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The Air You Breathe

Frances de Pontes Peebles (Goodreads Author)

3.88 · Rating details · 4,847 ratings · 707 reviews

The story of an intense female friendship fueled by affection, envy and pride--and each woman's fear that she would be nothing without the other.

Skinny, nine-year-old orphaned Dores is working in the kitchen of a sugar plantation in 1930s Brazil when in walks a girl who changes everything. Graça, the spoiled daughter of a wealthy sugar baron, is clever, well fed, pretty, ...more

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Hardcover, 449 pages

Published August 21st 2018 by Riverhead Books

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Historical Fiction 2018

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Aug 20, 2018 Christina - Traveling Sister rated it really liked it

Shelves: arc, traveling-sisters

4 'nobody puts Samba in a corner' stars!!

We open with Dores - an orphan living and working on a sugar plantation in Brazil. To say she's had a rough go of it would the the understatement of the year. Graca is the new owners daughter - she is charming, lively, spunky, sassy, incredibly willful and privileged and spoiled to a fault. Dores and Graca form an unlikely and unshakable bond that will carry them through the hardships of the 1930s and 40s in Brazil and Hollywood. Through the rise and ...more

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Aug 22, 2018 Angela M rated it really liked it

Shelves: edelweiss-reviews

samba. : a Brazilian dance of African origin with a basic pattern of step-close-step-close and characterized by a dip and spring upward at each beat of the music; also : the music for this dance. (Merriam-Webster dictionary online)

I felt as if this story was like a samba as it too was characterized by dips and upward springs in the lives of two complex characters as they stepped through their lives, their journey from a sugar cane plantation in Brazil to the streets and clubs of Rio, to samba. : a Brazilian dance of African origin with a basic pattern of step-close-step-close and characterized by a dip and spring upward at each beat of the music; also : the music for this dance. (Merriam-Webster dictionary online)

I felt as if this story was like a samba as it too was characterized by dips and upward springs in the lives of two complex characters as they stepped through their lives, their journey from a sugar cane plantation in Brazil to the streets and clubs of Rio, to Hollywood. It’s so well written, we are taken there to these places where a complicated friendship grows and flourishes as these two women step together at times and away at others. Dores, an orphan with no real identity other than as a kitchen girl becomes the unlikely friend of Graca, born to a family of means who now own the sugar plantation. As young girls they discover music when Graca’s mother takes them to a concert. This is the beginning for them, leading them to their destinies as artists, each in their own right - Graca, the singer and Dores, the song writer. For me one of the most poignant moments of the book was this discovery. As the narrator of this story, Dores tell us : “ How miraculous then to hear something and know, without any doubt, that it is beautiful.....How incredible then that, despite the precariousness of my existence, despite the coarseness and violence that always threatened to suffocate me, there was this beauty, this grace, that had found me through music and that no one could take from me. This was the gift that music gave to Graca and me that night, and every night afterward: we had something of our own to truly love, and we had each other to share it with.”

This is a story of ambition, identity, passion, love, betrayal, a wonderful piece of historical fiction reflecting 1930’s Brazil and Hollywood of the early 1940’s. I’m not a musician but felt the music!

This was a Traveling Sisters read. Thanks, friends for your thoughts.

I received an advanced copy of this book from Riverhead Books through Edelweiss. ...more

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Aug 22, 2018 Diane S ☔ rated it really liked it

4.5 Drawn in by the sights and sounds of the 1920's in Brazil and set againt the background of samba music, this is the story of two young girls, who against all odds become successful. Two young women, Dores and Graca, raised in very different circumstances, but become friends, each other's inspiration and eventual downfall. Their journey , the people they meet, an amazing story to follow, so much history followed in the time period when they are evolving as musicians and don't writers.

The ...more

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Sep 02, 2018 Lindsay - Traveling Sister rated it liked it

Shelves: traveling-sister-read, edelweiss

3.5 stars. This book will have you humming to the beat of samba music!

This is the story of Graca and Dores – two girls from two different parts of society. They have an intense friendship filled with fierce love and ruthless rivalry. They need and depend on each other in different ways, both feeling incomplete without the other.

