NAMED BY THE NATIONAL BOOK FOUNDATION AS A 5 UNDER 35 AUTHOR
Vaclav and Lena seem destined for each other. They meet as children in an ESL class in Brighton Beach, Brooklyn. Vaclav is precocious and verbal. Lena, struggling with English, takes comfort in the safety of his adoration, his noisy, loving home, and the care of Rasia, his big-hearted mother. Vaclav imagines their story unfolding like a fairy tale, or the perfect illusion from his treasured Magician’s Almanac, but among the many truths to be discovered in Haley Tanner’s wondrous debut is that happily ever after is never a foregone conclusion.
One day, Lena does not show up for school. She has disappeared from Vaclav and his family’s lives as if by a cruel magic trick. For the next seven years, Vaclav says goodnight to Lena without fail, wondering if she is doing the same somewhere. On the eve of Lena’s seventeenth birthday he finds out.
Haley Tanner has the originality and verve of a born storyteller, and the boldness to imagine a world in which love can overcome the most difficult circumstances. In Vaclav & Lena she has created two unforgettable young protagonists who evoke the joy, the confusion, and the passion of having a profound, everlasting connection with someone else.
Praise for Vaclav & Lena
“Wonderful and wrenching . . . Vibrant characters, believable romance and dark undertones make for a moving tale.”—The New York Times
“From the moment they meet, Vaclav and Lena make magic together. . . . Through all the twists and turns of the book, the most enduring theme of the novel is love.”—NPR
“Haley Tanner’s assured narrative voice finds new ways to describe emotion and character, stunning the reader again and again with small shocks of awareness. This book is sad, funny, true, and shot through with grace.”—Judy Blundell, National Book Award–winning author of What I Saw and How I Lied
“Highly recommended . . . Tanner’s captivating debut novel is a love story of unusual innocence and intensity [and] a suspenseful, literary work that is hard to put down.”—Library Journal
“A debut to savor . . . Tanner’s charming story unfolds as gracefully as a flower.”—People
“The magic Tanner makes is as dazzling as it is profound.”—Booklist
"synopsis" may belong to another edition of this title.
"About this title" may belong to another edition of this title.
Shipping:
FREE
Within U.S.A.
Book Description Condition: New. Book is in NEW condition. 0.9. Seller Inventory # 1400069319-2-1
Book Description Condition: New. New! This book is in the same immaculate condition as when it was published 0.9. Seller Inventory # 353-1400069319-new
Book Description Hardcover. Condition: New. Dust Jacket Condition: New. 1st Edition. author signed first printing hardcover in mylar protected dust jacket. first US edition. new & unused; no marks not remaindered, not xlib, not book club, dj price intact, first edition stated with number line down to 1. simple author signature on title page, no inscription. fiction hardcover Language: eng. Signed by Author(s). Seller Inventory # 8848
Book Description Hardcover. Condition: New. Dust Jacket Condition: Near Fine. First Edition, First Printing. Text/NEW & Bright. Dial Press/Random House, Collectible, 2011 First Edition, 1st Printing. Bi-color boards/Fine. DJ/NF w/a whisper of shelfwear. Life experiences of two young Russian immigrants, deeply in love, parted & reunited in Brighton Beach. Debut novel from Haley Tanner (1982 -). Story opens as charismatic 10-year-old Vaclav, confident he is to be as famous a magician as Harry Houdini, meets Lena, a waif, new to America, struggling w/English, whom Vaclav knows will be his future "lovely assistant". Lena, on the inside, loud, very funny & smart, sings songs & thinks big, loud thoughts, being short on English, is thought by all a quiet & shy personage. Abusive treatments by guardians, shifts Lena into the custody of Protective Services --- there she is kept for 7 years!!! During those years, Vaclav whispers goodnight to Lena nightly & Lena keeps withdrawn. Reunited, they ask each other deeply, meaningful questions --- Did you remember me? Was I as important to you as you to me? Was I alone in my remembering? Or, were you with me the whole time? A search for truth from two teenagers. Seller Inventory # 020954
Book Description Hardcover. Condition: New. Dust Jacket Condition: New. 1st Edition. New York: Dial Press (2011). First edition. First printing. Hardbound. NEW/NEW. A pristine unread copy, signed by author on title page. Comes with mylar dust jacket cover. Opened only for author to sign. Shipped in well padded box. A well-reviewed debut novel. 0.0. Signed by Author(s). Seller Inventory # 0409HVD-51
Book Description Hardcover. Condition: New. Seller Inventory # Abebooks450516
Book Description Hardcover. Condition: New. Dust Jacket Condition: New. 1st Edition. An Outstanding Copy - Signed By The Author On The Title Page. Author'S Signature Only. A First Edition, First Printing. Book Is In Fine Condition. Boards Are Clean, Not Bumped. Fore Edges Are Clean. Interior Is Clean And Legible. Not Remaindered. Dust Jacket Is In Fine Condition. Not Chipped Or Crinkled. Not Price Clipped. Dust Jacket Is Covered By Mylar Brodart. Thanks And Enjoy. Signed by Author(s). Book. Seller Inventory # 007514