LOS ANGELES, Nov. 8, 2005 (PRIMEZONE) -- Charlotte Blasco's life began in the idyllic, rolling countryside of Argentina, but her true home is a place far from the fruit trees and gardens of her parents' land. In Carlota Dure's new novel, Standing in the Dark (now available through AuthorHouse), Charlotte's path weaves through a myriad of experiences that are driven by destiny.
Although she has a happy childhood, her father's indifference to her and his favoritism toward her sister saddens Charlotte. A heartbreaking incident when she is five changes her personality and turns her into a more independent, confident little girl. At 16, she moves to Buenos Aires to live with her recently widowed aunt, and the two spend time seeing opera performances, having afternoon tea at Harrod's and vacationing on the Atlantic. When her aunt dies, Charlotte is 18 years old and alone in the city.
After meeting Eva Peron, she is inspired. She joins the Eva Peron Foundation and works diligently trying to improve conditions for poor citizens. Powerful men seek her love, but her heart is set on one man, Martin Boulder, even after he disappears from her life. Charlotte moves to Cordoba, Argentina, where she learns English and is exposed to the hopefulness of President Kennedy and the Camelot dynasty, to which many Argentineans felt connected.
After a new job helping students with special nutrition needs is sabotaged by a fire that destroyed her proof of certification in dietetics, she decides to buy a copy of the Buenos Aires Herald, an English-language newspaper. She sees an advertisement that changes her life: "English- and Spanish-speaking female au pair wanted in West Lafayette, Ind., to help with Spanish language office work and supervision and to teach Spanish to four children in the afternoon." Charlotte longed for the opportunity, but set the idea aside until a friend told her that her future is "in the north." Six weeks later she finds herself landing in Indiana, which is strangely enough the place Martin is living.
An inspiring story of personal determination, Standing in the Dark weaves fascinating historical facts into a storyline full of twists and turns guided by fate.
Dure was born in Argentina and educated in Buenos Aires. After high school, she learned French and English and emigrated to the United States in 1965. Many of Charlotte's experiences mirror those of the author, including working for the Eva Peron Foundation as a social worker. Dure graduated from UCLA as an interior designer and made her permanent home with her husband in Santa Monica, Calif., where she currently lives.
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