The story begins on a sugar plantation in Brazil that Graca’s family owns. I really enjoyed the atmosphere of this part of the story. Dores is an orphan who has been ‘ ...more

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Oct 13, 2018 Elyse (semi hiatus) Walters rated it it was amazing

I haven’t read a book about the friendship of two women this absorbing-addicting-with amazingly stunning writing this good since Elena and Lila in the Neapolitan series by Elena Ferrante!!!!!

Going hiking this morning and a very busy weekend - was in SF yesterday- and back again tomorrow and must write a review for “Bitter Orange”, by Claire Fuller one of these days ....as it’s an alive species screaming it’s own language in my head 24 hours a day - during my dreams too...
and mixed with this ...more

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Sep 09, 2018 Brenda -Traveling Sister host of The Traveling Friends rated it really liked it

Shelves: edelweiss, traveling-sister-reads

Traveling Sisters Group Read

Lindsay and I read The Air You Breathe with four of our Traveling Sisters and we all really loved this glorious, rich and soulful story of friendship.

We all loved the vivid and colorful feel we got for the setting and lively time. Frances de Pontes Peebles takes us through an intense and emotional, journey of a complex bond between friends and their love and ambition for Samba music. We follow them through their path to fame. We are taken to boozy Brazilian bars to ...more

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Jul 23, 2018 Katie B rated it really liked it

Shelves: historical-fiction, fiction, arc, first-to-read, lgbt, read-in-2018, music, south-america, brazil

This was a beautifully written book. I really felt like the author transported me to 1930s Brazil and with such an emphasis on music, the book had a lyrical quality. From the get go it was easy to get caught up in nine-year-old Dores's story line. She's an orphan on a sugar plantation and for the most part she is forced to take care of herself. She develops an unlikely friendship with Graca, the daughter of the plantation owner. The two are complete opposites but develop a bond over their love ...more

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Aug 28, 2018 Marialyce rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: traveling-sisters, edelweiss

4 sometimes what you think you want is not what you want at all stars

“We all take for granted things that come too easily.
That's why I can't let you go--you're always a challenge to me.
Here's my wow to you, here's all I believe:
For you, I'll stay invisible. I"ll be the air you breathe.” Is it possible to stay invisible when what you want is exactly what another has?

The time: the 1930s
The place: Brazil
The characters: Dores and Graca
The tie that bound these girls together: music, friendship, 4 sometimes what you think you want is not what you want at all stars

“We all take for granted things that come too easily.
That's why I can't let you go--you're always a challenge to me.
Here's my wow to you, here's all I believe:
For you, I'll stay invisible. I"ll be the air you breathe.” Is it possible to stay invisible when what you want is exactly what another has?

The time: the 1930s
The place: Brazil
The characters: Dores and Graca
The tie that bound these girls together: music, friendship, rivalry

Meet Dores, a poor young child, an orphan living on a sugar plantation forced to be the one who cares for herself, with some help from an old cook. Meet Graca, the daughter of the plantation owner. Together these two form a most unlikely friendship, a friendship that will carry them through a lifetime of sorrow, joy, and a wish for things that oftentimes are not to be. These girls are polar opposites and yet they find meaning within their lives, that meaning coming to them through the gift that music often brings. The girls grow, they run away to Rio de Janeiro, where they struggle and yet the music is that ultimate bond which joins them together. It is the way they survive, the way their future seems to move, the way they will share the joys and the many sorrows that life will force onto their paths. Their journey leads them eventually to Hollywood, the world of movies, of the samba, of the success of Graca who sings and dances her way through movie after movie, while Dores the composer of the songs, remains in the background, longing for recognition. Their lives seem to be what they desired, being recognized, being shown that their music their songs are heard and seen and yet it is not ultimately what they thought it would be. Their home, their country beckons, calls to them, and soon they realize that perhaps they can never go home again, never find that recognition they always sought, never to have a place to call their own.

Their friendship suffers along with their success and though they seem to care, there is jealousy, there is the fear and desire to be what the other is. There are the trials that often lead to the downfall of friends and their ability to maintain what had formerly brought them together.

