El Corte Inglés Alicante will host, on Thursday 8 October from 7:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m., the presentation of the book “A ochenta y nueve millas de Londres” by Antonio Avellano.

Synopsis

Rachel Brown, a former reporter for the Daily Telegraph and separated from Monk Smith, captain of the RMS Queen Mary on the Southampton–New York route, is forced to walk the streets of London every day in search of work at one of the local newspapers.

After the separation, she loses the chance to work as a writer for Freedom Press — one of the city’s oldest anarchist publishers — following her husband’s recommendation.

Finding work without the support of a man is not easy, and the job she held at the Daily Telegraph, obtained during her marriage thanks to a favour her husband did for two senior executives, ends abruptly after the breakup. London, 1937. Joy and commotion fill the streets as crowds celebrate the procession accompanying King George VI and his wife on the day of the coronation. An old comrade of her ex‑husband, present at the event, recognises her and draws her into murky affairs, not without first urging her not to miss the parade. Princes and kings from around the world appear on the balconies of iconic buildings, and she becomes captivated by an Indian prince who will eventually become part of her story.

From that encounter, new connections emerge, along with reunions with people from her past — some of whom will become involved in the Spanish Civil War, still underway, or years later in the Second World War, in which Rachel will end up participating actively. A woman who sheltered her and her mother during the Great War while her father worked in a munitions factory; a public defender; the owner of a supermarket with shares in several transport companies… and other figures linked, in some cases, by the whimsical and accidental ties of fate. An exciting read that combines the finest elements of the literary genre: passion, betrayal, revenge and love.

Come to our centre and enjoy this fascinating literary event!