In a city as corrupt as it was luxurious, those who dared to dream were bound to pay the price.Havana, Cuba, 1947. Young Patricio flees impoverished Spain and steps into the sultry island paradise of Havana with only the clothes on his back and half-baked dreams of a better life. Blessed with good looks and natural charm, he lands a job as a runner at El Encanto—one of the most luxurious … luxurious department stores in the world.
Famous for its exquisite offerings from French haute couture to Arabian silks, El Encanto indulges the senses in opulent extravagance. It caters to visiting Hollywood stars, rising politicos, and prerevolutionary Cuba’s wealthiest power players, including the notorious mobster César Valdés.
Falling in love with the mobster’s young wife, Gloria, is suicide. But Patricio is irresistibly drawn to the beautiful girl with sad eyes, a razor-sharp intellect, and a penchant for both Christian Dior’s clothes and Einstein’s theories. Within the walls of El Encanto, anything seems possible, even a love that promises to heal them and a desire that thrums with the mambo beat of the city itself.
In a reckless love affair that spans half a century, Patricio’s and Gloria’s lives entwine time and again, challenged by every twist of fate—for in a world of murder, betrayal, and revolution, those who dare to reach for paradise seldom survive unscathed.
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Rather than rehashing a blow by blow of who did what, I’ll just say that I was thoroughly enthralled by the story of Patricio and Gloria, two star-crossed lovers in 1950s Cuba. I kind of wish I could have read it in the original Spanish, but since I don’t speak Spanish… However, the translator did a wonderful job of bringing to life the sights, sounds, smells, and tropical heat while giving us well-delineated characters. A combination of history, romance, tragedy, courage, and heartbreak all add up to a story well-told. Highly recommended.
7/16/21- A fantastic romance set in prerevolutionary Cuba. The story had a bit of historical fiction but was a tragic love story. The protagonists were strong and you wanted them to succeed, while the antagonists were the right amount of awful you wanted them to lose. The story takes many turns and ends happily.
This book presented wonderfully developed characters, humor and a moving plot. It also provided historical information about Spain and Cuba through dictatorship. It was an engrossing book that held my attention and interest throughout. This is a memorable book.
There is no doubt that I connected to Patricio’s story because of his background. I was all ears when my father-in-law related stories of his grandfather fighting in the Cuban war at the end of the 19th century. When then the Spanish Civil War ended in 1939 and Germany invaded Poland, Spain had no time to recuperate. I listened to harrowing tales of hunger and misery, the post-civil war taking its toll on not only most of the country, my husband’s family too. Just like Patricio; fathers, brothers and sisters, aunts and uncles emigrated, looking for a better life. Many succeeded in their new ventures, others didn’t.
The Price of Paradise is a book to savor. It cannot be rushed. The writing felt incredibly authentic and never lost in translation from its original version, El Encanto. So who better to tell this story had to be Patricio and the woman who knocked him for six, who wasn’t in his sphere and more importantly, untouchable.
“But someday your freckles will be mine.”
Before I go any further, one has to understand Batista’s governing was totalitarian. With the mob virtually running the show in Havana and the sugar industry in the hands of the US, if you had the means, yes…the price of paradise was for the taking, even enchanting for those who could abuse it without the blink of an eye. Patricio came from an impoverished Asturian family but his gift of the gab, youth and zeal for life would make him be seen. Above all, him clinging onto the hope for a better life made me value him highly.
“Friends, this is Patricio. From the old country, Asturias. He could sell snow to an Eskimo.”
Gloria took me by storm. Her innocence, seeing her trapped into an ambiance of compliance, literally made my hair stand on end. And although I loved her demeanor and soft-spoken words, how she coped in such raw circumstances made me sit back and think how the heck she managed. But this young woman is not only a quick learner, she’s a survivor.
‘I’m not a woman who complains, and I would be lying if I said my married life was an inferno. At the very least, it’s a most comfortable inferno.’
As you can see, I’ve highlighted a few passages which I loved to bits. Hopefully, those I’ve shared with you in a romance that spans a lifetime of heartbreak and elation won’t be letting on. And I’d be lying if I didn’t confess that part two of the book brought me to my knees. The pace picks up, emotional scenes abound and I cried for a love which shouldn’t have been so beautifully destructive, which ends…
“…A second with you is better than an entire lifetime with someone else.”
Oops, so where did that one star go? Although the translation by my standards was extremely good, the few typos I came across stood out, stopped me in my tracks and to be quite honest, I think that a story of this caliber merited better proofreading. That being said, I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend one-clicking it. Bravo López Rubio!
‘I learned that women who don’t raise their voices when men behave badly are as bad as they are.’
Absolutely phenomenal descriptions of the Cuban setting. Extremely well-designed characters; so realistic that the reader is convinced that he/she knows them personally. A lovely story line. This is one of the best books of historical fiction romance that I have read. Author, Susana Lopez Rubio has a home run here! I certainly hope that she has more books to come.
Loved this book. It is a love story that lasts a lifetime. Emotional coaster filled with love, lies, betrayal, revelations, murder and suspense. Happy Reading
A love story that spans 50 years. A tale of soul mates, friendships, and their survival. Havana comes alive in this book, so colourful, and filled with beautiful aroma. The historical facts rang true, very well written. The characters personalities came to life, the story never lagged, it kept my attention. I Loved the history, the characters and the storyline, the author transported me to another time and place.