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The Band of Gypsies
As lush and colorful as a gypsy's scarf, The Band of Gypsies knits a haunting tale of youth and strife in Spain's Basque Country.
In the turbulent Basque city of Bilbao, Jaime Aragon, a young foreign intern is mesmerized by a colleague, a mysterious American named Allison Flynn. She is beautiful, alluring, and haunted by a horrid past. Allison hints of a genuine interest in Jaime, but her close friendship with a charismatic young Spaniard, Francisco, who runs a secret ETA terrorist cell at the university complicates matters. His instincts scream for him to stay away from her. Still, he cannot help himself.
Against the backdrop of Spanish fiestas and moonlit plazas sometimes marred by exploding Basque separatist bombs, Jaime pursues Allison. She is a complex woman; vulnerable, unpredictable, elusive. It is this very complexity that impels him toward her until he learns about a heart-rending secret that leaves his life in turmoil.
Featuring a multicultural cast including French student Simone, Brazilian Elena, Scandinavian Bjorn, Californian Allison, and the novel's conflicted protagonist, Jaime, The Band of Gypsies takes readers on a journey of romance and intrigue that leads to eventual self-discovery. Sometimes humorous, often haunting, it explores the lives of college-age foreign interns lost in a faraway land.
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Bay Area author Enrico Antiporda has written a novel inspired by his life-changing experience as an AIESEC exchange intern (International Association of Students in Business and Economics). Within the framework of a love/adventure story and featuring a multicultural cast, The Band of Gypsies explores the lives of young foreign interns caught in the turbulence of the Basque separatist movement in Spain.
The novel, loaded with cultural insights, was written as an inspiration for college students to participate in university-sponsored exchange programs. "These programs are a great resource," the author notes. "The benefits are not only academic, but also cultural. They prepare students for what has become a global economy by giving them an opportunity to live and work with people of other cultures. What an adventure." Antiporda adds, "They housed us in four co-ed flats; sixteen interns from five continents, of different races, speaking different languages and getting along great. And in the middle of this were the intense clashes between the Basque Separatists and the Guardia Civil. It was unforgettable."
In the turbulent Basque city of Bilbao, Jaime Aragon, a young foreign intern is mesmerized by a colleague, a mysterious American named Allison Flynn. She is beautiful, alluring, and haunted by a horrid past. Allison hints of a genuine interest in Jaime, but her close friendship with a charismatic young Spaniard, Francisco, who runs a secret ETA terrorist cell at the university complicates matters. His instincts scream for him to stay away from her. Still, he cannot help himself.
Against the backdrop of Spanish fiestas and moonlit plazas sometimes marred by exploding Basque separatist bombs, Jaime pursues Allison. She is a complex woman; vulnerable, unpredictable, elusive. It is this very complexity that impels him toward her until he learns about a heart-rending secret that leaves his life in turmoil.
Featuring a multicultural cast including French student Simone, Brazilian Elena, Scandinavian Bjorn, Californian Allison, and the novel's conflicted protagonist, Jaime, The Band of Gypsies takes readers on a journey of romance and intrigue that leads to eventual self-discovery. Sometimes humorous, often haunting, it explores the lives of college-age foreign interns lost in a faraway land.
------------
Bay Area author Enrico Antiporda has written a novel inspired by his life-changing experience as an AIESEC exchange intern (International Association of Students in Business and Economics). Within the framework of a love/adventure story and featuring a multicultural cast, The Band of Gypsies explores the lives of young foreign interns caught in the turbulence of the Basque separatist movement in Spain.
The novel, loaded with cultural insights, was written as an inspiration for college students to participate in university-sponsored exchange programs. "These programs are a great resource," the author notes. "The benefits are not only academic, but also cultural. They prepare students for what has become a global economy by giving them an opportunity to live and work with people of other cultures. What an adventure." Antiporda adds, "They housed us in four co-ed flats; sixteen interns from five continents, of different races, speaking different languages and getting along great. And in the middle of this were the intense clashes between the Basque Separatists and the Guardia Civil. It was unforgettable."
