Zorro: A Novel - Hardcover

Isabel Allende

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0060778970 ISBN 13: 9780060778972

Publisher: Harper, 2005

Synopsis

A swashbuckling adventure story that reveals for the first time how Diego de la Vega became the masked man we all know so well

Born in southern California late in the eighteenth century, he is a child of two worlds. Diego de la Vega's father is an aristocratic Spanish military man turned landowner; his mother, a Shoshone warrior. Diego learns from his maternal grandmother, White Owl, the ways of her tribe while receiving from his father lessons in the art of fencing and in cattle branding. It is here, during Diego's childhood, filled with mischief and adventure, that he witnesses the brutal injustices dealt Native Americans by European settlers and first feels the inner conflict of his heritage.

At the age of sixteen, Diego is sent to Barcelona for a European education. In a country chafing under the corruption of Napoleonic rule, Diego follows the example of his celebrated fencing master and joins La Justicia, a secret underground resistance movement devoted to helping the powerless and the poor. With this tumultuous period as a backdrop, Diego falls in love, saves the persecuted, and confronts for the first time a great rival who emerges from the world of privilege.

Between California and Barcelona, the New World and the Old, the persona of Zorro is formed, a great hero is born, and the legend begins. After many adventures -- duels at dawn, fierce battles with pirates at sea, and impossible rescues -- Diego de la Vega, a.k.a. Zorro, returns to America to reclaim the hacienda on which he was raised and to seek justice for all who cannot fight for it themselves.

About this title

About the Author

Isabel Allende is the author of twelve works of fiction, including the New York Times bestsellers Maya’s Notebook, Island Beneath the Sea, Inés of My Soul, Daughter of Fortune, and a novel that has become a world-renowned classic, The House of the Spirits. Born in Peru and raised in Chile, she lives in California.

From AudioFile

Whether you're curious about the Zorro of television and movies--and what instilled a passion for justice in him--or you just appreciate a good tale of adventure and fighting for the underdog, this book is a good choice. Blair Brown takes on the persona of the narrator, whose identity as revealed in the epilogue will come as no surprise. She is an animated storyteller who maintains a strong and steady pace and personifies the characters effectively with subtlety and sensitivity. Her use of accents is judicious and not overstated. The storytelling skills of Allende and Brown are superbly joined in this audiobook. J.E.M. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award © AudioFile 2005, Portland, Maine-- Copyright © AudioFile, Portland, Maine

Edition details

• Publisher: Harper
• Publication date: 2005
• ISBN 10: 0060778970
• ISBN 13: 9780060778972
• Binding: Hardcover
• Language: English
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 400