Life Is A Dream

Calderón de la Barca returns from the grave to recount his greatest play, "La vida es sueño," as a novel: A young woman journeys after her brutal attacker to seek vengeance and reclaim her honor. "Life is a Dream is that rare thing in literature: A grand entertainment. Joshua Tarjan has written an exuberant adventure that surprises and beguiles on every page. Full of wit. Full of wisdom. Romance. And that rarity: Fun." -Peter Nelson, screenwriter of the award-winning film, "The Lonely Passion of Judith Hearne" "Tarjan plays it straight-faced, managing not just to create a fast-moving saga but also introducing some relatively sophisticated meditations on the outmoded 17th-century conception of "honor"-what it means and if it's worth anything-into the book, developing it through his characters rather than forcing them to become stilted mouthpieces. A brisk novella... the book is fleet enough to seem fresh and entertaining.... A solid debut." -Kirkus Discoveries