This was a story of characters set against a backdrop of the Rio of long ago, the samba with its dance and musical style, and the fight each of these girls, grown to women, engage in to breathe the same air, to find the same level of success, to hold onto identities which seem to shape them into something they never really wanted to be. It was a story of struggling to find themselves, of looking at the life they so desired, at seeing the sadness that often accompanies those of us who wish for too much, yet always there was the music. For these women and the men who surrounded them, "Music is the moonlight in the gloomy night of life." (Jean Paul)

Thanks you to Frances de Pontes Peebles, Riverhead Books, and Edelweiss for a copy of this most engaging story.
My reviews can be seen here: https://yayareadslotsofbooks.wordpres...
This book was read with The Traveling Sisters group here on Goodreads. As always, we had a riveting conversation that added so much to our understanding of this novel. Many thanks to you dear sisters! ...more

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Jan 10, 2019 ✨The Reading rated it it was ok

Couldn't do it.
This is the story of the friendship of two girls. One is a skinny little orphan girl, and the other is a daughter of a wealthy sugar baron. Their lives come together by chance and they never let their friendship go. Even in death.
I gave this book over 100 pages before I stopped reading it. Although it is well written and very lush in detail, I felt that the storyline is just not for me. To me the author seems to drone on and on and never seems to get to the point. I found this ...more

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Aug 01, 2018 Book of the Month added it

Why I Love It
by Diane Guerrero

As a child, my life was full of uncertainty, and expressing myself through art was one of the things that made me feel most alive. I remember listening to Kaoma’s “La Lambada” as a kid, and feeling excited by the way it connected familiar melodies with sounds that were entirely new. I couldn’t understand it at the time, but to me those sounds represented the connectivity between human beings. They made me realize that music has the power to bring people and cultures ...more

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Nov 20, 2019 Olivia (Stories For Coffee) rated it it was ok

Shelves: latinx-mc

A stunning, atmospheric book where music is the heart of the story, but what kept me from loving this book was the main character. I’m sorry, but Dores does not deserve the mistreatment that Graça constantly gave her, and Graça does not deserve any ounce of sympathy from me. She is a vindictive, manipulative, horrible, emotionally abusive person who took and took from others until they were bled dry. She was a horrific person to Dores, and Dores deserved better than that. I wish I could see the ...more

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Aug 26, 2018 ♥ Sandi ❣ rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: 400-pages-or-more, arc-giveaway, historical-history, cultural, first-read-digitals, closed-5000-books-2018, 6-kindle

4 stars Thank you to Penguin's First to Read and Riverhead books for a chance to read and review this ARC. Publishes Aug 21, 2018.

You never know what you will get when you dive into a book written about another culture. But in this case, I am so very happy that I took the dip. The writing and prose in this book took you right into the 1930's Brazilian experience. It's music, it's culture, it's place in history all came alive. Then as the protagonists traveled to Hollywood in the 1940's, the ...more

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Jan 19, 2019 Mellie Antoinette rated it it was ok

The best thing about this is the #botmbuddyread discussions over on Litsy. Otherwise, this book was about 175 pages to long, way to hyper focused on 28 years in the lives of its two heroines and the ending was just sadly anticlimactic. There was no action, no anticipation, and therefore nothing to grasp onto.

That being said, the sub story of Brazilian history during Getulio’s presidency was somewhat fascinating. It differed from the vision I had of BZ, having always seen her as the bright light ...more

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Aug 19, 2018 Celia rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: historical-fiction, 2018-read, first-to-read, reading-the-world, ten-year-challenge, 2018-pub, not-translate

The Air You Breathe describes a friendship that starts on a sugar plantation in Brazil, moves to the world of samba in Rio, and then Hollywood, and then back home. It is narrated by Dores, the orphaned servant of Graca. Graca and Dores--- Grace and Sorrow. Friends, yes, but the friendship is dysfunctional. A friendship not soft and warm, but hard and full of sharp edges. I did not hate the book, but did not really like it either. The story did not follow in a readable linear fashion and it ...more

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Jul 07, 2018 Kristen Beverly rated it it was amazing

Shelves: received-from-publisher

I had a hard time with the first 75ish pages of this book. But after Graca and Dor head out on their own, I absolutely fell in love. I devoured this book, which is saying a lot considering it’s hefty & has a lot of meat to the writing. Highly recommend for fellow lovers of historical fiction.

