weird_reader's review against another edition
5.0
Labai patiko!
Supratau, kad romanai, kur persipina praeities ir dabarties istorijos - mano mylimiausi! Tad šis neišimtis.
Ir kaip įdomu skaityti (ir tuo pačiu sužinoti) apie Kubą, kas ten vyksta, kad kaip Lietuviai buvo ištremiami, taip ir kitose valstybėse būna tremčių. Kaip skaudu skaityti tas mintis, kai žmonės, nori sugrįžti, bet negali.
Knygos istorija skaudi, sunki, bet ir labai graži.
Autorė taip pat labai gerai perteikia Kubos grožį, atmosferą(manau bent jau), viskas taip aprašoma, lyg būčiau tenais. (O šiaip norėčiau kada aplankyti Kubą, Havaną
Supratau, kad romanai, kur persipina praeities ir dabarties istorijos - mano mylimiausi! Tad šis neišimtis.
Ir kaip įdomu skaityti (ir tuo pačiu sužinoti) apie Kubą, kas ten vyksta, kad kaip Lietuviai buvo ištremiami, taip ir kitose valstybėse būna tremčių. Kaip skaudu skaityti tas mintis, kai žmonės, nori sugrįžti, bet negali.
Knygos istorija skaudi, sunki, bet ir labai graži.
Autorė taip pat labai gerai perteikia Kubos grožį, atmosferą(manau bent jau), viskas taip aprašoma, lyg būčiau tenais. (O šiaip norėčiau kada aplankyti Kubą, Havaną
jenmccredy's review against another edition
4.0
A multi perspective about a Cuban woman and her granddaughter. Vivid descriptions about Cuba both politically and the environment. The granddaughter returns to Cuba and uncovers family secrets and also love. A few far fetched scenarios and some really heavy/clunky dialogue bits but I enjoyed the trip to Havana.
lilcubana31's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
informative
reflective
medium-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
aregan's review against another edition
4.0
I listened to the audiobook and LOVED it. Great story, loved narrative by Elisa and Marisol. A little cheesy/happy ending but overall enjoyed it immensely.
mindlessmartyrr's review against another edition
4.0
Originally found on my blog Stormereadss.wordpress.com
My take on the plot:
Chanel Cleeton paints a very vivid picture of her characters and her story. She also uses words I had to look up which made me excited to expand my vocabulary while learning about the struggles the country of Cuba and its people face. The book follows Marisol in 2017 after the loss of her beloved grandmother and also looks back at her grandmother, Elisa, before she was forced to leave Cuba with her family in 1958. Marisol has snuck her grandmothers ashes into Cuba so they could be scattered in a special place. Marisol learns she may not have known her grandmother as well as she thought. Elisa had fallen in love with a man she shouldn’t have, and Marisol is on the same path. The book looks at the parallels of a grandmother and granddaughter during the moments they fall in love and how their choices will impact their lives forever. It’s definitely one of those generational stories, but I liked it a lot because I really don’t know anything about Cuba.
My take on the writing:
Cleeton writes so beautifully. I don’t say this often, but she uses language to create a world the reader gets so immersed in. I was able to envision The whole story very well. I know nothing about Cuba and the history so this was a different glimpse into a past many people lived but isn’t well known. Marisol has such fond memories of her grandmother, and this ties so well into the flashbacks of her grandmother to create a full spectrum of the young Elisa. I was so swept up in the past version of Cuba it made me sad when the family had to leave because of the political turmoil. The entire book is full of sadness but it is also beautiful and hopeful. I love how the story evokes so many emotions.
I understand why this book was picked for the book club. It’s just one so easy to get lost in and not be able to stop reading. This may be my favorite one I’ve read so far in The Reese Witherspoon book club choices. I was struggling with the book at times, but now I’ve had time to reflect, this book keeps growing on me.
Final thoughts:
Chanel Cleeton wrote a book definitely worth all of the hype. This was one I was dying to read, and it was worth every minute spent. I haven’t seen a lot of people talking about this online, but I know it’s popular because the long hold at the library and it says it’s a bestseller online. I hope they make this into a movie, and I can’t wait to read the next book related to this about Elisa’s sister, Beatriz. This is my sixth book complete for the Hello Sunshine Reading Challenge I’m doing
My take on the plot:
Chanel Cleeton paints a very vivid picture of her characters and her story. She also uses words I had to look up which made me excited to expand my vocabulary while learning about the struggles the country of Cuba and its people face. The book follows Marisol in 2017 after the loss of her beloved grandmother and also looks back at her grandmother, Elisa, before she was forced to leave Cuba with her family in 1958. Marisol has snuck her grandmothers ashes into Cuba so they could be scattered in a special place. Marisol learns she may not have known her grandmother as well as she thought. Elisa had fallen in love with a man she shouldn’t have, and Marisol is on the same path. The book looks at the parallels of a grandmother and granddaughter during the moments they fall in love and how their choices will impact their lives forever. It’s definitely one of those generational stories, but I liked it a lot because I really don’t know anything about Cuba.
My take on the writing:
Cleeton writes so beautifully. I don’t say this often, but she uses language to create a world the reader gets so immersed in. I was able to envision The whole story very well. I know nothing about Cuba and the history so this was a different glimpse into a past many people lived but isn’t well known. Marisol has such fond memories of her grandmother, and this ties so well into the flashbacks of her grandmother to create a full spectrum of the young Elisa. I was so swept up in the past version of Cuba it made me sad when the family had to leave because of the political turmoil. The entire book is full of sadness but it is also beautiful and hopeful. I love how the story evokes so many emotions.
I understand why this book was picked for the book club. It’s just one so easy to get lost in and not be able to stop reading. This may be my favorite one I’ve read so far in The Reese Witherspoon book club choices. I was struggling with the book at times, but now I’ve had time to reflect, this book keeps growing on me.
Final thoughts:
Chanel Cleeton wrote a book definitely worth all of the hype. This was one I was dying to read, and it was worth every minute spent. I haven’t seen a lot of people talking about this online, but I know it’s popular because the long hold at the library and it says it’s a bestseller online. I hope they make this into a movie, and I can’t wait to read the next book related to this about Elisa’s sister, Beatriz. This is my sixth book complete for the Hello Sunshine Reading Challenge I’m doing
cassidee_omnilegent's review against another edition
4.0
This was such a quick listen for me! Next Year in Havana was free in Audible’s new “plus” program and I had to grab this one when I saw it. I’ve been wanting to read it, and the author and narrator painted a lush picture of Cuba. This focuses on the daughter of a sugar baron and her granddaughter, separated by two timelines. It focused on the overthrow of Batista and the comparison of his rule to Castro’s regime. It shows the beautiful, romanticized version of Cuba in contrast to the harsh, volatile Cuba. One thing I loved about this book is that I learned a lot more about Cuban history, as we didn’t learn a lot about it in US History courses I’ve taken. It also focused on the fact that usually our hopes and dreams for our countries aren’t as easily attained as er believe. There’s often someone that becomes the scapegoat, people that are forgotten. Good intentions don’t always garner good results. The storytelling was vivid, historical events pretty factual, the prose was gorgeous, the romance didn’t overpower the issues that this story presented. I can’t wait to read more from this author.