Monika Baďurová Books

As a young girl, Aurora del Valle suffered a brutal trauma that has shaped her character and erased from her mind all recollection of the first five years of her life. When she finds herself alone at the end of an unhappy love affair, she decides to explore the mystery of her past.

Orphaned at birth, Eliza Sommers is raised in the British colony of Valparaíso, Chile, by the well-meaning Miss Rose and her strict brother Jeremy. She falls in love with Joaquín Andieta, a lowly clerk, just as gold is discovered in northern California. In 1849, driven by dreams of wealth, Joaquín heads to San Francisco, and Eliza, pregnant with his child, decides to follow him. This sets off her perilous journey to the rough world of San Francisco, where the newly arrived inhabitants are consumed by gold fever. Among a society of single men and prostitutes, Eliza finds support from her friend, the Chinese doctor Tao Chien. California presents her with opportunities for freedom and independence, transforming her search for Joaquín into a quest for personal liberation. As Eliza's journey unfolds, she must ultimately determine who her true love is. This narrative offers a sweeping portrait of an era, rich in character, history, violence, and compassion. Eliza emerges as an adventurous and unconventional heroine, embodying the courage to reinvent herself and forge her own destiny in a new land. The story showcases Isabel Allende's remarkable storytelling ability and solidifies her status as a leading writer.

Alexander Cold and his best friend, Nadia, the heroes of Allende's City Of the Beasts , are reunited in a new adventure. This time, Alexander's fearless grandmother and International Geographic are taking them to another remote niche of the world -- a forbidden kingdom tucked into the frosty peaks of the Himalayas. Their task: to locate its fabled Golden Dragon, a sacred statue and priceless oracle, before it is destroyed by the greed of an outsider. With the aid of a sage Buddhist monk, his young royal disciple, and a fierce tribe of Yeti warriors, and armed with the power of their totemic animal spirits, Alexander and Nadia fight to protect the holy rule of the Golden Dragon.

Bestselling author Isabel Allende's first adult novel since Portrait in Sepia' - beautiful, disturbing and atmospheric.

From one of the world's best loved storytellers, the trilogy that began with City of the Beasts comes to a thrilling climax. Alexander Cold knows all too well his grandmother Kate is never far from an adventure. When National Geographic commissions her to write an article about the first elephant-led safaris in Africa, they head - with Nadia Santos and the magazine's photography crew - to the blazing, red plains of Kenya. Days into the tour, a Catholic missionary approaches the camp in search of his companions who have mysteriously disappeared. Kate, Alexander, Nadia, and their team, agreeing to aid the rescue, enlists the help of a local pilot to lead them to the swampy forests of Ngoube. There they discover a clan of Pygmies who unveil a harsh and surprising world of corruption, slavery, and poaching. Alexander and Nadia, entrusting the magical strengths of Jaguar and Eagle, their totemic animal spirits, launch a spectacular and precarious struggle to restore freedom and return leadership to its rightful hands. The final instalment of Isabel Allende's celebrated trilogy soars with radiant settings, spirits, beings - and the transformation of an extraordinary friendship.

Doprovodná publikace k výstavě z výstavního cyklu Národního muzea SMRT.