198 pages, Paperback
First published September 1, 2000
7 people are currently reading
145 people want to read
About the author
Enrico Antiporda
12 books24 followersI'm a fiction editor of Conclave, a Journal of Character, an annual literary magazine. I published my first novel, The Band of Gypsies, in 2000 with rave editorial reviews. A Light in the Cane Fields earned two consecutive scholarships at the Squaw Valley Writers Conference and was a top semifinalist in the 2008 Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award competition. The novel earned a tour de force review from Publishers Weekly, garnering accolades like "a riveting epic of loss and transformation" and "a masterful choreography."
I'm a workshop leader of the Rockridge Writers Group in Oakland, California.
As for my history, after graduating with a BSBA degree at De La Salle University, I lived for two years in Bilbao, Spain working as a business intern under the AIESEC international exchange program. I'm now a full-time visual artist and writer and my post impressionist works have been exhibited in galleries and art shows in California.
I love painting, hiking, traveling, listening to world music, and writing.
I'm a workshop leader of the Rockridge Writers Group in Oakland, California.
As for my history, after graduating with a BSBA degree at De La Salle University, I lived for two years in Bilbao, Spain working as a business intern under the AIESEC international exchange program. I'm now a full-time visual artist and writer and my post impressionist works have been exhibited in galleries and art shows in California.
I love painting, hiking, traveling, listening to world music, and writing.
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Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
January 14, 2012
Page 1, Jaime flees Manila under a threat of violence from a General whose son had raped his sister.
Page 4, he's already exiled in Bilbao, Spain.
Page 8, pretty Elena from Brazil, nipples jutting out of the thin material of her clothes.
Page 11, the 18-year-ol housemaid Maricarmen with her "classic Iberian beauty."
Page 14, Guardia Civil fires at demonstrators.
Page 18, the blonde Allison from the USA, with a beauty that goes "beyond earthly metaphors."
Now, what pages were these: a decapitated head rolls on the ground after an explosion; Allison narrating her equally-violent past; she taking off all her clothes in front of Jaime on a beach; JAIME hurting the first time he and Elena ( virgin still, at 23, despite her many dates with gorgeous men) had made love (why Jaime? Maybe Jaime has hymen, who knows); a couple or two openly humping each other here and there, etc.
Long-haired Pinoy author Enrico Antiporda must have thought: hey, sex sells, so let's put lots of sex here. All the women must be young and pretty. Let's put handsome men too, the girls dig them. And romance, of course. To make it more exciting, let's put a lot of explosions, some rapes, killings, and--as icing in this cake of mayhem--a decapitated head of a kindly old man rolling on the ground after a sudden bomb explosion.
He had forgotten: it's not the plot that carries a novel. It is the way it is written (see, for example, V.S. Naipul's Enigma of Arrival where he mostly just walked around an English countryside watching cows and his neighbors yet did the narration oh so beautifully). So what he trained his eyes on was his juvenile plot then wrote the whole thing like news in a tabloid. This book is so bland that in my frustration I almost sprinkled crushed pepper on it to give it a little flavor as I suffered through all its 202 pages.
Now carrying a proud 4.42-star goodreads average rating (from 10 reviews and 12 ratings) courtesy of 6 shocking 5-star ratings from 6 reviewers (most likely the author's friends--one has just ONE book listed in her profile--this one), book--I hate to tell you this--but book, I honestly didn't like you so you're getting your first 1-star from me!
Page 4, he's already exiled in Bilbao, Spain.
Page 8, pretty Elena from Brazil, nipples jutting out of the thin material of her clothes.
Page 11, the 18-year-ol housemaid Maricarmen with her "classic Iberian beauty."
Page 14, Guardia Civil fires at demonstrators.
Page 18, the blonde Allison from the USA, with a beauty that goes "beyond earthly metaphors."
