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There are currently 23 member reviews
for Next Year in Havana
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Shirley L. (Norco, LA)
Excellent Historical Fiction
I am planning to travel to Cuba at the end of this month, so I was very excited for the chance to read this book. I learned a great deal about living conditions during the revolution. I thought the author did a very good job of exhibiting various political viewpoints rather than just a standard "bad guys and good guys" presentation. The juxtaposition of conditions in 1958 Cuba with present day Cuba was excellent. Characters were flawed and multi-dimensional. The story line kept me turning pages rapidly and made me even more anxious to visit this beautiful but complicated country.
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Judith G. (Ewa Beach, HI)
Next Year in Havana in Broke My Heart
A compelling story of what life is like in Cuba as opposed to what most of us think life is like in Havana. I was in Cuba in 2000 and found laughter and music everywhere. I didn't see the undertones of poverty and government control. I cried through many pages of this amazing story. War/violence/enduring love. I could not put it down.
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Janine S. (Wyoming, MI)
Lyrical, evocative tale of loves lost, found and enduring
I really enjoyed reading this book. The author has a wonderful ability to paint a picture of Havana and Cuba so that you can see the places and settings and believe you are right there. She has also created a poignant, bittersweet atmosphere surrounding the book that beautifully supports the story line of a granddaughter (Marisol) seeking to find the right place to distribute a beloved grandmother's (Elisa) ashes in the land that she deeply loved. In her search Marisol discovers a secret about her grandmother that takes her off point in finding the "right place," but puts her on a journey of discovery about herself and her grandmother that gets her to the "right place."
Set between alternating periods of time - the Cuban Revolution and current times in Cuba - and told by different voices - Elisa and Marisol - the author evokes an enduring tale of loves lost, found and enduring. I especially enjoyed the author's fine, lyrical writing and the passionate and realistic characters she created. One can certainly better understand an ex-pat Cuban's great desire to return to Havana after reading this book. I highly recommend it.
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Portia A. (Monroe Township, NJ)
Love and history intertwined
If you like romance, if you like history, this well written book combines both. The story of Cuba can break your heart. But you will not regret reading this book.
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Amy W. (Annapolis, MD)
Beautiful Detail
I really enjoyed this beautifully written book. The author gave such vivid detail I felt I could truly experience the sights and smells of Cuba. Not knowing much about the history of Cuba the history buff in me loved getting an intimate picture of life during the revolution. I highly recommend this book.
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RoseMarie G. (White Plains, NY)
Next Year in Havana
Story of Marisol, visiting Cuba to bury her grandmother's ashes. In the midst of this, she learns of her grandmother's relationship with a revolutionary during Castro's takeover. And much more of her family "secrets", and, she falls in love with Luis.
I liked the two stories - Marisol's and her grandmother, Elisa. How different their lives were, but how similiar they become.
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Lani
A sweeping romantic saga
How long has it been since you have read a book that conveys both romanticism about people and their country and also the strife involved in a revolutionary world? Chanel Cleeton delivers on both. In her heartbreaking novel about the Perez sugar baron family, they are forced to leave Cuba to settle in Miami after Castro emerges a victor against Battista. However, the novel begins with several generations later, when young Elisa Perez goes to visit the Cuba that her grandmother waxed about poetically. Having been to Cuba, I was impressed how the author was able to convey the mood, architecture and stressors so accurately. In this poignant story, Elisa is trying to find the perfect place to scatter her grandmother's ashes. While there however, she uncovers hidden history that takes her on a dangerous search, but also finds true love . The author skillfully creates a sweeping saga of the entire family unearthing issues of exile, identity, family and sacrifice. The character development was excellent and the breathless wonder of Cuba and its survivors won me over.
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