Born in 1970 in Chicago, Illinois, Andromeda Romano-Lax worked as a freelance journalist and travel writer before turning to fiction. Among her nonfiction works are several guidebooks to Alaska and Mexico, as well as a travel narrative, Searching for Steinbeck's Sea of Cortez. Her hobbies include playing the cello. She lives in Anchorage, Alaska with her husband and two children, and is at work on a second novel about Victorian-era archaeology, set in the Middle East.
Impressive... The epic story of Feliu Delargo, an underprivileged child prodigy whose musical ability brings him into contact with world leaders, first-class artists and a life filled with loss and triumph... For sheer scope and ambition, this is a tough debut to beat. * Publishers Weekly * The book is almost dizzyingly episodic, but bound together by Feliu's lifelong struggle with the question of the proper relationship between music and politics, a subject Romano-Lax handles with finesse. ... A deft, inventive debut. * Kirkus Reviews * This riveting historical page-turner moves inexorably toward a heartrending crescendo. * Booklist * An impressive and richly atmospheric debut. * New York Times Book Review *