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Capoeira (a Brazilian hybrid of martial art and dance), Caipirinha (Brazil's national cocktail) and Carnaval (need we say anymore?); Brazil is home to some of our favourite cultural exports. The biggest country in South America also boasts unrivalled beaches, verdant rainforests, and sports a vibrant melting pot of culture. To coincide with Brazil hosting the World Cup (starting tomorrow), read about three books that bring this beautiful landscape to life.
On the banks of a sprawling Brazilian river lies a small town without a conscience. Forsaken by its people and by God, it is the perfect place for a fallen priest to escape his past. Life goes by until he helps a dying stranger, and catches the eye of Catarina Da Silva. As he finds himself drawn deeper into her web of secrets, he finds that love can be deadly.
Joel grew up in Rio and searches for the truth about what really happened to his Father. A poignant account of longing and loss, this novel superbly captures the heartbeat of Brazil; the music, the bars, the scenery, the food. The reverberating pulse of the country is evocatively described.
by Ann Patchett (Bloomsbury Paperbacks)
Among the overgrown waterways and giant anacondas of the Brazilian Rio Negro, scientist Dr Annick Swenson is developing a drug that could alter the lives of women forever. Her work is shrouded in mystery and her investors want results. But when Anders Eckman is sent to check up on her, he is found dead. Anders colleague, Marina Singh, sets out to find out what really happened to him, as she journeys into the dark heart of the Amazonian rainforest.
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