The Adventures of Vaclav the Magnificent and his lovely assistant Lena - Tapa blanda

"Like all the best tricks, Hayley Tanner's novel leaves you wondering how it's done. [A] Brighton Beach Romeo and Juliet... Funny, warm and smart - and with a peppery twist that suggests truth and love don't always sit easily - this is a magical summer read." (Financial Times)

"Tanner infuses their relationship with sunlight but never sentimentalises the immigrant experience... A uniquely charming first novel." (Kate Saunders The Times)

"[A] wonderful and wrenching debut novel ...She offers a case of love so mighty that you believe that it will end up rescuing a traumatized young woman." (New York Times)

"Haley Tanner has painted in this touching, sparsely written and powerful love story set in New York's Russian community, a vivid portrait of childhood and young adulthood that is likely to appeal to teenage readers and adults alike...It's not often a book comes along that can leave you literally nodding in agreement with the clarity of its insights - but this one has to be a contender." (Daily Mail)

"Tanner has fun re-creating the shimmering world of child co-conspiracy...The story is winningly conveyed...and Tanner doesn't dodge the more unpalatable elements." (Guardian)

Funny, heartbreaking, rich and wise, this is a story with the power to cast a spell all of its own.

Vaclav and Lena seem destined for each other. They first meet as children at their English class in Brooklyn. Vaclav dreams of becoming a famous magician with Lena as his lovely assistant. But then Lena disappears; it seems that life can play cruel tricks too. Vaclav says goodnight to Lena every night for seven years to keep her safe, and then discovers why she was taken from him. Is their connection strong enough to survive the truth, or is happily ever after only an illusion?