Advanced
Error loading page.
Try refreshing the page. If that doesn't work, there may be a network issue, and you can use our self test page to see what's preventing the page from loading.
Learn more about possible network issues or contact support for more help.
Title details for Olga Dies Dreaming by Xochitl Gonzalez - Wait list

Olga Dies Dreaming

A Novel

by Xochitl Gonzalez
Almarie Guerra
Audiobook
0 of 4 copies available
Wait time: Available soon
Place a hold Listen to a sample Listen to a sample
0 of 4 copies available
Wait time: Available soon

"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

  • Creators

  • Publisher

  • Release date

    January 4, 2022

  • Formats

    • OverDrive Listen audiobook

      • ISBN: 9781250835567
      • File size: 337145 KB
      • Duration: 11:42:23

  • Languages

    • English

  • Reviews

    • Publisher's Weekly

      October 25, 2021
      Gonzalez’s edifying debut follows a successful Puerto Rican Brooklynite with family baggage that increasingly disrupts her life. Olga, 40, a wedding planner and frequent guest on morning TV shows, rubs shoulders—and sometimes more—with her wealthy, powerful clients. Her older brother, Prieto, who is secretly gay, has risen through the local political ranks to become a U.S. congressman who represents their Sunset Park neighborhood. The siblings’ beloved papí, once a charismatic activist for Puerto Rican independence, fell into heroin addiction and died when Olga was still a teen, and their mamí remained true to the cause, leaving her children to work with a covert paramilitary group. Olga does not know, but Prieto has been the victim of blackmail for years by a couple of real estate moguls with whom she is acquainted, who’ve made a killing off their Puerto Rican community in Brooklyn. Details about their papí’s life and tragic death, as well as his blackmailers’ sinister intentions in Puerto Rico, add poignancy to Prieto’s troubles, and each sibling faces a crisis of conscience when Hurricane Maria hits and their mamí issues a dubious ultimatum. The expository dialogue often feels stilted, but the characters’ yearning to see the island thrive adds passion and complexity. Gonzalez elevates this family drama with a great deal of insight on the characters’ diaspora and politics.

    • AudioFile Magazine
      A trio of narrators performs this debut audiobook featuring siblings Olga and Prietro. The story is set in New York City in 2017, with flashbacks to their childhood. Blanca, the siblings' mother, a militant radical, abandoned them as children to fight for Puerto Rico's independence from the U.S. As the story is told primarily from Olga's point of view, the additional viewpoints of her brother, their mother, and two of Olga's lovers give the story additional depth. Multiple performers, all skilled at their craft, draw listeners further into the narrative. Ines del Castillo, Almarie Guerra, and Armando Riesco capture each of the characters' personalities, expertly showcasing their talent for fluid transitions between emotions, accents, and dialects. An exquisite production. A.L.S.M. © AudioFile 2021, Portland, Maine

Formats

  • OverDrive Listen audiobook

subjects

Languages

  • English

Loading
This project was made possible in part by the Institute of Museum and Library Services. Funding for additional materials was made possible by a grant from the New Hampshire Humanities and the National Endowment for the Humanities.