Next Year in Havana

I appreciated the history of Cuba’s revolution and the lasting effect it has had on the population. I did not find the story to be as riveting and compelling as the other reviews seemed to think. It took me some time to finish it. Not a page turner for me. It is not high on my list to recommend.

I loved this book! I was looking for a book to share with my book club and this is at the top of my list. It was very interesting to see Cuba during the revolution and Castro came to power and how things have progressed since an easing of bans by the US toward Cuba. I was in my early teens at the beginning of the Cuban missile crisis so I have always been intrigued about this island that is so close to our shores. This book gave insights as to the trials for those left in Cuba as well as for those who escaped.

Two worlds separated by 60 years and 90 miles.

Elisa Perez belongs to the world of wealth and power in pre-Castro Havana. Her granddaughter, Marisol, belongs to the world of Cuban families (hers one of the wealthy) that fled and established their lives in Florida.

Cleeton alternately immerses us in the life and times of the late 1950’s and life in today’s Cuba. Armed with her grandmother’s ashes in her purse and searching for a place to scatter them as he promised, Marisol also plays detective as she tries to discover her grandmother’s secrets.

Two periods in history and two love affairs make for captivating reading.

I enjoyed the book, but found the ending somewhat rushed containing lengthy passages of “telling” about political and economic conditions as they now exist in Cuba. However that information prompted me to do more research on the struggles Cubans continue to face in their country.

BLURB

Havana, 1958. The daughter of a sugar baron, nineteen-year-old Elisa Perez is part of Cuba’s high society, where she is largely sheltered from the country’s growing political unrest—until she embarks on a clandestine affair with a passionate revolutionary…

Miami, 2017. Freelance writer Marisol Ferrera grew up hearing romantic stories of Cuba from her late grandmother Elisa, who was forced to flee with her family during the revolution. Elisa’s last wish was for Marisol to scatter her ashes in the country of her birth.

Arriving in Havana, Marisol comes face-to-face with the contrast of Cuba’s tropical, timeless beauty and its perilous political climate. When more family history comes to light and Marisol finds herself attracted to a man with secrets of his own, she’ll need the lessons of her grandmother’s past to help her understand the true meaning of courage.

http://www.darlenejonesauthor.com

This book was an easy read women’s novel with Cuban history woven into it as it switches between two points in history, the revolution in the late 50’s and current time. Nice paced and a quick read.

I had no idea behind what went on with the rise of Castro in Cuba! This book, although fiction, depicts how hard life was (and still is) living in a socialist/communist country. People who once led happy, fulfilling lives now live in fear of even mentioning something that goes against the regime. It was difficult at first for me to keep up with the two different time periods, but the story line works well going back and forth. Anyone who believes we would be better off under socialism needs to read this book.

I will admit I knew very little about Cuba prior to reading this book. My knowledge was limited to bits and pieces I’d heard over the years about life under Castro. Through this novel I learned much about life before and after the revolution – a time filled with hope for change for a people so full of life and love for their country. Then to have that hope dashed as the new ruler’s true intentions and nature revealed themselves. The history lesson was told through the alternating stories of Elisa and her granddaughter Marisol. Elisa is forced to flee Cuba after Castro comes to power, and Marisol returns to Cuba to discover the reality of her grandmother’s stories. She uncovers a few secrets along the way. There are many parallels between the stories and in the end it is the power of family and the eternal hope of the Cuban people for a better tomorrow that shine through in this novel.

The book is well written and researched and very interesting. I didn’t give it five stars because to me there were times that the researched history drew attention from the storyline. But I would definitely recommend this book.

I liked the story and the way it moved back and forth from past to present. The Cuban history was interesting but too much repetition. It would have been better story if it had also followed The other 3 sisters! Sequel?

I traveled to Cuba in March. I throughly enjoyed reading about it. I did see things and places she wrote about.
This book was a good and enjoyable reading experience.

I was in college when this all happened…..it’s always nice to know more about the politics and culture of an event.

A great story which blended history and fiction well.