'One of Spain's most acclaimed writers' New York Times 'Spain's finest contemporary novelist' Guardian A REDISCOVERED POST-WAR LOVE STORY FROM ONE OF SPAIN'S MOST ACCLAIMED AUTHORS. 1950s Barcelona. A rebellious daughter of a wealthy family meets an ambitious rogue at a party. Teresa was born with every advantage in life - beautiful, rich, charming and clever. Another left-wing university student in the wealthy neighbourhood of San Gervasio. Manolo has only ever existed on the margins. A poor immigrant from Murcia like him, stealing motorbikes for a living, could only ever dream of being with the daughter of the Catalan bourgeoisie - until now. Juan Marsé's masterpiece is an unforgettable portrait of post-war Barcelona - a modern classic on the power of desire and love, ambition and hope against all odds. 'Juan Marsé's contribution to European fiction has been consistently remarkable' Times Literary Supplement 'A memorable panorama of 1950s Barcelona and its wild heroism' Lluís Izquierdo 'The best storyteller Spanish literature has given us in many decades' Ignacio Echevarría 'He has never written a single page where something interesting isn't happening' Eduardo Mendoza