PANTANAL is the story of a father and son and their relationship with each other. It is also about the women that the men love. Finally, PANTANAL is the story of the characters' connection and their sense of belonging with their natural environment. The tale spans two generations.
José Leôncio is a prosperous landowner in the Pantanal region of Brazil (the world's largest wetland). One day, he travels to Rio de Janeiro for a business trip. There, José Leôncio meets beautiful, sophisticated, city girl, Madeleine. They have different tastes and personalities, but like the saying, "Opposites Attract!"
The two quickly fall in love, marry and move to José Leôncio's remote farmland. It is located amidst a floodplain area, which is full of beauty, life, danger and death. The land is full of myths. There is a legend about a poisonous snake that takes the shape of a man. Another myth exists about someone called the Old Man of the Swamps.
José Leôncio and Madeleine have a son called Joventino (Jove). However, Madeleine soon becomes disenchanted with country life. She longs to return to the city. The new wife and mother abandons her husband and returns to the city with her son. With the law on the Madeleine's side, José Leôncio is unable to take his son back with him to the countryside. Many years will pass before father and son are reunited.
Madeleine, her sister and mother raise young Joventino in the city. Despite their spoiling ways of raising him, Joventino turns out to be nice, talented, strong-willed and intelligent. When he reaches an adult age, Joventino decides to meet his father. It is time for them to learn about each other.
It is also time for Joventino to learn about himself and the land of which he is a part. There, Joventino meets Juma, a young woman as intriguing, beautiful and wild as the Pantanal region. Like his mother and father before him, Joventino and Juma are as different as night and day. Yet, there is an attraction that pulls them together. The story continues..
PANTANAL is a beautifully written story, which holds your attention. It is full of other appealing characters and the role that they play in the lives of the father, son and the land on which they live. The location area is mesmerizing and the music is charming. The story takes you to a different and special place - the Brazilian Pantanal.
