dave37's review
4.0
More of a novel than a mystery here, and a fine one at that. I point this out simply because my library had it shelved under mysteries, with Padura's earlier books.
The prose is quite dense and things took quite a while to get going, but if one is willing to ride along the story is a good one. The main story arc involves rare Cuban books, so there was a lot of gratuitous name-dropping on that front. I simply used it to fill out my "to read" list on GoodReads.
If you're of the mindset that Cuba is a simple good/bad story of pre and post Revolution, Padura gives a nice treatment of the underlying complexities of the issue of the Revolution, and their impact on rich, poor and middle class Cubans.
Overall, a compelling, complex story of power, love, loss, shame and revenge.
The prose is quite dense and things took quite a while to get going, but if one is willing to ride along the story is a good one. The main story arc involves rare Cuban books, so there was a lot of gratuitous name-dropping on that front. I simply used it to fill out my "to read" list on GoodReads.
If you're of the mindset that Cuba is a simple good/bad story of pre and post Revolution, Padura gives a nice treatment of the underlying complexities of the issue of the Revolution, and their impact on rich, poor and middle class Cubans.
Overall, a compelling, complex story of power, love, loss, shame and revenge.
zuzi's review
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
rickt's review against another edition
informative
mysterious
medium-paced
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.0
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