The book
A story of love, adventure, power and the eternal quest to take control of one’s destiny
The Living Infinite is inspired by the true story of the Spanish princess Eulalia, an outspoken rebrand at the Bourbon court during the troubled final years of her family’s reign. After her cloistered childhood at the Spanish court, her youth spent in exile, and a loveless marriage, Eulalia willingly accepts a role as royal emissary far from a crumbling Europe, in the New World. In the company of Tomas Aragon, the son of her one- time wet nurse, and a small-town bookseller with a thirst for adventure, she travels by ship first to a Cuba bubbling with revolutionary fervour then on to the 1893 Chicago World Fair. Publicly, she is there as a representative of the Bourbon dynasty, privately, she is in America to find a publisher for her autobiography, a secret manuscript that if published might well turn the old world order on its head. Eulalia’s personal rebellion resonates long after the final page of this captivating saga.
Praise for Chantel Acevedo
“With The Distant Marvels Acevedo makes a significant contribution to contemporary literature . . . This is a major, uniquely powerful, and startlingly beautiful novel that should bring Acevedo’s name to the top echelon of this generation’s writers.”
—Booklist (Starred Review)
“The Distant Marvels is a wonderful story about the stories we tell each other and what they reveal about ourselves.”
—The San Francisco Chronicle
“Irresistible moments of rebellion and bravery define this tale.”
—Kirkus (Starred Review)
“As Hurricane Flora blows past Fidel Castro’s new Cuba, Acevedo’s heartbreaking and humane novel comes to a memorable conclusion.”
—Publishers Weekly
The author
Chantel Acevedo
Chantel Acevedo was born in Miami to Cuban parents. She is the author of A Falling Star (Carolina Wren Press, 2014), winner of the Doris Bakwin Award; and, Love and Ghost Letters (St. Martins, 2006), winner of the Latino International Book Award. Acevedo is an Associate Professor of English in the MFA Program at the University of Miami.