In 1870 Prince Amadeo disembarked in Cartagena, coinciding with the attack on General Prim in Madrid. Pedro and Raúl, as different as water and oil, are two smuggler brothers who by chance find themselves in the capital with a cache of jewels, unable to leave it, due to the commotion of the attack.
That night, Pedro, the sensible and mature brother, advises Raúl not to go out, as he may run into trouble. Without listening to his brother’s recommendations, Raúl heads towards Café Fornos, a place frequented by Francismo Serrano, accused of conspiracy by General Prim’s wife. Raúl’s insistence had a reason: he drinks the winds for Estrella, a prostitute in that brothel. That night his beloved is murdered by Serrano, after confessing that he is the father of his daughter Lucía.
«I help my readers to learn about stories like the sinking of the ‘Sirio’ in Cabo de Palos»
The novelist Lola Gutiérrez (Cartagena, 1964) is the creator of this plot, which, under the title of ‘Lucía’, has seen the light of day in the Murcialibro publishing house. Sixteen years later, Estrella’s daughter becomes a beautiful young woman, lover of music and freedom. Sheltered by the love of her godparents, Raúl Javaloy and Pilar, who after what happened decided to flee to San Pedro del Pinatar, she will spend part of her life at the ‘La Favorita’ farm, where she meets and falls in love. by Antonio Andres Victoria Ramirez. A young orphan, mistreated by his aunts; the only one who took pity on him was the village priest, who taught him to write, read and love poetry.
An intense love arises between the young people, which they will have to protect against all odds.
nearby legends
The author of ‘Lucía’ tells LA VERDAD that she grew up reading classics like ‘El lazarillo de Tormes’, “a picaresque masterpiece, very nice. I do not understand why it is not taught to today’s schoolchildren. Gutiérrez took only six months to write this historical novel: «With this style, I help my readers to learn about stories like the sinking of the Sirio [cubría la distancia marítima entre Génova y Buenos Aires]. Everyone talks about the Titanic, but it should be known that in Cabo de Palos, a ship sank [el 4 de agosto de 1906] and many people died [oficialmente murieron 242 personas, tenía capacidad para 1.000 pasajeros]and that the negligence and selfishness of certain people led to the death of others”, says the creator of ‘Suspiros de España’ (2011), ‘Entre Bahías’ (Atlantis, 2013), ‘Playa de Poniente’ (2014) or ‘Virazón’ (MurciaLibro, 2016).
Some characters bear the names of the staff at La Arrixaca and Santa Lucía who helped her recover from multiple myeloma
She began her literary career “around 2009, writing plays for housewives, until a friend of mine encouraged me to continue writing.” From that moment she insisted with publishers with the intention of publishing her works, until “one answered me, but it was not the result I wanted, because they kidnapped my works and did not move them.”
The cover of her latest invention is the work of a friend of the writer, the Malaga designer Carlos Merino. “It is perfect for a novel as traveling and historical as mine,” he says.
Tribute to toilets
Four years ago, Lola Guiérrez was diagnosed with multiple myeloma, “which is a very aggressive cancer, but thank God I received a bone marrow transplant. I was lucky to be saved, thanks to the good people and excellent professionals at La Arrixaca and the Santa Lucía hospital.”
In the acknowledgments of the book, she not only remembers her friends and family, but also the health workers who accompanied her in the process. She renames two of the book’s protagonists, Antonio and Raúl, after them.
«To my children… To all my friends… but especially to Dr. Antonio Andrés Victoria Ramírez. To Dr. Pablo Puertas. To the trauma nurse at the Virgen de la Arrixaca hospital Raúl Javaloy Balsalobre; to Carmen, to Josefina, to each and every one of them for his care. My eternal gratitude to the staff of the Hematology ward of the Virgen de la Arrixaca Hospital (Murcia) and the Santa Lucía Hospital in Cartagena. They are angels to whom I owe my life”, thanks the writer.
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