Reviewed
by Christy
Marisol, a Cuban-American woman, is
traveling to Cuba for the first time in her life to spread the ashes of her
beloved grandmother. She grew up with endless stories of Havana from her
grandmother and great-aunts but those were from before the revolution. Now that
Castro is dead and travel restrictions are easing, Marisol tries to prepare
herself for anything. But she doesn’t expect to uncover family secrets and fall
in love.
Cleeton’s story is split between
Marisol’s present day experiences as well as her grandmother’s in Cuba in 1958.
Elisa, Marisol’s grandmother, falls in love with a revolutionary. She knows her
sugar baron father would never approve so she keeps the romance a secret from
her family and friends. When Marisol visits Cuba she too is attracted to a
political activist, one who draws attention from the still controlling regime.
This story was just ok for me. I
really enjoyed the Cuban history because I knew absolutely nothing in that
regard but I struggled to connect with any of the characters. In both cases,
the romance felt a little too immediate. The characters also speak in very long
monologues that didn’t feel entirely realistic. I saw that a lot of people enjoyed
this book in the book review community of Youtube so I suppose this is just one
of those times a book doesn’t live up to its hype. However, it definitely
wasn’t bad, and Cleeton has another book coming out that centers on Marisol’s
fiery aunt Beatriz in 1960 which I am interested in checking out.
No comments:
Post a Comment