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Jul 15, 2018 Kathryn in FL rated it really liked it

Shelves: goodreads-giveaway, historical-fiction, early-20th-century, lgbtq, before-women-were-equal, lesbian, brazil

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. SEX, DRUGS & SAMBA

Author, Frances De Pontes Peeples delivers the history of the Samba's rise from hills of Brazil and the songs of the slaves on the sugar plantations to the popularizing of this sound that is uniquely a Brazilian export. Dores and Graca run away from their life and future female roles in an attempt to make it big in radio. Instead they shine brighter playing in the biggest Rio nightclubs and making top-selling records and as they rise to the top, they go on to make history SEX, DRUGS & SAMBA

Author, Frances De Pontes Peeples delivers the history of the Samba's rise from hills of Brazil and the songs of the slaves on the sugar plantations to the popularizing of this sound that is uniquely a Brazilian export. Dores and Graca run away from their life and future female roles in an attempt to make it big in radio. Instead they shine brighter playing in the biggest Rio nightclubs and making top-selling records and as they rise to the top, they go on to make history in American movies during World War II. The author does a terrific job of incorporating that time in history (depression era and World War II) with two young women, who challenge all the rules of society to be a part of a multi-racial band that has captured the sound of their culture.

At the start, we meet Dores who is born to an unmarried plantation worker. Being a girl, she isn't seen as being useful but fortunately, she ends up being raised by the single woman, who manages the kitchen of the big house. The original owners go bankrupt and their relatives take over bringing with them their only child, the beautiful Graca. She is very pale and being groomed to marry well. Her mother hires a tutor and includes Dores in the lessons, since she and Graca are playmates. After her death while giving birth; Graca's father sends Graca to a convent school with Dores as her maid and servant. While on a school trip the girls runaway heading to Rio, where the only Brazilian radio station broadcasts. Being unskilled, they make little money and end up in a boarding house in Lapas, the equivalent to East L.A. or Harlem in the U.S.

After a year or so of working menial jobs. They get the attention of the the cross-dressing Madame Lucifer, who is the equivalent of a mafia Don of Rio. Madame Lucifer controls most of what happens in Rio particularly in the arena of entertainment/vices. He likes their act and puts them in all the right clubs to advance their careers.

Eventually, they become inseparable with their band, which consists of black and white members, who are very "popular" with the ladies and one who prefers men. Graca becomes Sofia Salvador and her band is the Blue Moon. The guitar player is Vinicius, who soon becomes part of a the love triangle many times Sofia and Dores fight with Vinicius being the underlying reason. While Sofia becomes renowned throughout Brazil, Dores and Vinicius are behind the scenes writing all the groups hits.

Sofia and the group is offered a small part in a movie during the World War II. She and the band play in a club in the background of a scene. Things turn a little tense when the dark members of the band are not placed in the same hotel as the light skinned members (though Dores is not particularly light, her connection with Sofia gives her a pass). They become a hit in America and get contract after contract to play bit parts in more war romance movies. Sofia is really the star and at times she is the only one, who is awarded a part. The group become drug users as they try to adjust to their demanding schedule. Eventually even Sofia's star starts to fade and the group goes their separate ways when Sofia unexpectedly dies.

Dores narrates the story and is an excellent tour guide. We understand her struggle to be loyal to Sofia and at the same time, accept that she will never be acknowledged for her own great talent. In a way, this book reminds me of the movie, Beaches released in 1988 starring Bette Midler and Barbara Hershey. I liked that movie a great deal and I found this story intriguing though I could have done without all the sexual liaisons which were plentiful, however, I suspect that this will contribute to the books popularity in the U.S. I liked that the author incorporated the lyrics to many of the songs mentioned in the story; she is quite gifted. I would consider reading future stories she writes. The language at times was quite captivating, I wish I had been able to incorporate some in my review, however this is not allowed when reading Advanced Reading Copies.

