Amalia is an Argentinian romantic Older Than Radio Doorstopper novel by Creator/JoséMármol, depicting the Argentinan Civil War in the XIX century from the perspective of an unitarian hero.The plot is about the romance between the widow Amalia and the unitarian rebel Eduardo Belgrano, descendant of the national hero Manuel Belgrano, who was trying to escape the prosecution of La Mazorca, and was injured by a gaucho ambush when he was attempting to reunite with the troops who fight against Rosas. Eduardo is saved by his friend Daniel Bello, a Magnificent Bastard who leads him to his cousin's Amalia house, a tucumanian twenty years widow whom has a house in Barracas, in the suburbs of Buenos Aires.
Nace un romance entre Amalia y Eduardo, mientras se suceden muchas peripecias en la ciudad y sus alrededores, lo cual da oportunidad al autor para presentar el accionar de distintas figuras históricas como el gobernador Rosas, su hija Manuelita, su hermana Agustina Rosas, su cuñada Josefa Ezcurra, el representante inglés míster Mandeville, funcionarios, representatives y bufones del régimen de Rosas. Belgrano y Amalia deciden casarse para, una vez repuesto él de sus heridas, huir los dos a Montevideo. Sin embargo, esbirros de la Mazorca —fuerza de choque del gobierno rosista— irrumpen en la quinta y los matan a los dos.
Tropes:
- Bandito: The gauchos here qualify under this trope.
- Bolivian Army Ending: Eduardo and Amalia’s house is stormed by Rosas’s troops, and both get killed.
- Byronic Hero: sort of with Daniel Bello, a unitarian gentleman allied to the Buenos Aires federals; and at a certain point with Eduardo Belgrano, who is a passionate, inteligent and handsome guy prosecuted by the Secret Police for his unitarian support.
- Doorstopper: The book is overly long and at times thoroughly detailed, although overall is an entertaining book.
- Gaucho: the followers of Rosas, here in the malevo side of the trope.
- Guile Hero: Daniel Bello- he is a cunning gentleman and politician who bests the Mazorca to aid his friend Eduardo.
- Happily Ever After: subverted. The Mazorca ruins the plans of Amalia and Eduardo to run away after being married.
- Incorruptible Pure Pureness: Amalia and Eduardo.
- La Résistance: the unitarians trying to escape to Uruguay
- The Pampas: somewhat averted in this book, as it takes place in Buenos Aires rather than the rural areas. But at the same time, the Gauchos are the representatives of the feral land.
- People's Republic of Tyranny: the Santa Federación ("The Holy Federation") is ruled by General Ripper and the Mazorca agents.
- Secret Police: La Mazorca.
- Swashbuckler: The main heroes, opposing the "barbarian" gauchos, who fight with knives.
