"When their father's part in a plot against a cruel dictator forces them to flee the Dominican republic, the Garcia sisters -- Carla, Sandra, Yolanda, and Sofia -- come to America. But 1960s New York City is vastly different from the genteel, if troubling, existence they left behind, a world marked by maids, manicures, a loving family, and disappearances, secret police raids, growing political unrest. What the sisters have lost -- and what they find -- is revealed in this exquisite novel from one of the premier novelists of our time. "

--- courtesy, Plume Books, a division of Penguin Books http://www.penguinputnam.com

"A lyrical rendition of a familiar story -- the American immigrant's search for identity...told in vivid poetic language" -- The Philadelphia Inquirer

"Alvarez treats the subject of immigration, exile, Hispanic culture, and the American Dream with a sensitive and often irreverent touch." -- The Washington Post

" Subtle...Powerful...Reveals the intracacies of family, the impact of culture and place, and the profound power of language." -- The San Diego Tribune