A big Thank You to the author, Riverhead Books, Penguin Random House for providing me with this Advanced Reading Copy in exchange for my honest opinion. ...more

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Aug 31, 2018 Monica Kim: Reader in Emerald City rated it really liked it

When we are young, we give ourselves completely. We allow our first friends or first lovers or first songs inside us, to become a part of our unformed being, without ever thinking of the consequences, or of their permanence within us. — Frances de Pontes Peebles, The Air You Breathe
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Before I head out for a long weekend, I wanted to leave with you this review. Frances de Pontes Peebles’ “The Air You Breathe” is an epic, immersive saga of an intense, complicated, volatile friendship fueled by When we are young, we give ourselves completely. We allow our first friends or first lovers or first songs inside us, to become a part of our unformed being, without ever thinking of the consequences, or of their permanence within us. — Frances de Pontes Peebles, The Air You Breathe
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Before I head out for a long weekend, I wanted to leave with you this review. Frances de Pontes Peebles’ “The Air You Breathe” is an epic, immersive saga of an intense, complicated, volatile friendship fueled by affection, envy, fear, and love of music, spanning decades, across multiple continents. Traveling from Brazil's inland sugar plantations to the rowdy streets of Lapa in Rio de Janeiro, from Los Angeles during the Golden Age of Hollywood, this novel is told solely from Dores’ POV as she reflects back on her tumultuous life and those around her, some ending in tragedy.
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Orphaned Dores was working in the kitchen of a sugar plantation in 1930s Brazil when she befriends Graça, the spoiled daughter of a wealthy sugar baron. They quickly bond over love of mischief & music, and run away together to pursue their love of music, working dangerous & odd jobs at first to have the ends meet. Graca will become the beloved songstress, and Dores the songwriter who quickly rise to fame. At first, everything they dreamed of seems to be coming true, but it isn’t without danger, trials, tribulations, and fierce competition. And they’ll continue to be tested over & over again of their friendship, loyalty, fame, love, and passion. And someone will tragically pay for the unfortunate consequences that inevitably follows at the end.
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This novel is epic, tragic, immersive, cinematic, and beautiful. This will probably be adapted into a movie. Although it’s a familiar trope, the breathtaking backdrop of Rio, glamourous Golden Age of Hollywood, intoxicating beats of samba, captivating characters, and lyrical writing made this a wonderful read. However, there are few things I would’ve like to see it done differently. It was too long, almost felt like it long for the sake of being an historical fiction, it didn’t need to over 400 pages, it dragged on bit too long. I also found the language to be too “modern” for a historical fiction. I think it would’ve been more impactful if it were written more “old style.” And lastly, it would’ve been better if the novel featured POV of other characters because it would’ve been helpful to hear from their perspectives as well, especially Graca’s. This is a novel that made me wish books had sound, I would’ve loved to hear their music. Overall, pretty great read, worth a read, especially if you love music & is a wanderlust. ...more

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Aug 11, 2018 Dana Portwood rated it liked it

3.5 stars

It is hard to write a review for this book. It is rich and beautiful and evocative. The atmosphere is lush and lyrical. I smelled and tasted and heard Brazil. I wanted to adore this book. But for all that is very good about this book, it also felt like it needed a tighter storyline. I don't mind slow story building but there were times when I wanted to tell this book to, GET THERE ALREADY. The ruminations began to bog the plot down and felt tedious. There isn't so much need to spell out ...more

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Feb 19, 2018 Jillian Doherty rated it it was amazing

This story is so much more than just Brazil, Samba, and two girls journey through it. It’s a heartbreaking experience reaching from martyrdom, to heart wrenching selfishness that pulls you apart and it drive your further into the story!

I didn’t know much about the musics origin, but here the illustration wines you through dark streets in smoke filled music halls to feel the music rather than hear it.
The girls develop along with their musical lifeline, and bring a story to life as vivid as it is ...more

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Aug 26, 2018 Patrycja D. rated it liked it

