{"product_id":"9781596919853","title":"Rio de Janeiro: A City on Fire","description":"Ruy Castro delves into the past and present of Rio, where even in periods of comparative calm there has always been a palpable excitement in the air - the feeling of a city on fire. \u003cbr\u003eIn this spellbinding fifth entry in Bloomsbury's \u003ci\u003eThe Writer and the City \u003c\/i\u003eseries, Rio de Janeiro's vibrant history unfolds. While stiff-collared poets flirted with prim young ladies in coffeehouses during the belle époque, revolts were being plotted that almost destroyed the city. We learn how the iconic wave-patterned mosaics of Copacabana pavements were baptized with blood, and how more than a hundred years before the girl from Ipanema passed by, the girls from Ouvidor Street adopted French chic - and never really gave it up. From what is arguably the most breathtakingly beautiful city in the world, the people of Rio - the Cariocas - tell their stories: of cannibals charming European intellectuals; of elegant slaves and their shabby masters; of how a casual chat between two people drinking coffee on Avenida Rio Branco could affect world coffee markets; of an awe-inspiring beach life; of favelas, drugs, police, carnival, football, and music. With his own Carioca good humor and great storytelling gifts, Ruy Castro brings the reader thrillingly close to the flames.","brand":"Bloomsbury USA","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47151232876784,"sku":"9781596919853","price":11.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0737\/7593\/9824\/files\/9781596919853_p0.jpg?v=1763811361","url":"https:\/\/shop-qa.barnesandnoble.com\/products\/9781596919853","provider":"Barnes \u0026 Noble (DEV)","version":"1.0","type":"link"}