A HELLO SUNSHINE x REESE WITHERSPOON BOOK CLUB PICK“A beautiful novel that’s full of forbidden passions, family secrets and a lot of courage and sacrifice.”—Reese WitherspoonAfter the death of her beloved grandmother, a Cuban-American woman travels to Havana, where she discovers the roots of her identity—and unearths a family secret hidden since the revolution…Havana, 1958. The daughter of a … revolution…
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.
more
I have traveled to Cuba twice and found this book to be both entertaining and historically accurate. It was well written and gave insight into a country And a revolution Americans know little about.
You get a better understanding of Cuba and her people.
I can see why this one was such a hit! Great, compelling characters in both timeframes, as well as a much needed education on Cuban politics for those of us who are less familiar. Looking forward to reading more from Chanel Cleeton.
Next Year in Havana is an absolute ‘must read’. The story follows Marisol Ferrera, a Cuban-American writer who visits Cuba and uncovers deep family secrets through searching for where to bury her grandmother Elisa Perez’s ashes.
“Terrible things rarely happen all at once,” she answers. “They’re incremental, so people don’t realize how bad things have gotten until it’s too late.”
It is a modern story of all that Marisol encounters on her trip. Plus an historical tale that follows Elisa’s life in Cuba during the Revolution.
The story is powerful, beautiful, heartbreaking and so full of hope. This book is wonderful on audiobook but should come with a warning not to operate heavy machinery while listening! I became so fully engrossed in the sights, tastes and feels of Havana.
-6 Stars!-
The book follows the wealthy family (4 sisters & 1 brother) of a sugar baron in the waning days of Cuba’s Batista era. How they manage to escape the new regime under Castro, by fleeing to America with just their personal items packed in suitcases.
Having visited Cuba on a “people to people” tour in 2002, I find the romanticizing of their plight rather boring & offensive. The book is a fast read though trying to keep up with the sisters antics and their love lives. Not too realistic in my opinion.
I cannot say enough about this book. Not only do you get two love stories, but you learn about Cuba and its struggles from before Castro until now. I fell in love with this story and every single beautifully written page.
Loved it – great historical fiction – can’t wait to read the sequel
4.5 Stars
I loved the past/present connections in this dual narrative novel that spanned nearly 60 years. The historical facts interlaced with the fictional story sparked an insatiable desire to learn as much as I could about the Cuban Revolution and what preceded it, as well as its lasting effects on Cuba. Utterly fascinating and heartbreaking. Along with a realistic account of past/present Cuban life, there were two sweet and sometimes heart-rending romances woven within. I was absolutely entranced by both. The heartening conclusion to this book was the perfect segue to the upcoming release of When We Left Cuba and another Perez sister’s story.
Favorite Quotes:
… there’s a faint sheen of gray that adorns the landscape as though the entire city needs a good scrubbing. Havana is like a woman who was grand once and has fallen on hard times, and yet hints of her former brilliance remain, traces of an era since passed, a photograph faded by time and circumstance, its edges crumbling to dust.
I feel as though I’ve become a point of curiosity, an exhibit like the island of crocodiles at the Havana Zoo, those mighty animals sunning their backs with contempt for the gawking tourists and locals who point and exclaim over their size. Being a Perez in Havana— one of the sugar queens— is akin to wondering if you should charge admission for the window into your life…
There’s a different level of poverty in Cuba that suggests that not only is the deck stacked against you, but someone keeps stealing all the cards.
Terrible things rarely happen all at once… They’re incremental, so people don’t realize how bad things have gotten until it’s too late.
My Review:
I confess to blatant ignorance about Cuba, past or present. Before picking up this exceptionally detailed account, my accumulated knowledge about Cuba was limited to a vague memory of the rafters, something about JFK and the Bay of Pigs fiasco, and that Fidel Castro had been an oppressive communist dictator who gave long boring speeches that he forced his citizens to listen to for hours on end in the heat and sun, I remember my severely strict sixth grade teacher fervently pounding that last fact home and later putting on a test. I also have a vivid memory of looking at a picture of the heavily reviled man with an unkempt beard and dressed in green fatigues and a billed cap and thinking him an unhinged monster; an opinion that apparently was deeply imprinted on my gray matter as it has held through to present day.
