1990 National Book Award for Fiction (shortlist)
"The definitive novel of the encounter between the Philippines and America and their history of mutual illusion, antagonism, and ambiguous affection." - Robert Stone
Finalist for the National Book Award for Fiction
Winner of the American Book Award
Welcome to Manila in the turbulent period of the Philippines' late dictator. It is a world in which American pop culture and local Filipino tradition mix flamboyantly, and gossip, storytelling, and extravagant behavior thrive.
A wildly disparate group of characters - from movie stars to waiters, from a young junkie to the richest man in the Philippines - becomes caught up in a spiral of events culminating in a beauty pageant, a film festival, and an assassination. In the center of this maelstrom is Rio, a feisty schoolgirl who will grow up to live in America and look back with longing on the land of her youth.
Genre: Literary Fiction
Finalist for the National Book Award for Fiction
Winner of the American Book Award
Welcome to Manila in the turbulent period of the Philippines' late dictator. It is a world in which American pop culture and local Filipino tradition mix flamboyantly, and gossip, storytelling, and extravagant behavior thrive.
A wildly disparate group of characters - from movie stars to waiters, from a young junkie to the richest man in the Philippines - becomes caught up in a spiral of events culminating in a beauty pageant, a film festival, and an assassination. In the center of this maelstrom is Rio, a feisty schoolgirl who will grow up to live in America and look back with longing on the land of her youth.
Genre: Literary Fiction
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