On the eve of the Cuban Revolution, headstrong 18-year-old Francesca Pacelli flees from her ruthless Mafia-boss father in Havana to the arms of her lover, a rebel fighting with Fidel Castro. Her father, desperate to send her to safety in the US, resorts to torture and blackmail as he searches the island for her.
…
So begins the first part of a spellbinding saga that spans three generations of the same family. Decades later, the family is lured back to Cuba by the promise of untold riches. But pursuing those riches brings danger as well as opportunity, and ultimately, Francesca’s family must confront the lethal consequences of their choices. From the troubled streets of Havana to the mean streets of Chicago, Havana Lost reveals the true cost of chasing power instead of love.
Havana Lost is award-winning author Libby Fischer Hellmann’s 10th novel and 3rd thriller that explores how strife and revolution affect the human spirit. The novel is a testament to Hellmann’s gift for authentic historical detail as well as her talent for writing compulsively readable thrillers.
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A multi generational story with great characters and finely interwoven story..a real tapestry as well as loaded with recent accurate history of Cuba/U.S. relationship. .
Gives a true overview of Cuba through the eyes two young people. I read this on the plane on the way to Cuba. It really helped me understand the conflict.
The love story was entertaining but was not a happily ever after ending. There was a great deal of focus on the history of Havana.
Great informational history of Cuban revolution, albeit it in a fiction format.
Interesting look into the history of Cuba and good suspence
Really enjoyed this novel that followed a family for two or three generations, as well as the folks close to them in the aftermath of the Castro regime victory in Cuba. Gave a thoughtful view of different views of the meaning of that event for themselves and future generations. Each of the characters were simply trying to do what they felt they …
The book is written as a family saga. It spans over 50+ years and includes four generations of a fictional American-Italian ‘crime’ family Pacelli. It follows events and lives of its members and affiliated people in Cuba, America and Angola. The beginning of the Cuban revolution and the end of the Cuban intervention in Angola are lightly touched. …
A great read.
Interesting read.
Enjoyed tracking Character locations and descriptions.
Excellent
Historical events in Cuba history brought to life. Loved the story.
Unrealistic
I feel like I was missing somethings by it not staying in time periods longer and explaining the choices that characters made.
I think the good Fidel Castro did by overtrowing Batista, is what Cuba is today, after all the pressure of the US, it stands with a strong identity.
And the idea that being poor stands for being unhappy is wrong.
Just okay
Entertaining
Good historical fiction that ends in the present day. Enjoyed the descriptions of places in Cuba and the story that covers three generations.
LOVED this book. Not only do you fall in love with the characters, but you also learn a bit of ‘history’. Touches you and doesn’t let go, I stayed up late to read this to the end.
Loved this book!