Les calces al sol
Panties Hanging on the Line | La Campana, 2022
» #1 bestseller for 40 weeks
This bestseller is the funniest and freshest debut in Catalan in years! A story that will make you laugh, cry and enjoy life’s unexpected twists and turns. Written with a full throttle rhythm and imposible to put down, this is a novel about the vital changes that make us grow up.
One day Rita Racons finds herself at Barcelona airport ready to board a plane to New York, where she is supposed to take English lessons, experience the city and find her place in the world. However, she will end up working as an au-pair in Atlanta and taking care of the Bookland family’s three children with high capacities for a whole year.
The Booklands are the antithesis of the classic American family cliché. Intelligent, well-educated, and deeply brainy, they hope that the new au-pair will be up to the standards demanded by the privileged minds of their children. She won’t be, and yet, Rita and her constant chaos will lead the kids to experience life beyond books.
During her time in Atlanta, Rita will miss her family, dare to do everything, expand her mind until, suddenly, one day, she will find what she has been looking for: her true vocation.
«Let’s be real: who hasn’t felt like a fish out of water at least once in their lives?! Les calces al sol was such a quirky, relatable and utterly fun read. It had me turning its pages compulsively as I became enthralled with Rita’s magnetic personality (and her grandmother’s, too!) Regina Rodriguez pulled at every one of my heartstrings, and reminded me how eye-opening life can be when we don’t take ourselves too seriously and decide to venture into the unknown. She is a truly memorable voice that I’m so excited for English readers to enjoy.» Alexandra Torrealba, acquisitions editor at Amazon Crossing
«Direct, brash and a great read.» Julià Guillamon, La Vanguardia
«The success of this book reveals the ambition and talent of a storyteller who knows how to reach everyone with a good story.» Antoni Bassas, Diari Ara
«It's so rare for a debut to be written with such good craft, with scenes and dialogues so hilarious and on point, so well thought out and carried out. The protagonist feels like flesh and bone and the array of secondary characters is memorable. The action unfolds at high speed, mixing smiles and tears, just like life itself!.» Diari Ara
«A novel to regain faith in humanity» ElNacional.cat
«Les calces al sol has been a kind of tsunami in the Catalan literary landscape. There are not many books that make you laugh this much, that leave you wanting for more - This is a very crazy, very funny, very human story.» Segre
Brazil: Leya; English World: Amazon Crossing; Italy: Solferino; Poland: Kobiece; Portugal: PRH/Suma; Spanish: PRH/Suma de Letras; Film rights: MediaPro US (New York) with Leslie Cohen (previously HBO's VP) attached for a feature film