Shelves: book-of-the-month-club, historical-fiction, adult

My husband was sitting next to me when I finished this one. I closed it and looked at him and his immediate response when he saw the look on my face was "Whats's wrong?" Why? Because I am honestly conflicted about this book.
I averaged out a 4/5 for writing and a 2/5 for historical issues to a 3/5.
On the one hand, it is not at all poorly written and the plot is interesting and engaging. There are some plot devices I have seen before (but someone once said there is no truly original idea anymore) My husband was sitting next to me when I finished this one. I closed it and looked at him and his immediate response when he saw the look on my face was "Whats's wrong?" Why? Because I am honestly conflicted about this book.
I averaged out a 4/5 for writing and a 2/5 for historical issues to a 3/5.
On the one hand, it is not at all poorly written and the plot is interesting and engaging. There are some plot devices I have seen before (but someone once said there is no truly original idea anymore) and there is excellent symbolism and foreshadowing. The chapter set up was also very well thought out - I really enjoyed how the chapters were prefaced with a song and a sort of preface from older Dores. The bisexual and lesbian representation was not gimmicky and the bohemian-like atmosphere not overdone. I would give this book a 4/5 on writing alone.
But...
It was extremely disappointing that the author gave absolutely zero credit or acknowledgement to the Brazilian singer(s) that inspired the story. When I read the first page of the book I started googling Sofia Salvador because the opening of the book reminded me of a recent historical figure I have learned about. When Sofia was not coming up in my search I realized the person I was actually looking for was Carmen Miranda.
Pontes Peebles takes huge "inspiration" from Carmen Miranda's life and packages it to fit into Dores and Graca's story. Some examples include:
Miranda's nickname - Brzaillian Bombshell
Her Baiana influence (and backlash over it)
Her samba band's name - Bando da Lua (Moon Band) vs Blue Moon Band
Her songs - "They Say I've Come Back Americanized" vs "Turned Into a Gringa"
Her image - "the lady with the tutti-frutti hat" and The Chiquita Banana Gurl vs Fruity Cutie Girl
She was the first Latin American star to be invited to leave her hand-prints in the courtyard of Grauman's Chinese Theatre. She faced backlash from audiences in Brazail over how her image often made Latin America look to the audiences in the US. She did not return to Brazil for over a decade. She has a museum dedicated to her now in Rio. She was a real historical figure who really went through profound challenges and achieved so much in her life through extremely hard work and vivacity that it makes me really uncomfortable that the author did not do much to honor her memory. The only real mention of her is in a short sentence where the author mentions a list of names of singers she listened to while writing. And Carmen was not even the first name on the list. I think that is preposterous and makes me feel like the author put only half of the work required for this book to be truly original and something she can call her own. Shame.
For those reasons I wish I could give this book a 2/5 but because the writing is not bad I averaged it out to a 3/5. ...more

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Aug 27, 2018 Staci rated it it was amazing

Shelves: historical-fiction, botm

So good! I really enjoyed this novel. It was definitely a slow starter but the beginning did a great job of laying the foundation for the complex dynamic between Graca and Dores. Their relationship had a complicated beginning, middle and end. This is an atmospheric and engaging story that gives the reader a glimpse of the political and social climate of Brazil in the 1920’s, 30’s and 40’s as well as the US in the 40’s, most specifically Hollywood. I’m so glad I chose this one as my BOTM for ...more

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Aug 20, 2018 Shweta Panda rated it really liked it

The Air You Breathe revolves around the two girls Dores and Graca, their friendship which will change everything.
Both were from totally different background but it clicks immediately.
The way how the plot moves showing their passion for music makes me feel like they complete each other.
This book is so so beautiful and has musical nature, it will make you feel as if you are there with Dores and Graca during 1930s in Brazil.
Well if you are looking forward for indept character development then ...more

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Jan 25, 2019 Jerrie (redwritinghood) rated it liked it

The story has wonderful atmosphere and is rich with details. The characters are well-drawn and varied. The story arc, though, didn’t keep me as engaged as I would have liked. We know early on how the story will end and that may have detracted from some of the tension that normally keeps a story flowing. It’s still recommended, though, due to the strong writing and characters. 3.5 ...more

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Feb 18, 2019 Cassidy (Cassidys.Bookshelf) rated it it was amazing

Shelves: own, botm-picks, read-2019

After seeing The Air You Breathe on so many favorites of 2018 lists I knew I needed to make it a priority in 2019. Wow. Just wow. I was immediately transported to 1930's Brazil to a sugar plantation where two young girls meet. One is Graca, the 'Little Miss' and Dores, the kitchen girl who has known nothing else. A friendship forms over their passion for music and for something bigger in life. Graca has the voice and determination to make something of herself and Dores has the words and the ...more

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Aug 10, 2018 Erica rated it it was amazing

I love a book about female friendships, and I also love complicated female characters. This book has both of those, and it was beautifully written. A gem.