Now, what pages were these: a decapitated head rolls on the ground after an explosion; Allison narrating her equally-violent past; she taking off all her clothes in front of Jaime on a beach; JAIME hurting the first time he and Elena ( virgin still, at 23, despite her many dates with gorgeous men) had made love (why Jaime? Maybe Jaime has hymen, who knows); a couple or two openly humping each other here and there, etc.
Long-haired Pinoy author Enrico Antiporda must have thought: hey, sex sells, so let's put lots of sex here. All the women must be young and pretty. Let's put handsome men too, the girls dig them. And romance, of course. To make it more exciting, let's put a lot of explosions, some rapes, killings, and--as icing in this cake of mayhem--a decapitated head of a kindly old man rolling on the ground after a sudden bomb explosion.
He had forgotten: it's not the plot that carries a novel. It is the way it is written (see, for example, V.S. Naipul's Enigma of Arrival where he mostly just walked around an English countryside watching cows and his neighbors yet did the narration oh so beautifully). So what he trained his eyes on was his juvenile plot then wrote the whole thing like news in a tabloid. This book is so bland that in my frustration I almost sprinkled crushed pepper on it to give it a little flavor as I suffered through all its 202 pages.
Now carrying a proud 4.42-star goodreads average rating (from 10 reviews and 12 ratings) courtesy of 6 shocking 5-star ratings from 6 reviewers (most likely the author's friends--one has just ONE book listed in her profile--this one), book--I hate to tell you this--but book, I honestly didn't like you so you're getting your first 1-star from me!
March 18, 2012
I'll pretty much read anything I can get my hands on. I'll read the back of the cereal box while I'm eating breakfast, shampoo bottles in shower...you get the point. It is rare the book I don't finish. I just can't get through this one. Perhaps I'll pick it back up at some point; I don't know.
What stopped me was the style of writing. It felt immature and sparse. The sentence structure felt repetitive. I am planning on lending this book to my brother since he's okay with that style. I, meanwhile, am heading back to Joyce, Nabakov, Laxness.
What stopped me was the style of writing. It felt immature and sparse. The sentence structure felt repetitive. I am planning on lending this book to my brother since he's okay with that style. I, meanwhile, am heading back to Joyce, Nabakov, Laxness.
June 17, 2011
Traveling within the chapters of a book is my favorite past time. A novel can take me to exotic places in the cozy comfort of a couch. No grueling plane rides to deal with, no passengers crowding my space. At the speed of a Kindle download, I can be in the mud-slicked wharves of old London, the shikumen-crowded alleys of new Shanghai or the verdant hills of sunny Tuscany. This time, I bought an ebook ticket to Northern Spain in a region known as the Spanish Basque Country.
The Band of Gypsies by Enrico Antiporda takes place in the province of Vizcaya, a region long troubled by Basque secessionist upheaval. In this vibrant novel of youth and strife, we are introduced to Jaime, Allison, Bjorn, and Elena, four foreign students having their internships in Bilbao, Spain before finishing their final year of college and the eventual drudgery of lifetime work. They expected their stay to be memorable, filled with the golden experiences of youth and academic learning. But no sooner had they arrived in what they thought was an exotic Spanish city when turbulence sweeps them off their feet and throws them in the middle of the unrest. The psychological effects of the explosive protest rallies they witnessed in Bilbao, some of which resulted in gruesome bloodshed, are given no respite even in the safety of their boarding house. Jaime, the narrator, is mesmerized by his American housemate, the lovely and mysterious Allison Flynn who, unfortunately, happens to be romantically-involved with a Spaniard that runs a secret ETA terrorist cell at the university. By this time, one can feel the cauldron percolating in the boarding house as Jaime is ensnared by the beauty of the American and finds himself caught in a potentially dangerous triangle.
The narrative, radiant in its imagery, has the flavor of romantic intrigue coupled with touches of magical realism. Whether introducing a character or a scene, vivid descriptions fill the pages of the book. One could almost smell the bitter cordite after a bomb explodes in a crowded plaza or see the sheen of blood coating the cobblestoned walk. Yet, there are instances of raw humor that counteracts the intensity of the narrative as when Jaime arrives in his first day of internship and meets his eccentric cigar-smoking, Mafioso-looking boss in an office so smoky "it looked like it had just been fumigated."
