Don Juan in Hankey, PA - Softcover

Martin, Gale

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1935961403 ISBN 13: 9781935961406

Publisher: Booktrope, 2011

Synopsis

A socialite, a retired dermatologist, a hometown opera singer, and a bipolar ketchup heiress have dreams of turning the Hankey Opera House into Lincoln Center on the Schuylkill River. The reality is that the Hankey Opera Company stands on the brink of financial ruin. They think mounting an ambitious production of Mozart's Don Giovanni, a popular opera about history's most legendary womanizer, will solve their problems. It only compounds them.

After the leading man pulls out of his contract, they wager their future on a rising star, an Argentine baritone with marquee-idol looks who is an incorrigible, untameable modern-day Don Juan. Will his constant need for sex drag the opera company down with him?

DON JUAN IN HANKEY, PA will have readers flying through its pages. Prior knowledge about opera is optional. Love of laughter is absolutely essential.

Praise for DON JUAN IN HANKEY, PA:

"A fast, fun read with wit, charm, and can-do optimism at its heart. Some authors write comedy with aplomb. Others excel at infusing stories with emotional warmth. Martin combines both in a debut novel that will have you doubled over, laughing, that deserves to be welcomed with a hearty brava." - Kaylie Jones, author of LIES MY MOTHER NEVER TOLD ME

"Gale Martin has written a clever and enchanting story that sings from the first page to its last. Opera buffs and novices will enjoy the juicy drama and intrigue that happens both on and behind the stage. What a treat!" - Margo Candela, author of GOOD-BYE TO ALL THAT

"Like a fabulous production, DON JUAN IN HANKEY, PA seethes with wild jealousies, convoluted mysteries, wry comic turns, resident ghosts, mysterious assailants, bold intrigues, longing, love, lust, and - of course - plenty of opera. Gale Martin's novel is 'meraviglioso!'" - Lenore Hart, author of BECKY

"Hold onto your libretti! Gale Martin takes opera, and mayhem, to new heights in her laugh-out-loud, rollicking, confection of a novel. One part romance, one part mystery, DON JUAN IN HANKEY, PA will sweep you off your feet. You won't want to put it down!" - Nina Solomon, author of THE SINGLE WIFE

"A lively romp about a dysfunctional, small-town opera guild. Martin writes about the Pennsylvania Dutch and opera fanatics with the same verve that Garrison Keillor writes about Minnesota Lutherans and public radio." - Richard Fellinger, author of THEY HOVER OVER US

About this title

From the Author:

Truth be told, I had a complete blast - a party in my head every day - writing DON JUAN IN HANKEY, PA, my backstage novel about a small-town opera guild and all the problems they encounter producing Mozart's Don Giovanni. Seduction. Visits from ghosts. Murder. Comic intrigues. Convoluted mysteries. And, of course, lust, longing, lust, love. Have I mentioned unbridled lust?

After the baritone singing the title role pulls out of his contract, the guild hires a gifted gaucho from Argentina who won a fictional, international opera contest called Operatoonity. Hence, the name for my blog celebrating opera is also Operatoonity!

Here are some of my favorite review snippets from readers and reviewers just like YOU:

• "'Don Juan' perfectly captures our own faults, those of ambition, greed, lust and naivety, and makes us laugh at our own self-importance. This book strikes a human chord in such a comical way that I couldn't put it down."
• "Guess what? I want to learn more about opera now. What fun and how clever."
• "I want more from this author. I will recommend this book to all my friends."
• "What makes this novel so special is that are the many levels to discover and enjoy, as in every good novel."
• "Now maybe I don't know much about opera or Mozart but I'm pretty sure I know a good book when I read one and Don Juan in Hankey, PA is definitely a good book."
• "I REALLY LOVED THE BOOK!!! Honestly, I wish there was a sequel already."
• "Don Juan in Hankey, PA will help your own heart sing. And who among us doesn't yearn for that?"

From the Back Cover:

Peek beneath the surface of an extraordinary small-town opera company, and get to know a fabulous cast of characters: determined flirts, a lusty singing gaucho, ingenious manipulators, a bipolar ketchup heiress, devious lovers, and some very animated ghosts. Delve into high society in Hankey, PA -- a world of simmering seductions, convoluted mysteries and entertaining intrigues. You may laugh out loud. You may cheer for the gang of misfits trying to save their opera house from foreclosure by improbably staging a world-class production of Mozart's masterpiece. You may feel a tug at your heartstrings as lonely lovers look for new romance. Gale Martin's new novel, DON JUAN IN HANKEY, PA, will delight readers everywhere.

About this edition

• Publisher: Booktrope
• Publication date: 2011
• ISBN 10: 1935961403
• ISBN 13: 9781935961406
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 301