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Sep 29, 2018 Ana rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: 2018-releases, read-in-2018, lgbtqia, historical-fiction, kindle-scribd-library, favorites

Read Harder Challenge 2018

#5. A book set in or about one of the five BRICS countries: Brazilia

The way Frances de Pontes Peebles writes about music adds years to my life!

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May 10, 2019 Caidyn (SEMI-HIATUS; BW Reviews; he/him/his) rated it it was amazing

Shelves: favorites-2019, historical-fiction, lgbtqqiaap, favorites-all-time, book-of-the-month

This review can also be found on my blog!

CW: attempted sexual assault, overdose, possible suicide, homophobia, biphobia

Y’all, I’m disappointed in you because of this book.

Seriously, I’m so disappointed in everyone who hasn’t read this book and didn’t hype it up to make me read it sooner! This review is mainly going to be gushing over it, so you’re now warned. And I hope that I make someone read this too.

I read this in one day. I started it around 4-4:30, then I finished it that same day around This review can also be found on my blog!

CW: attempted sexual assault, overdose, possible suicide, homophobia, biphobia

Y’all, I’m disappointed in you because of this book.

Seriously, I’m so disappointed in everyone who hasn’t read this book and didn’t hype it up to make me read it sooner! This review is mainly going to be gushing over it, so you’re now warned. And I hope that I make someone read this too.

I read this in one day. I started it around 4-4:30, then I finished it that same day around 9:30. I read it nonstop. I couldn’t put this book down.

This is the story of two women from very different backgrounds. Dores, who is our MC, is an orphaned girl who works in the kitchen on a sugar plantation. Then, there’s Graça, the daughter of the owner who’s a spoiled brat. Yet, because they’re the same age, they become friends. Together, they discover a love of folk music. Samba. Graça sings, Dores composes.

Eventually, they run off together to become famous singers. Well, Graça becomes the famous one. Dores, as always, is in the background.

I have to say, this book is on par with The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo. While the books are very different, there are similar threads running through both stories. A self-centered woman who will do whatever it takes to go forward. A sapphic relationship. The MCs in both books are bisexual, although Dores, in this book, doesn’t use that word. She just likes men and women. The ending is sad and pulled at my heart.

Really, I decided to read this book on the perfect day for me. It was a bad grief day and I needed to be pulled out my life. Through this book, I was taken from my own life and put into theirs through all of the twists and turns that came with it. Dores pining for Graça and Graça being a horrible person in turn.

It was just, seriously, a beautiful story that included samba songs that tied into each chapter in some way. I was seriously impressed by the book and it’s so underrated. Only one person I’m friends with on Goodreads has read it. It’s definitely on my favorites shelf now just because of how gorgeous the story was. ...more

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Jan 14, 2019 Megan C. rated it it was amazing

Shelves: best-of-2019

My first 5-star read of 2019! I cannot recommend this novel highly enough. I will admit that I put off reading it for far too long because the size intimidated me a bit, (it's under 500 pages, but it looks huge in person) and I really wish I hadn't. This book has it all - brilliant writing, engaging story line, bright, dimensional characters....despite it's size, I flew through it in two days.

Many of you who know me well know what a research geek I am. I was so enraptured by this story, even ...more

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Jan 29, 2019 Trisha rated it it was ok

Shelves: botm-club

"There is a gap between our reality and our desires. If we are lucky, we live safely on one side and spy the other. Sometimes, we are able to bridge the gap, to cross the void, but only for a short while."

