The Woman of La Mancha

a novel by Karen Mann (2014)
$16 softcover

A rip-roaring, thumping good story, set in the time and place that gave birth to Don Quixote. Faithful to the spirit of those times and driven by a lively and beguiling central character, The Woman of La Mancha brings us the full sweep of human capability: generosity and tenderness, hope and persistence, brutality and treachery. Steeped in medieval roots, this tale poses modern questions about men and women: the suffering that springs from perversity and violation, the longing and loneliness that accompany young adulthood, and the rare and joyful flourishing of reciprocal love. This book will inspire and warm your heart.
–Eleanor Morse, author of White Dog Fell from the Sky and Chopin’s Garden

Karen Mann’s take-off on Don Quixote is a marvelous creation all its own. While remaining faithful to the spirit and style of Cervantes’ masterpiece, Mann turns the narrative on its head. This Dulcinea—only one of her guises—is not only an object of romantic obsession, but also a picaresque figure in her own right, adventuring, learning, and loving in a perilous but enchanting world. Read The Woman of La Mancha to journey with this colorful heroine and others by way of a wondrous, delightful tale.
–Roy Hoffman, author of the novels Chicken Dreaming Corn and Come Landfall

The reader doesn’t have to be a Don Quixote scholar to enjoy—to love!—Karen Mann’s ingenious re-imagining of Cervantes’ classic. The Woman of La Mancha is a funny, lusty, and epic picaresque that examines identity, secret selves, and the ways in which our lives, often unwittingly, intertwine with history and shape the destinies of others. A provocative, rollicking novel.
–K. L. Cook, author of Love Songs for the Quarantined and The Girl from Charnelle