Carmen de las Alas

Carmen la Coja soars through her life like a bird with giant wings, refusing to relent in the face of incredible obstacles, and still manages to be brilliant and sexy and desired. In the Flamenco world, Carmen is a symbol of grace and beauty, of amazing passes and fluid movements, and as a part of this world, even though she is not "gitana" she delves into that world as if she is a native. A polio-crippled Mexican-American from Chicago, Carmen faces life with spunk and a fearless sense of fate that carries her through passionate love affairs with two dazzling Gypsy dancers whose own bond of filial honor results in her desertion and eventual reclamation, albeit after is is too late.
That Carmen triumphs at last in the Flamenco world is a tribute to her luck as well as to her devotion and faithfulness to her old friends and family. That she struggles on despite physical debilities that would stymy many others brings her the success that she has long deserved, as well as the fulfillment of her dreams and longings for security and love. This is an exciting novel, full of love and lust, magic and mystique. A must read!!