"Set against the majestic geography of the Andes, this novel tells the story of Manuela Saenz, who won her place in history as the great love of the South American liberator Simon Bolivar. Manuela Saenz's life is fascinating in its own right. Abandoning her position as one of the richest women in Lima, Saenz worked with underground conspirators to overthrow the corrupt representatives of the Spanish Crown. This road eventually led to her meeting with Bolivar in 1822, when she was twenty-five. Their attraction was immediate and they remained lovers for eight years, until Bolivar's death. During this tumultuous period, Saenz fought in various battles, attaining the rank of colonel, and was eventually incarcerated, wounded, and exiled for life from Colombia and Ecuador." "Our Lives Are the Rivers dramatizes South Americas political and social struggles not just from Saenz's point of view, but from that of two other extraordinary women: Nataan and Jonotas, Saenz's slaves. With this bold move, Jaime Manrique presents different (and sometimes conflicting) versions of Simon Bolmvar, of Manuela Saenz herself, and of the far-reaching consequences of the independence movement, not just for the descendants of the Spaniards but for their slaves, and for the vast Indian populations of the Andes as well."--JACKET.