Alaskan author success

Alaska is a small enough state that when any Alaskan does well on the national (or world) stage, we all feel a bit of paternalistic pride. Andromeda Romano-Lax is a travel writer who lives in Anchorage. We have a couple of her books here on the shelves (Walking Southeast Alaska, and Alaska: true stories). She has just released her first novel, and it is gathering a great deal of praise. Publisher's Weekly calls it "a tough debut to beat", Booklist says it is a "riveting historical page-turner", and it has been called an "impressive and richly atmospheric debut" by the New York Times.
Set in Spain at the beginning of the 20th century, The Spanish Bow follows the spiritual, political and romantic maturing of a young man named Feliu. Inheriting his father's cello bow, he discovers a deep love of music. His career as a musician takes him to the Spanish court, and eventually leads him to encounter the beautiful violinist Aviva. Caught up in the political upheavals of the time, he must choose between the paths of fascism, communism and monarchy. Famous characters and events make cameo appearances throughout the book, and in the end Feliu seems to have lived through a couple of lifetimes. Beautifully written, this is the book to be reading this fall.