''The News from Paraguay'' is 2004 novel by

Lily Tuck Lily Tuck (born October 10, 1938) is an American novelist and short story writer whose novel ''The News from Paraguay'' won the 2004 National Book Award for Fiction.National Book Award The National Book Awards are a set of annual U.S. literary awards. At the final National Book Awards Ceremony every November, the National Book Foundation presents the National Book Awards and two lifetime achievement awards to authors. The Nat ...

winner for fiction. It is a historical novel set in 19th century

Paraguay Paraguay (; ), officially the Republic of Paraguay ( es, República del Paraguay, links=no; gn, Tavakuairetã Paraguái, links=si), is a landlocked country in South America. It is bordered by Argentina to the south and southwest, Brazil to th ...

, and explores the life of an

Irish Irish may refer to: Common meanings * Someone or something of, from, or related to: ** Ireland, an island situated off the north-western coast of continental Europe ***Éire, Irish language name for the isle ** Northern Ireland, a constituent unit ...

courtesan Courtesan, in modern usage, is a euphemism for a "kept" mistress or prostitute, particularly one with wealthy, powerful, or influential clients. The term historically referred to a courtier, a person who attended the court of a monarch or other ...

, Eliza Lynch, as she courts the soon to be Paraguayan president

Francisco Solano López Francisco Solano López Carrillo (24 July 1827 – 1 March 1870) was President of Paraguay from 1862 until his death in 1870. He was the eldest son of Juana Pabla Carrillo and of President Carlos Antonio López, Francisco's predecessor. ...

. The novel is a series of vignettes and correspondence from their courtship.

Critical reception

The novel had mixed reception, despite its reception of the

National Book Award The National Book Awards are a set of annual U.S. literary awards. At the final National Book Awards Ceremony every November, the National Book Foundation presents the National Book Awards and two lifetime achievement awards to authors. The Nat ...

. Historical Novel Society review Lisa Ann Verge described the novel as well researched, "the novel is bursting with detail – but the collection of facts leaves this reader craving the illumination that good fiction should supply." Washington Post Reviewer Joanne Omang, did not think Tuck's sprawling scope fit well within a novel, writing "the sheer sprawl of Tuck's subject matter seems to have overwhelmed her; she has put it all into her story without focus, rather than pruning away the undergrowth to showcase the two lovers or to illumine the history they created." On the other hand, ''Kirkus'' called this scope a " skillfully distribute dozens of narrative vignettes among these two impetuously matched lovers." While the ''Kirkus'' review called the novel "A splendid realization of its rich subject, and Tuck’s best so far."

References

2004 novels National Book Award for Fiction winning works Novels set in Paraguay Novels set in the 19th century Historical romance novels Epistolary novels American war novels Francisco Solano López {{2000s-epistolary-novel-stub