CARCAVELOS BEACH: BOOKS

Lisbon, 1941. An oasis of peace in Europe hit by the horrors of World War II. The refugees arrive by the thousands and Lisbon is full with millionaires and movie stars, spies and Jews. Portugal becomes the stage of a secret war, that Salazar allows, but watch from a distance.

Our hero Jack Gil Mascarenhas, becames a spy for MI6 , works to dismantle the the Nazi spy network operating throughout the country, from Estoril to a St. Vincent, from Alfama to Ericeira. These are his memories, told 50 years later and he recalls the times he had lived in Lisbon full of sun, light, and shadows of love. Jack Gil remembers the women he loved, the sumptuous environment of the Hotel Aviz, where spies crossed with ambassadors and kings, and sinister's members of the Salazar´s secret police or even the taxi drivers in town.

A secret and hidden world, where things happen "While Salazar was asleep," as Michael said ironically, the great friend of Jack, also a spy for MI6. In a divided country, men become more harsh and women more available. Boil intrigue and gossip, in a dirty war and sophistication, transforming Portugal and those who lived there in the 40s.

Product Details

Paperback: 467 pages
Publisher: Casa das Letras (2006)
ISBN-13: 9724616541
Portuguese Edition

It is Lisbon in the year 1905 and our hero, Luis Bernardo Valenca, a 37-year-old bachelor and owner of a small shipping business, is revelling in the luxury of Lisbon's high society. Intellectually curious, he writes about politics in his spare time, believing that Portugal's vast empire is having a civilising effect on the far-off lands it has colonised.

But his life is turned upside down when King Dom Carlos asks him to become governor of Portugal's smallest colony, the tiny island of Sao Tome e Principe, stuck out in the Atlantic off the coast of equatorial West Africa, whose economy rests almost entirely on its cocoa plantations.

However, the English believe that slavery still exists illegally in Sao Tome and intend to send a diplomatic envoy to check it out. (Of course the English, with their rival cocoa plantations in Africa, have their own reasons for trying to prevent the export of cocoa from Sao Tome).

As a gentleman used to a softer urban life, Luis Bernardo is ill-prepared for the challenges of plantation life, and he is shocked by the conditions under which the Angolan workers labour - although he is more than willing to engage romantically with the wife of the English consul, one of several candidates for his attentions.

"Equator "is a compelling and constantly surprising novel, casting light on a little-known corner of colonial life. Epic in scope, laced with emotional and moral complexity, "Equator" brings this simmering tropical community to life through the entanglements and betrayals of its cast of unforgettable characters. A best-seller in Portugal, and sold in many languages, "Equator" will also amaze and delights its English readers.