“In Hill's wonderful debut, young Rosie Kettle departs her quaint desert town to chase her dreams in 1960s San Francisco. Attending art college, Rosie has a chance encounter with an illegal immigrant named Peter who publishes a music magazine. Peter gives Rosie her first job, photographing a once legendary blues guitarist and his talented young partner, David Wilderspin. That assignment catapults Rosie into a hot career on the scene, an addictive lifestyle and a troubled affair with David. The two become inseparable, settling into a dream home and having a baby. But when David sets out on tour to support his disappointing new album, the road takes more out of him than he anticipated, and soon memories of his perfect life are drowned in booze. Hill's characters are believably flawed, and her powerful romance about the intersection of love, art and independence features troubling plot developments and a strong climax while deftly avoiding artists-in-love stereotypes.” —Publishers Weekly
"This is a wonderful flashback to the Flower Power and rock 'n roll images of the San Francisco music scene in the 60's—a time when many up and coming photographers became an integral part of the families of these rock performers: getting stoned with them, partying with them, traveling on the tour bus with them, and being allowed to do the most intimate portraits. I was there then, onstage, photographing Jefferson Airplane, The Byrds, Lovin' Spoonful, and Jim Morrison and The Doors. And what a wonderful time it was. Three Minutes On Love brings back the nostalgia and magic of that time.” —Michael Childers
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“Orth captures both the beauty and cruelty she witnessed in her stellar first novel, set in the early 1980s near the end of Ferdinand Marcos's despotic reign. Doming Aquinaldo, a rebel whose father was murdered by Marcos's henchmen, is employed as a driver for a U.S. diplomat, Trace Caldwell, who supports the regime's oppressive policies. Doming eventually finds an ally (and lover) in Trace's lonely wife, Rue, who comes around to Doming's view after witnessing the everyday atrocities to which U.S. officials turn a blind eye. Orth vividly evokes the Manila of that era, from the beggars to the superstitious prophecies that substitute for hope, with such sensory details as the sound of a ripe mango hitting the ground and the bitter tang of rice wine vinegar on a piece of tanguigi (e.g., a whitefish). A judicious peppering of Tagalog lends further authenticity.” —Publishers Weekly, starred review
“Fine fiction always offers a strong sense of time and place along with a compelling plot, memorable characters and a significant theme, but what first-time novelist Lucia Orth has pulled off is really impressive: a haunting, suspenseful, beautifully written love story that takes place in The Philippines. The time is 1982, during the despotic regime of that brutal thug, Ferdinand Marcos, venal wife, Imelda, and their military toadies. The wonder is that it’s not a political screed but a tale essentially about the Filipino people. Think Dr. Zhivago in Southeast Asia.”
—Joan Baum, National Public Radio
Nominated for the 2008 Pulitzer, PEN/Hemingway, PEN/Faulkner, and National Book Critics Circle Awards.
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