In 1937, bohemian art collector and heiress Leonora Calaway (based on Peggy Guggenheim) whisks away an elite handful of European artists (targeted as "deviants" by Hitler's regime) to a resort in the Mexican jungle. Her daughter, Lara (Pegeen Guggenheim), narrates Costalegre via smart and poignant journal entries. The dazzling thrill of youth and art, the uncertainties of love and war, and the intense agony of being a teenager converge in this lush novel. (CH)

This title is included in our 2021 Book a Month: Novels package.