Swift as Desire

As the millions of fans ofLike Water for Chocolateknow, Laura Esquivel is a romanticist whose novels explore the power of love and the truths of the human heart. She returns to those themes inSwift as Desire, the story of a loving and passionate man who has the gift of bringing happiness to everyone except his own wife. The hero of this novelis Jubilo Chi, a telegraph operator who is born with the ability to "hear" people's true feelings and respond to their most intimate, unspoken desires. His life changes forever the day he falls deeply and irrevocably in love with Lucha, the beautiful daughter of a wealthy family. She believes money is necessary to insure happiness, while for Jubilo, who is poor, love and desire are more important than possessions. But their passion for each other enables them to build a happy life together -- until their idyll is shattered by a terrible event that drives them bitterly apart. Only years later, as Jubilo lies dying, is his daughter able to unravel the mystery behind her parents' long estrangement and bring about a surprising reconciliation.

Laura Esquivel<b> </b>is the award-winning author of <i>Like Water for Chocolate, </i>which has sold more than four and a half million copies around the world in thirty-five languages, as well as <i>The Law of Love</i> and, most recently <i>Between Two Fires</i>. She lives in Mexico City.