This is a great read - it was so fascinating learning more about Cuba and entering the lives of people there and what they endured.
Pamela C. (pj-s-bookcorner) reviewed Next Year in Havana (Cuba Saga, Bk 1) on + 862 more book reviews
LOVED THIS BOOK! For fans of historical fiction, this is a must read. A multi-generational saga beginning in Havana, Cuba before the revolution. The wealth Perez family is insulated from the growing turmoil in the country with four daughters and a son enjoying the life of the privileged. A chance meeting and a forbidden liaison for Elisa changes her life. When Elisa's granddaughter returns to Cube sixty plus years later to fulfil a promise to her grandmother, her views and life are forever altered.
I know very little of the Cuban resistance and life for those living there now. Inspiring, educational and uplifting.
I know very little of the Cuban resistance and life for those living there now. Inspiring, educational and uplifting.
As a lover of history, political science and a good book, this work hit all the right spots for me. I enjoyed Elisa's story more than Marisols, but hers was still interesting. I could have done with less political preaching, the story didn't need it, more character interaction would have made for a better read.
Absolutely loved this book. I've never been to Cuba but can only imagine the struggle they had with their political views.
Next Year in Havana by Chanel Cleeton picks up on the recent political climate of Cuba and also goes back to the beginning of the Castro regime. As often in historical fiction, this book follows the story of two individuals in two time periods. As with books of this structure, the story one time period and one character has a stronger pull. In this case, it is definitely the story of the 1950s, not just Eliza but the entire Perez family. Eliza's story keeps me reading until the final page.
Read my complete review at http://www.memoriesfrombooks.com/2018/05/next-year-in-havana.html
Reviewed for NetGalley
Read my complete review at http://www.memoriesfrombooks.com/2018/05/next-year-in-havana.html
Reviewed for NetGalley
Great book. This story, the characters, the history and passion for Cuba, will stay with me for awhile. The book alternates between Elisa in 1959 and her granddaughter Marisol in present day. Elisa's family is part of wealthy land-owning Cuba in the 1950s and flees Cuba at the time of revolution when Battista flees and Fidel Castro sweeps in. But Elisa has met and fallen in love with a revolutionary. Sixty years later Marisol returns with her grandmother's ashes to scatter them in her beloved Cuba. She meets and falls in love with her own revolutionary. The history and politics of Cuba told in a fictional story. So interesting! Add the passion of the Cuban people and the history/politics of the Cuban-American relationship and the Cuban exiles in Miami. Makes me want to read more about Cuba and visit there myself.