The novel gives readers cultural glimpses of Northern Spain, touching on the reasons behind the Basque conflict but does not dwell on it too much as to interrupt its quick pacing. The magic of youth pervades throughout the narrative and the inclusion of sapient flashback stories within the major story arc, add depth to the characters. Readers would hark back to their college days when life was breathtaking and everything was possible. The intensity of the love affair between Jaime and Allison are touching, the mysteries of their troubled pasts, engrossing. One finds himself anxiously turning the pages wondering if the star-crossed lovers would ever be together or perish in a bomb blast. I'm not sure if this book is a literary novel, a suspense or a romance. It may very well be all of the above. One thing you can be sure of: it is a beautiful novel. A wonderful heartfelt journey you will never forget.
Hmmm, I wonder where I'll travel next?
First published at Blogcritics under the title of Book Review: The Band of Gypsies http://blogcritics.org/books/article/...
The Band of Gypsies by Enrico Antiporda takes place in the province of Vizcaya, a region long troubled by Basque secessionist upheaval. In this vibrant novel of youth and strife, we are introduced to Jaime, Allison, Bjorn, and Elena, four foreign students having their internships in Bilbao, Spain before finishing their final year of college and the eventual drudgery of lifetime work. They expected their stay to be memorable, filled with the golden experiences of youth and academic learning. But no sooner had they arrived in what they thought was an exotic Spanish city when turbulence sweeps them off their feet and throws them in the middle of the unrest. The psychological effects of the explosive protest rallies they witnessed in Bilbao, some of which resulted in gruesome bloodshed, are given no respite even in the safety of their boarding house. Jaime, the narrator, is mesmerized by his American housemate, the lovely and mysterious Allison Flynn who, unfortunately, happens to be romantically-involved with a Spaniard that runs a secret ETA terrorist cell at the university. By this time, one can feel the cauldron percolating in the boarding house as Jaime is ensnared by the beauty of the American and finds himself caught in a potentially dangerous triangle.
The narrative, radiant in its imagery, has the flavor of romantic intrigue coupled with touches of magical realism. Whether introducing a character or a scene, vivid descriptions fill the pages of the book. One could almost smell the bitter cordite after a bomb explodes in a crowded plaza or see the sheen of blood coating the cobblestoned walk. Yet, there are instances of raw humor that counteracts the intensity of the narrative as when Jaime arrives in his first day of internship and meets his eccentric cigar-smoking, Mafioso-looking boss in an office so smoky "it looked like it had just been fumigated."
The novel gives readers cultural glimpses of Northern Spain, touching on the reasons behind the Basque conflict but does not dwell on it too much as to interrupt its quick pacing. The magic of youth pervades throughout the narrative and the inclusion of sapient flashback stories within the major story arc, add depth to the characters. Readers would hark back to their college days when life was breathtaking and everything was possible. The intensity of the love affair between Jaime and Allison are touching, the mysteries of their troubled pasts, engrossing. One finds himself anxiously turning the pages wondering if the star-crossed lovers would ever be together or perish in a bomb blast. I'm not sure if this book is a literary novel, a suspense or a romance. It may very well be all of the above. One thing you can be sure of: it is a beautiful novel. A wonderful heartfelt journey you will never forget.
Hmmm, I wonder where I'll travel next?
First published at Blogcritics under the title of Book Review: The Band of Gypsies http://blogcritics.org/books/article/...
January 18, 2012
Jamie Aragon has fled Manila for Balboa, Spain after a family tragedy gets him into trouble with high-ranking general in the Philippine army. In Balboa, Jamie enters an internship program that houses him with an assortment of other twenty-somethings from all over the world. Jamie quickly befriends his flat mates and learns that some of them have family stories as shocking, sometimes even more so, than his. Jamie falls for Allison, an American girl who sends him mixed signals about her own feelings toward him. Complicating matters is Allison’s relationship with Francisco, a graduate student involved in questionable political activities.
