"Rich in themes, symbolism, conflict and character.... It's also, for those who just want a good tale, a brilliant piece of storytelling that combines magical realism in the tradition of writers such as Gabriel Garcia Marquez with comedic looks at human foibles and misunderstandings a la Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream."--The Fort Worth Star-Telegram

"Exuberant and virtuosic.... Conflict takes on a teeming array of forms in Cellophane whites versus natives, religion versus magic, feudalism versus revolution. It's a vision of the rain forest as a place where every strain of human drama grows as tangled as the encroaching vines--and in depicting this, Arana has wound her themes together with an energetic, subtly controlled wildness."--San Francisco Chronicle Books

"Marie Arana's sumptuous, often erotic and wholly enchanting novel, Cellophane.... owes a debt to the magical realism of Gabriel García Márquez and Isabel Allende.... A superb example of the magic that a gifted storyteller can work with ink and paper."--Los Angeles Times Book Review

"Arana's writing is both lush and funny.... This is a great book."--People

"An absolutely spellbinding tale.... Arana's prose is captivating, and she provides some incredibly beguiling moments."--Philadelphia City Paper