what happened to Olga!”
Kathleen,
A Great Good Place for Books
Bookseller recommendation
“Loved this one, especially on audio. The narration was excellent, and laugh out loud funny. Perfect blend of contemporary fiction, intrigue, romance, Puerto Rican culture, and the impact of Hurricane Maria. ”
Jessica,
Main Street Books Davidson
Bookseller recommendation
“Olga and her brother Pedro 'Prieto' Acevedo had a rough start—their activist mother left them to lead a militant group in Puerto Rico; their father died young from AIDS—but they've both found success, Olga as a high-end wedding planner and Prieto as a congressman. Olga Dies Dreaming follows the pair (and some of their loved ones) as they navigate their careers, dreams, responsibilities, and loyalties in the rapidly gentrifying Sunset Park neighborhood of Brooklyn. It's a story about family and boundaries, and doing the painful but rewarding work of discovering one's purpose. I fell in love with Olga so quickly, and that's due in large part to Inés del Castillo's narration.”
Arianna,
P&T Knitwear
Bookseller recommendation
“Left in the care of their grandmother by their radical mother, Blanca, siblings Olga and Preito strive and struggle to make their way as adults in their native Brooklyn, their mother’s decision reverberating throughout their careers, friendships, and romantic relationships. There is a sweet romance at the center of this story that grounds the narrative, as well as gossipy family drama - including a competitive cousin and a no-nonsense auntie. It is a fast moving tale, set in the before and after of Hurricane Maria in Puerto Rico. I giggled, sighed, cheered, cried, and barked with (sometimes cynical) laughter as I took in this sweeping story of love and revolution.”
Erin,
Water Street Bookstore
"All three narrators are Puerto Rican–born and deliver the Spanish passages with musical grace, thereby enhancing an already fine novel." —The Washington Post
“The narrators’ accents and code-shifting create a vibrant auditory experience. In particular, Guerra’s luscious voice conveys Olga’s transformation from fighter to a compassionate woman as she overcomes dualities and finds wholeness within herself.” – BookPage
A blazing new talent debuts with the story of a status-driven wedding planner grappling with her absent mother, her glittering career amongst New York’s elite and her Puerto Rican roots in the wake of Hurricane Maria.
It’s 2017, and Olga and her brother, Pedro “Prieto” Acevedo are bold faced names in their hometown of New York. Prieto is a popular Congressman representing their gentrifying, Latinx neighborhood in Brooklyn while Olga is the tony wedding planner for Manhattan’s powerbrokers.
Despite their alluring public lives, behind closed doors things are far less rosy. Sure, Olga can orchestrate the love stories of the 1%, but she can’t seem to find her own...until she meets Matteo, who forces her to confront the effects of long held family secrets…
Twenty-seven years ago, their mother Blanca, a Young Lord-turned-radical, abandoned her children to advance a militant political cause, leaving them to be raised by their grandmother. Now, with the winds of hurricane season, Blanca has come barreling back into their lives.
Set against the backdrop of New York City in the months surrounding the most devastating hurricane in Puerto Rico’s history, Xochitl Gonzalez's Olga Dies Dreaming is a story that examines political corruption, familial strife and the very notion of the American Dream—all while asking what it really means to weather a storm.
A Macmillan Audio production from Flatiron Books
Xochitl Gonzalez is the New York Times bestselling author of Olga Dies Dreaming. Named a Most Anticipated Book of 2022 by Time, Kirkus, Boston Globe, Vogue, Bustle, and more, Olga Dies Dreaming was a Barnes & Noble Discover Pick, an Indies Introduce Pick, an Indie Next Pick, and Amazon's Featured Debut of the month. Xochitl received her M.F.A. from the Iowa Writers’ Workshop, where she was an Iowa Arts Fellow and the recipient of the Michener-Copernicus Fellowship for Fiction. She was the winner of the 2019 Disquiet Literary Prize and her work has been published on Bustle, Vogue, and The Cut. She is a contributor to The Atlantic, where her weekly newsletter "Brooklyn, Everywhere" explores gentrification of people and places. A native Brooklynite and proud public school graduate, she lives in her hometown of Brooklyn with her dog, Hectah Lavoe.
