Summary of The Wind Whistling in the Cranes
When Regina, the matriarch of the wealthy Leandro family, is found dead in the family’s former cannery factory, her granddaughter Milene begins an investigation. She befriends the Mata family, immigrants from Cape Verde, who now live in the old cannery. As events unfold, Milene and Antonino, one of the Mata sons, fall in love. Their interracial romance is met with disapproval from both families, and the Leandros consider selling the property and evicting the Matas.
Reasons to read The Wind Whistling in the Cranes
“The Wind Whistling in the Cranes” is a richly layered romance set in southern Portugal during the 1990s. The novel addresses themes such as immigration, racism, class struggle, and workers’ rights. It was awarded the Grande Prémio da Associação Portuguesa de Escritores (Portuguese Writers’ Association Prize) and the Prémio Correntes d’Escritas. Lídia Jorge has received numerous other literary accolades, including the Prix Médicis étranger in 2023 for her novel “Misericórdia” and the FIL Literary Award in Romance Languages.
Setting: Algarve (Portugal)
The novel is set in Valmares, a fictional village on the Algarve coast.
Original title: O Vento Assobiando nas Gruas
Year of publication: 2002
Nr of pages: 528
