This week I recommend the Néstor Luján Novel History Prize, which is a sure bet for this summer. Teresa Sagrera is already a veteran author, who masters her job with historical accuracy. With this prize, she acquired the recognition she deserves, with a story that captivates from beginning to end.
Set in the spring of 1919, in Font del Lleó square, Caldes de Montbui, Lola has just lost her mother and arrives in the small village to fulfil her mother’s last wish: to deliver a music box to Ignasi Ventura, the owner of the Ventura Health Resort. Ignasi is moved by the sight of the young girl, who bears a striking resemblance to Violeta, her mother, who left the place when she was young. With nowhere else to go and deep in mourning, Lola decides to stay at the health resort, driven by curiosity about Ignasi.
Family secrets come to light, and personal and social tensions are heightened at the Ventura Health Resort, which will become a beautiful metaphor for Lola’s personal growth and the social change of the era, culminating in the proclamation of the Second Republic.
The early health resorts, the social class differences and the love stories that transcend these classes make this novel truly special.
You can’t miss it.
