Candlelight Bridge, a novel by Cara Lopez Lee (forthcoming)

Cara Lopez Lee is the author of the memoir, They Only Eat Their Husbands, and coauthor of the veteran-acclaimed Unexpected Prisoner. Her writing has appeared in such publications as the Los Angeles Times, Manifest-Station, and Rivet. She was an award-winning television journalist in Alaska. She’s a winner of The Moth StorySLAM and is featured in such storytelling shows as Unheard L.A. and Risk. She and her husband live in Ventura, California.

PRAISE FOR CANDLELIGHT BRIDGE

“Cara Lopez Lee is a talented and audacious author. And CANDLELIGHT BRIDGE is a wonderful book, a book to savor and revisit.”

—Luis Alberto Urrea, author of GOOD NIGHT, IRENE and THE HUMMINGBIRD’S DAUGHTER

“Sweeping yet intimate, CANDLELIGHT BRIDGE traces the epic journey of Candelaria and Yankee across China, Mexico and the borderlands of America. With these defiant and determined characters, Cara Lopez Lee powerfully portrays the costs of survival. Deeply moving.”

–Vanessa Hua, author of FORBIDDEN CITY

“CANDLELIGHT BRIDGE is a novel of tremendous heart. Cara Lopez Lee delivers a well-researched, moving, grand adventure of hope and sacrifice and of what it means to create and define the true meaning of home.” 

—Kali Fajardo-Anstine, bestselling author of WOMAN OF LIGHT and SABRINA & CORINA

“CANDLELIGHT BRIDGE unflinchingly illustrates the sacrifices required to make a home in an unwelcoming place. With vivid prose, Cara Lopez Lee brings to life the story of two immigrants from opposite sides of the world who form an unlikely and surprising partnership. This is a gripping tale of resilience, redemption, and survival. I highly recommend it.” 

—Tiffany Quay Tyson, author of THE PAST IS NEVER

“CANDLELIGHT BRIDGE poignantly portrays the journeys of Candelaria Rivera and Yankee Wong, fleeing violence and revolutions and heading toward each other in a new world. Impeccably researched, this heartfelt story offers no stereotypes, no cliches—only interconnected stories of life’s struggles and resilience.”

—Eleanor Parker Sapia, multi-award-winning author of A DECENT WOMAN, a Novel and TIGHT KNOTS, LOOSE THREADS, Poetry

“In CANDLELIGHT BRIDGE, Cara Lopez Lee masterfully weaves together two compelling perspectives to explore geographical and emotional borderlands. Elegantly told, dazzling in its verisimilitude, and fascinating in its cultural complexity, this gorgeous novel shows just how far we are willing to go in our quest for home.” 

—Erika Krouse, author of TELL ME EVERYTHING: The Story of a Private Investigation

“Happy families are all alike; every unhappy family is unhappy in its own way.” While the family at the center of Cara Lopez Lee’s beautiful, luminous historical saga CANDLELIGHT BRIDGE experiences as much joy as sorrow, Tolstoy’s principle still applies: you have never met a family like them. At the same time, this is as American a story as there is: two immigrants from different cultures escaping dangers and demons in their own lands, coming to the US to create better lives in a country that barely tolerates them. Highly recommended!”

—Lisa Brackmann, NYT best-selling author of ROCK PAPER TIGER and BLACK SWAN RISING

“If Maxine Hong Kingston and Luis Alberto Urrea were to come together to write a masterpiece, I imagine it would read much like Cara Lopez Lee's brilliant novel, CANDLELIGHT BRIDGE. Set amid the Mexican Revolution and the ramifications of the Chinese Exclusion Act in the U.S., her characters form an unlikely union in El Paso, Texas. At once heartrending and deeply human, this is a story you won't forget.”

—Susan Blumberg-Kason, author of BERNARDINE’S SHANGHAI SALOON and GOOD CHINESE WIFE

“From the very first sentence, readers are pulled into an epic, beautifully written, rich, and vivid story that leaves us breathless, hopeful, and excited for the sequel. This untold immigrant story is nothing short of amazing!”

—J.D. Mason, national bestselling author of THE REAL MRS. PRICE and ONE DAY I SAW A BLACK KING 

“This timely gem shines as does Candelaria herself, a born fighter if ever there was one. Set against the turbulent backdrop of the Mexican Revolution, the Riveras—an impoverished family escaping the long reach of war—head for what they hope is a better life in America. The story follows the oldest daughter, Candelaria, in an unexpected and sweeping saga that stretches from Mexico to China and into America. Settling in the wild west town of El Paso on the cusp of Prohibition forces Candelaria and her family to make dangerous and difficult decisions. CANDLELIGHT BRIDGE delivers a profoundly moving story of one strong and determined woman. Highly Recommended!”

—Randi Samuelson-Brown, author of MARKET STREET MADAM and ON THE FRINGES