First off, I am really hoping Enrico Antiporda is planning a cookbook follow-up to this novel. The meals, even the simple ones, he describes his characters eating are absolutely mouth-watering - garbanzo soup with sausage and cabbage, seafood and chorizo paella, filete de corerito, octopus in ink sauce, anchovy-topped goat cheese on garlic-buttered crustinis, potato and onion omelets garnished with roasted red pimentos, crawfish stewed in a garlic and tomato sauce, caramelized flan – and various local wines, sangria, and soda-water. These ‘foody’ parts made the novel great fun. I loved Antiporda’s descriptions of meals, of the markets, the sights, and the seemingly constant, yet spontaneous street dances to traditional music.
However, just when my appetite was stimulated by these meals, the narrative would delve into scenes of gruesome violence including bodies dismembered by crane accidents, bombs, rapists, shootings, and knife fights.
All told, however, aside from the sometimes awkward feel of the dialogue (not always, just sometimes) and Jamie’s painfully slow attempts to woo Allison, this was an enjoyable story that taught me a lot about a region you don’t often read about in popular literature.
First off, I am really hoping Enrico Antiporda is planning a cookbook follow-up to this novel. The meals, even the simple ones, he describes his characters eating are absolutely mouth-watering - garbanzo soup with sausage and cabbage, seafood and chorizo paella, filete de corerito, octopus in ink sauce, anchovy-topped goat cheese on garlic-buttered crustinis, potato and onion omelets garnished with roasted red pimentos, crawfish stewed in a garlic and tomato sauce, caramelized flan – and various local wines, sangria, and soda-water. These ‘foody’ parts made the novel great fun. I loved Antiporda’s descriptions of meals, of the markets, the sights, and the seemingly constant, yet spontaneous street dances to traditional music.
However, just when my appetite was stimulated by these meals, the narrative would delve into scenes of gruesome violence including bodies dismembered by crane accidents, bombs, rapists, shootings, and knife fights.
All told, however, aside from the sometimes awkward feel of the dialogue (not always, just sometimes) and Jamie’s painfully slow attempts to woo Allison, this was an enjoyable story that taught me a lot about a region you don’t often read about in popular literature.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 7, 2011
This is a novel filled with romance and passion from the male perspective, written by an author who is not hesitant to show his softer side, especially in relationships with women.
Expecting to find sanctuary from violent events in his homeland, Jaime Aragon flees Manila and places hope for his future in a summer internship. However his arrival in Spain is marked with a murderous act of civil terrorism by Basque separatists and Bilbao, the picturesque city he imagined, is, in reality, an industrial center filled with intrigue. He quickly finds companionship in university housing, but unlike the temporary state of his fellow interns, he is keenly aware that his immigration will be permanent.
Jaime soon learns that the high spirits and adventurous passions of his roommates hide common histories of violence and survival. He finds an American girl, Allison, especially attractive, but her relationship with shadowy Francisco stops Jaime from making his feelings known.
As his love for Allison and his job skills become stronger, he begins to form a clearer picture of his future.
Serendipitous encounters with bands of roving gypsies, violent civil disruptions, beautiful women, and the countryside of northern Spain add fantastic background color to this debut work. I especially liked the juxtaposition of the bands of roving gypsies with the diverse personalities and cultures of the students who become Jaime’s good friends.
I look forward to more works by this author.
Expecting to find sanctuary from violent events in his homeland, Jaime Aragon flees Manila and places hope for his future in a summer internship. However his arrival in Spain is marked with a murderous act of civil terrorism by Basque separatists and Bilbao, the picturesque city he imagined, is, in reality, an industrial center filled with intrigue. He quickly finds companionship in university housing, but unlike the temporary state of his fellow interns, he is keenly aware that his immigration will be permanent.
Jaime soon learns that the high spirits and adventurous passions of his roommates hide common histories of violence and survival. He finds an American girl, Allison, especially attractive, but her relationship with shadowy Francisco stops Jaime from making his feelings known.
As his love for Allison and his job skills become stronger, he begins to form a clearer picture of his future.
