Phenomenal book! I was extremely invested in the relationship between the two main characters. This book has everything: atmosphere, amazing storytelling, complex dynamics.

This book was very detailed and I really enjoyed it. I loved how these two girls got bit by something they loved and set out to make it their dream. As I read, I felt for Dores at times as I thought she was keeping Graca’s interests at heart and forgetting about herself and at other times, I felt for Graca as she acted like a robot, only doing what she was told to do. I did find this novel long at times, wishing they would have cut out a few pages as some details were just too much.

I had never read anything by Frances de Pontes Peebles, so I didn't know what to expect when I picked up "The Air You Breathe." What I found within its pages was a thoroughly entertaining novel with a fresh angle and intriguing characters.

The novel centers around the recollections of Dores, a former kitchen maid at a Brazilian sugar plantation in the 1930s. When she meets the new wealthy owners' daughter, Graca, a friendship blooms over their shared love of music. The two girls are from different worlds, yet their bond continues to grow as they seek fame and fortune in Rio de Janeiro and Hollywood.

The author has crafted characters that seem so real - they're lonely, yet loved; greedy, yet generous; angry or happy, yet always passionate. Those passions fuel friendships as well as rivalries in relationships that carry a beat as strong as the music they chase.

The immensely emotional story follows Dores and Graca, now known to the world as Sofia Salvador, through the rough streets of Rio de Janeiro's Lapa districts to the Los Angeles' golden age of movies. The richness of emotion, location and music practically leap off the pages as Dores shares the world through her eyes - before, during and after success finds, then deserts the lifelong kindred spirits.

The ending has no room for future stories about Dores and Sofia, but the novel leaves readers, especially this one, wanting more from this gifted storyteller.

The Air You Breathe was completely off my radar until someone mentioned it to me on my Tell Me What You’re Reading Tuesday on Facebook. I was so excited about a new title that got rave reviews and wait for it…. I haven’t read it yet! Note that is a literary novel and reads as such.

I have a fondness for novels where a friendship is born between two people that on paper shouldn’t be friends. In this case it’s an orphan/slave girl and the daughter of a sugar baron that form the most unlikely of friendships. This became a friendship out of necessity and boredom but grew into a capricious, passionate and intimate relationship. They were complete opposites – one with the a wonderful voice, the other creates the lyrics, one with beauty, the other plain, one rich, the other not; yet music brought them together. Their love of Samba and performance became an escape as well as a livelihood.

This book is reminiscent of My Brilliant Friend strictly based on the lush writing and the plot revolving around a friendship. I had to highlight much of this book as pure poetry rested inside the pages. I found this novel to be character driven and would consider the music as its own character for it played a role in so much of their lives. I believe this book could have been shorter as some parts were slightly overwritten and there were parts that could’ve been excluded to tell the same story.

The reader can find a bit of themselves and/or their friends in this novel, as this friendship was peppered with envy, honor, distrust, love, respect, fame, attitude, understanding, music, sexuality, jealously, and adoration. Most importantly however, was loyalty. Through the worst and the best of times their unbreakable allegiance stood strong. This made their relationship stick as unthinkable as it may seem on paper.

Dores and Graca's innocent relationship was inspring. As a house girl, Dores and Graca's relationship buds quickly and unexpectedly. This shows that even the most opposite people can attract and share experiences. This was beautiful to me. However, the writing was drawn out. I became uninterested quickly in their lives at the sugar plantation and was always waiting for something more. As the girls are sent to to go to school, I became interested waiting for more of a plot to redeem itself. That didn't really come here either.  However, at literally 25% in, I started devouring the book. The girls adventure truly starts here and it is not only interesting but amazing to read about the culture they experience in Lapa and thus forward.
The book is mostly unexciting with the girls' friendship at the center of it all. I felt strongly that it was drawn out and repetitive. Oddly enough, I still found this to be 4 stars. Many life lessons are sprinkled through the book. There are intriguing factors. There are major heartbreaks and sadness thrown throughout. Graca and Dores are described so well throughout the book you really understand them. And ironically enough, I grew to love and hate Graca as all other characters do.
This read like a straight memoir and it's surprising to know that it's straight fiction. This is a slow read drawn out at times as mentioned but definitely worth the commitment.

While I found certain parts of this work slow paced, and in the beginning, I struggled to not put it down and just claim a DNF; I am glad I kept at it. The language is beautiful, the story is heart-breaking and encompassing. The descriptions transport the reader to another time. I would say this is a must read and will be recommending it to friends, family, and colleagues alike. I will be reviewing this on my blog in greater detail soon. I need to process the emotions first.

It is hard to write a review for this book. It is rich and beautiful and evocative. The atmosphere is lush and lyrical. I smelled and tasted and heard Brazil. I wanted to adore this book. But for all that is very good about this book, it also felt like it needed a tighter storyline. I don't mind slow story building but there were times when I wanted to tell this book to, GET THERE ALREADY. The ruminations began to bog the plot down and felt tedious. There isn't so much need to spell out each and every internal dialogue when the story is well done - and this one is. By adding so much narrative aside, I felt the characters were restricted, as though the reader is being directed how and what to think about them instead of letting the reader have the freedom to imagine and engage the characters on our own. Simply put, I wanted to get lost in the story and instead I was continually jerked out of it for editorial asides.

That said, the writing is so beautiful that will not hesitate to read more from Francis de Pontes Peebles. In fact, I look forward to her honing her skill and sharing more with the world. This book is a diamond in the rough for sure, but it still sparkles and shines.

The Air You Breathe was a wonderful and powerful story about two very different lives converging and the friendship that blossoms, and sometimes fails, because of it. This life long saga is perfect for fans of historical fiction and female empowerment.

If historical fiction is your thing, read this book. Even if it isn’t, read this book! You can get completely wrapped up in the details but you also feel what the characters are all going through. Sometimes Dores and Graca were a bit insufferable but you want to know what happens to them and get fully engrossed in their world. I loved how the music was woven into this story and it made for a truly melodic reading. I also loved how the relationship between the two women evolves and is a true exploration of a female friendship, with its highs and lows, jealousy, celebration, love and loss.

Thank you NetGalley and Riverhead for allowing me an early copy of this book! I am recommending it to everyone!

Francis de Pontes Peebles, author of The Seamstress, tells the story of Dores, a poor kitchen girl, and Graca, an heiress, and their childhood at the Great House in rural 1920s-30s Brazil. Their love of music eventually leads them to break free from their prescribed paths to singing in seedy cabarets in Rio to finally making it to the disenchanting Hollywood movie studios during the war years. The Air You Breathe is the captivating story of Dores and Graca's complicated relationship and the power music had over their lives.

I enjoy historical fiction which introduces me to a time or place I know little about, stories which introduce me to the emotions and senses of a different era. The Air You Breathe is just such a novel. Set in Brazil before and through the second world war, we meet Dores and Graca, and watch their friendship, talents, and lifes grow and expand. Dores, orphaned and raised by a cook at the Great House of a sugar plantation, and Graca, the plantation new "Little Miss" who arrives at around age 9. Music becomes their savior, taking them places in life they never expected, but which Graca demanded and Dores became enamored with.

Well written and engaging, Dores narrates their lives mostly chronologically from the end of her life, with interspersed short stretches about her later years. This technique keeps the interest building to a dramatic conclusion. Along the way tales of Rio in the 30s and 40s, of Brazilian history and culture, and of the music of samba educate and entertain. A very enjoyable read.

With thanks to NetGalley, Frances de Pontes Peebles, and Riverhead Books for the advanced readers copy.