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REVIEW: THE HEART HAS ITS REASONS by Maria Dueñas (Atria Books)

  

Atria Books, 2015
“Sometimes life comes crashing down, heavy and cold as a dead weight.


So begins Maria Dueñas new novel, THE HEART HAS ITS REASONS.  This is the story of a woman humiliated by betrayal; running in shame; looking for a reason to survive.  It’s also the story of her rebirth; of forgiveness; and, of new resolutions.

THE HEART HAS ITS REASONS is a stellar novel full of fraught, memorable characters; hidden mysteries; and sweet romance.

SUMMARY:  College Professor Blanca Perea’s world comes crashing down when her husband of 25 years asks for a divorce because his girlfriend is pregnant. Humiliated and bitter, Blanca runs as far away from Madrid as she can – California.  She accepts a research grant involving an exiled Spanish writer (Fontana) who died decades earlier.  Never does she expect to become intrigued with her subject nor find herself in the middle of a mystery.  Suddenly, after spending her entire life feeling “like she is jumping on moving trains”, Blanca is excited and revived.  And it doesn’t hurt that her colleague, the handsome and charming professor Daniel Carter, joins in her investigation for a lost California “mission.” 

THE HEART HAS ITS REASONS is also three stories in one – Blanca’s, Daniel’s and Professor Fontana’s.  Dueñas does a great job in moving readers from the present day to post-civil war Spain (1950s) and back again, as the characters’ stories unfold and intertwine.  Readers will be most pleased with Dueñas second book and its passions, intrigues and loving conclusions.###



For The Latina Book Club review of Maria Dueñas' first book, THE TIME IN BETWEEN, click here.



ABOUT THE AUTHOR:  María Dueñas is the author of the New York Times and internationally bestselling novel THE TIME IN BETWEEN, which was translated into 25 languages and inspired a successful television series under the same title, as well as the highly acclaimed THE HEART HAS ITS REASONS.  She holds a PhD in English philology, and is currently a professor at the University of Murcia. Dueñas has also taught at American universities, authored several academic articles, and has participated in various educational, cultural, and editorial projects. She lives in Murcia, Spain.  To learn more about her, visit her author page by clicking here.



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