Chanel Cleeton’s highly descriptive and epic story was written in dual timelines and from a dual POV, and I enjoyed the juxtaposition. Sixty-years after her then nineteen-year-old grandmother had fled a dangerous and chaotic Cuba with her family, Marisol takes a trip to Cuba to spread her grandmother’s ashes and hopefully learn about her family history while traveling under the guise of a journalistic junket to gather information for a tourism article about Cuba. Careful what you wish for – she uncovered dark secrets that her beloved grandmother had never hinted it, as well as stunning revelations concerning her family tree.
The storylines were lushly detailed and swirling with atmosphere, and could easily be deployed as a fully fleshed-out screenplay. The emotional tone was fraught with tension and heavy with angst. I could have done with about one hundred fewer pages repeatedly outlining the abuses and folly of past and present political systems, as politics are just not my jam. However, the examples of basic day-to-day challenges the politically polarized Cuban citizens endured and continue to struggle with carried considerable more impact for me and were expertly executed. I have been schooled, and in a significantly more entertaining manner than my harsh and unyielding sixth-grader teacher could have ever aspired to.
A third generation Cuban American perspective on the Havana of today.
I loved this book about the old regime in Cuba living in the new Cuba and how things are changing as Cuba is opening up to tourists once again. Interiwined is a wonderful love story and tragic times.
One of the best books I have read this year.
I knew nothing of the life of Cubans before Castro and curret times. It did make me wish to go there and hope one day Cuba will be free and independent. The character was charming and believable. I will read this again. I have recommended it to my book reading friends.
I am a fan of historical fiction. I was fascinated to read what life was like in Cuba. I had no idea the hardships that Cubans endured while their country was in political chaos. The characterization and the description of the setting was so well done. Loved this book!
NEXT YEAR IN HAVANA by Chanel Cleeton was a Reese Witherspoon HELLO SUNSHINE book club pick and mine for February.
As a former Creative Director, I can’t help but review the cover first, and this one is stunning! The coral of the woman’s dress pops and draws you to the landscape of Cuba along the bottom where the eye can’t help but linger and linger. The cover easily places as one of my absolute favorites.
The novel itself wins with its duel narratives and timelines. Marisol, a Cuban-American from Miami in present day, and Elise, Marisol’s grandmother who came of age in 1958 Cuba. I remember the news of Fidel Castro stepping down, but I knew little of the revolution that proceeded it and found myself enthralled by the political and social climate of unrest. If anything, I wanted more—more nuance of Cuban culture in the everyday.
Overall, NEXT YEAR IN HAVANA is a wonderful introduction to the proud and resilient people of Cuban heritage.
Great story on the Cuban revolution!
Generational story that takes place in two time frames . I learned a lot about the Cuban/US historical relationship/current .
I loved this story and swept away by Chanel Cleeton’s gifted, purposeful writing. Her storytelling weaves the past and present together showing that no matter how much time passes some things always remain. Next Year in Havana is a historical novel threaded with contemporary parts that make the story that much deeper and more impactful. So much sacrifice and change within the pages to test the strength of these characters in these time. Characters for whom are luminous, courageous, and unforgettable. The beautiful setting just as important as the characters. The history is rich and crucial. Through Cleeton’s lovely storytelling this book begs the question: is there a line between love & loyalty? I fell in love during this book and my heart broke at the same time; a testament to a wonderful reading experience.
Very interesting and opened my eyes to what Cubans went through and are still going through!!!
This romantic historical fiction book provided great insight into the lives of those who both escaped and were left behind in Castro’s Cuba. Looking forward to her next book on this topic.