Serendipitous encounters with bands of roving gypsies, violent civil disruptions, beautiful women, and the countryside of northern Spain add fantastic background color to this debut work. I especially liked the juxtaposition of the bands of roving gypsies with the diverse personalities and cultures of the students who become Jaime’s good friends.
I look forward to more works by this author.
March 25, 2011
This book manages to be thoughtful and exciting at the same time. Mr. Antiporda starts the action in Chapter One ("Death Squad") and never takes his foot off the gas. The main character, Jaime, is going to Spain on an internship, leaving a cloud of violence behind in his country.
The violence continues in Spain, where Basque rebels fight La Guardia. In most books with this much action, the writer does not pay attention to detail and local color. While reading Gypsies, however, I could smell the callos (tripe in garlic gelatin) and the warm, dusty Spanish streets.
The main character is very well drawn. He is real to me - a little flawed, which makes him extremely likable. The love interest, Allison, is well done as well, as are the minor characters.
This is a great read for a plane ride or the beach - I heartily recommend this novel. I anxiously await any new offerings from Enrico Antiporda.
The violence continues in Spain, where Basque rebels fight La Guardia. In most books with this much action, the writer does not pay attention to detail and local color. While reading Gypsies, however, I could smell the callos (tripe in garlic gelatin) and the warm, dusty Spanish streets.
The main character is very well drawn. He is real to me - a little flawed, which makes him extremely likable. The love interest, Allison, is well done as well, as are the minor characters.
This is a great read for a plane ride or the beach - I heartily recommend this novel. I anxiously await any new offerings from Enrico Antiporda.
June 4, 2011
The backgrounds are well written, and rich. The female lead is cliche, the male lead is a bit better, but wrapping both in so many layers of tragedy just felt contrived. The use of violence to create romantic tension was also a bit tiring. Romance isn't really my genre; it always feels a bit forced to me, and Antiporda falls into that trapping, but with a bit of grace. If the romantic subplot had been replaced with a buddy relationship against the same backdrop, I suspect some of the pacing issues would have ironed themselves out and the contrived tension would have disappeared allowing the grace and vitality of the writing to shine.
If you enjoy Romances, this would be a great pool side vacation read.
If you enjoy Romances, this would be a great pool side vacation read.
July 1, 2011
I just finished reading this on my camping vacation in Yosemite. It's a pretty good book. I enjoyed reading it in my tent at night. Maybe it's because it took me back to my years in college. Plus, I love the Spanish setting of the love story. I also like the way the author included metaphoric short stories within the main story. I've been to Italy and England but have never been to Spain. It's a real treat to read about the colorful descriptions of the country , its food, and its politics, especially in conjunction with the powerful love story between Jaime and Allison, the hero and heroine of the novel. I highly recommend this book.
August 2, 2011
This isn't a book I would have normally chosen to read but once I got past the middle of the book it got interesting and I wanted to know how it ended. But it was a little slow moving for me and a little hard to fallow at times due to the Spanish words and towns used, it made it a little hard to fallow along. But in the end it ended up being a rather good book.
June 15, 2011
This book was fairly well written but I had some issues with it. The story seemed at times to have several things going at once--none related. It was easy to read but then the end came--literally--it just ended very abruptly. Would like to read more of this author to compare some of his other books to this.
July 20, 2011
I enjoyed this book from beginning to end. A clever and believable plot combined with well developed characters to make this book one I didn't want to put down. In some ways, this story reminded me of James Michener's "The Drifters." Not a bad comparison, I think. I look forward to reading more from Enrico!
May 6, 2011
I LOVED this book! I have never read a book in a matter of hours before but I did because I couldn't put it down. The storytelling is amazing. I felt like I was right there along with the characters.
I am SO looking forward to the next book!
I am SO looking forward to the next book!
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February 25, 2016kindle 200 Spain
April 23, 2012
Easy to like romantic love story, with a pictureque but often terrifying background of Spain underfire from Basque terrorists. It's a page turner!
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews