Reviews

The Night Travelers by Armando Lucas Correa

ravenjones's review against another edition

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3.0

Wish we'd spent longer with each of the generations.

loriluo's review against another edition

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3.0

"The Night Travelers" is a multi-generational story that follows 3 women who live in separate periods and places in time, but share in their traumas and struggles. Told from a third person perspective, we begin with Ally Keller's story - she's forced to raise her young daughter Lilith alone in Berlin, and on the cusp of World War II, must deal with the fact that her mixed race child isn't accepted in society. When the danger becomes too great, she sends Lilith with trusted friends to Havana, Cuba, in hopes that she will simply be seen as a Jew fleeing for safety.

Years later, Lilith grows up in Cuba in the midst of a difficult political climate leading up to the Cuban Revolution. Her childhood sweetheart Martin can't escape his loyalties to the dated Batista government, and after Fidel Castro's successful coup, she's also forced to give birth to her daughter Nadine, alone. Nadine is sent to New York City to live what he hopes is a healthier and safer life, but as an adult, Nadine returns to Berlin to continue her work as a scientist and oversee the eventual final home of the victims of the Holocaust. Her own daughter, Luna, forces her to confront her own past and the stories of her own family.

There was a lot that I wanted to love about this book; Correa clearly did some extensive research into these historical periods and events, and I appreciated how he highlighted the treatment of those who were not of Anglo-Saxon descent within Germany in the period of time before World War II as well as the affects of the Cuban Revolution. He's painted compelling stories of these different women who were forced to make difficult and near-impossible decisions for their daughters, and the way historical and political events shaped their lives. It's not a happy story, but it's an accurate one.

What I struggled with, however, was the writing. The tone and voice, even across all three women, was completely monotonous and flat. Even during moments of extreme emotional depth and loss, the writing glossed over the impact and focused more on just the events that unfolded. I found it difficult to personally connect with any of the women because of this, and had difficulty getting through the pages even though the storyline itself was compelling. All in all, I found this novel to have a strong storyline that was unfortunately muddled by surface-level writing.

Thank you Atria Books for the advance copy of this novel!

dameagles's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

megmaloney23's review against another edition

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4.0

Long and slow but in the best way. What a cool way to show 4 generations of women spanning different wars, cultures, and time periods, without heavy emotions that are usually shared with war torn family stories.

1975maddy's review against another edition

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dark emotional informative relaxing sad medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.25

booksadaisyes's review against another edition

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5.0


An historical novel that spans four generations of mothers and daughters; from Berlin to Cuba to America and back to Berlin. A compelling and moving story of lives overshadowed by the trauma of war and separation which have lifelong and intergenerational effects on so many lives.

The title of the book reflects the impact that Germany's laws of eugenics in the early 1930s had on Ally Keller and her mixed race daughter, Lilith. They would try to stay in the shadows 'By night, we're all the same color...' and the decisions Ally had to make to save her daughter, which would continue to affect future generations.

The historical setting is fascinating, although the story left me with a heavy heart.

I am now keen to read

machenn's review against another edition

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sad slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.0


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annick16's review against another edition

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dark emotional hopeful sad tense

5.0

kimberlyvdt's review against another edition

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emotional inspiring sad medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.0

jengirl66's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional hopeful informative reflective sad medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

The book could have spent more time on the characters.
It felt like the author jumped from one daughter to the next without giving us enough time to get to know them.