I wanted to love this one. I really did. I hate it....but I was just...bored. Story of two girls who are growing up very different - little miss and hired help. But through the two girls growing up, surrounded by (at first) fields and crops and only each other to play with - the lower status ...more

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Sep 15, 2018 Libby rated it really liked it

Shelves: historical-fiction, identity-fiction, published-2018, read-in-2018

“As long as you have a song inside you, you are never alone.” Frances de Pontes Peebles

‘The Air You Breathe’ by Frances De Pontes Peebles is a beautiful yet tragic story. The beat or the rhythm of the story is centered in the musical lives of two girls, Maria das Graça, daughter of the Pimentels, and Maria das Dores, daughter of an unmarried woman. Dores was given by the midwife to Nena, the head cook on the Riacho Doce plantation and never knew her mother, but others called her puta’s girl. “As long as you have a song inside you, you are never alone.” Frances de Pontes Peebles

‘The Air You Breathe’ by Frances De Pontes Peebles is a beautiful yet tragic story. The beat or the rhythm of the story is centered in the musical lives of two girls, Maria das Graça, daughter of the Pimentels, and Maria das Dores, daughter of an unmarried woman. Dores was given by the midwife to Nena, the head cook on the Riacho Doce plantation and never knew her mother, but others called her puta’s girl. Nena is raising the young Dores to know how to run a kitchen when she grows up, so Dores learns what work is like early in life. When a financial crisis hits Brazil, the Pimentels move away, but Nena and an old man, Euclides stays, along with Dores, who is only nine years old at the time. Before long, another family of Pimentels is moving in, but they have a very spoiled little girl the same age as Dores. Graça is also called Little Miss. Senhora Pimentel is fragile and Dores is often called upon to play with and entertain Graça. Out of this bargain Dores gets tutoring and introduced to a way of life she would otherwise not have known.

At twelve years of age, Dores goes to Saint Isabel Theater in Recife with Senhora Pimentel and Graça for a concert. It’s the first time Dores has ever left the plantation. Her job is to keep Graça entertained on the ride into Recife. Dores has heard music before, but never like this. They listen as a famous fado singer croons and Dores is enraptured. Graça says she’s going to grow up to do the same thing and Dores immediately signs on. They need a phonograph Graça decides, and begins asking her parents for one. Before long, the girls are mesmerized by “Enrico Caruso, Heitor Villa-Lobos, and others.”

One will grow up to become the famous Sofia Salvador. The other with a good voice, but not as much range will become the songwriter. Along the way their fierce friendship is tested with the conflicts that arise from being on and backstage. There is a sharp contrast between the two, Graça has always gotten what she wants just by asking, and Dores has had to fight for everything she has. Nena tells Dores “The world will eat you up.” Through it all, each girl fights to be complete within herself, but has to fight the interior demons that hold her back. It seems neither really feels complete without the other. Complicating their lives, will be an interest in Vinicius, the guitar player and songwriter. He is the third of a love triangle.

I enjoyed this story very much, especially the characters' passion for music. Peebles narrative has a flowing rhythm. Dores seems like an old soul. Even though she is very flawed and makes horrible mistakes, there is a purity about her. For me, she is the underdog, and I am always pulling for her to get ahead of Graça, to stand in the limelight and take a bow. But there is something very beautiful about the spoiled and often selfish Graça, too. I think it is her love of music, but as with everything in her life, it comes too easy.

Dores's favorite thing was being part of the roda, a circle of musicians and sometimes singers; being in the middle of that creative process. Just as the players in a roda (circle) join in with their instruments, the cuíca, guitars, tamborim drum, reco-reco and agogo, and voice, Peebles writes that

“beneath it all, there is the ostinato - the main grove that never varies, never wavers. It keeps its stubborn pace; the beat that’s always there.”

We all have our own unique story to write or read, our own song to sing, our own dance to dance. How wonderful to have the roda, the circle, our family, our friends, where we can appreciate each others' gifts. ...more

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topics	posts	views	last activity
Play Book Tag: The Air You Breathe - Peebles - 5 stars	3	10	Jun 01, 2019 12:07PM
Play Book Tag: The Air You Breathe, 4.5 stars by Frances De Pont Feebles	4	13	May 23, 2019 07:07AM
Play Book Tag: The Air You Breathe, by Frances de Pontes, 5 stars [Horizons- Brazil]	2	17	May 22, 2019 08:43AM
Goodreads Librari...: Page count correction - The Air You Breathe	3	13	Mar 24, 2019 08:37AM
Book of The Month: The Air You Breath Discussion	1	23	Aug 02, 2018 07:29AM