The Mambo Kings Play Songs of Love

Oscar Hijuelos. Harper Perennial, $13 (407pp) ISBN 978-0-06-097327-8

The Mambo Kings are two brothers, Cesar and Nestor Castillo, Cuban-born musicians who immigrate to New York City in 1949. They form a band and enjoy modest success, their popularity peaking in 1956 with a guest appearance on the I Love Lucy show. PW lauded this Pulitzer Prize-winning novel: ``Hijuelos's pure storytelling skills commission every incident with a life and breath of its own.'' (Aug.)

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