Stealing Benefacio's Roses

By: Martín Prechtel

Narrated by: Martín Prechtel

Following the acclaimed Secrets of The Talking Jaguar and Long Life, Honey in the Heart, this is an expansive, lyrical novel in the tradition of indigenous oral storytelling. Based on the author's many years of living in a Guatemalan village, Stealing Benefacio's Roses interweaves dramatic recountings of village life and the political horrors of civil war with lyric retellings of sacred Mayan myths. The story shifts expertly from timeless, with archetypal characters like Raggedy Boy and the goddess known as the Water-Skirted Beauty, to timely in the book's striking first-person narrative set in the 1980s. Prechtel shows how ancient myths can become a part of life for everyone and help nurture spiritual survival in the modern world. Though it comes third in sequence with the author's other two books, Stealing Benefacio's Roses also stands on its own as a classic work of spiritual seeking and adventure.

Critic reviews

"Once in a decade you read a book that, for a time, renders all other books irrelevant, trivial or extraneous—Stealing Benefacio's Roses is one of these peak moments in recent literature."—Richard Grossinger

Gorgeous

What a gift Prechtel has given us to both share and narrate this incredible story. His melodic rhythm and colorful storytelling has inspired me to create more beauty and to give it away, never look down and never look back at the little deaths people may try to serve.

Read everything Martin Prechtel offers, please!

Each word, especially spoken, are jewels life’s possibilities shine musically nudging our human hearts to become nests for cultivating our own bravery to try whatever’s personally important… which naturally begin rehydrating somewhere inside listeners as his story opens, grows, and invites learning wild things about living well~ hopefully sparking fiercely curious saying yes to that longing for discovering we can also delight in following our dreams!
Thanks so much & all good blessings this book, May much nourishing come!

A beautiful, relevant tale

As a teacher working with teenagers in the age of social media, this book has helped me comprehend what is missing for young people (and older ones too) as thy try to find a space to belong in the harsh landscape of modernity. The core message about falling in love with a world bigger and more beautiful than you can possibly imagine I’d one that has touched the hearts of my students as I have shared pieces of this book over the years.

A Story that Wants to Be Heard

This is the perfect book to be 'read' with Audible. Moving, hilarious, understated drama, raw tragedy-- this listen has it all.

I read this book a long time ago

…snd now, I’ve heard the story from Martín himself. If you’re new to his work, your classically trained ability to listen may be challenged. In part because of the way you grew up learning to listen. I can’t imagine how anyone would not immediately recognize this is storytelling at its best! But some people might not. To the first time listener; storytelling like this is rare. Force your enculturated ears to hear what’s being said. I’m thinking you may not be disappointed!