achaperonwrites's review against another edition
4.0
“I am not the girl they want me to be. You cannot see the things I have seen or live them and be the innocent they all toast.”
—
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r_reads2winnie's review against another edition
4.5
The book is based on a true story of a Cuban revolutionary, Evangelina Cisneros during the Spanish occupation of Cuba. There are also two fictional characters: Grace, who dreams of becoming a reporter in the cutthroat world of journalism, and Marina, a daughter of a wealthy family who marries a poor farmer against her family’s wish and ends up working as a secret courier for the Cuban revolutionaries. The story is told from the viewpoints of these three strong women. It is incredible how the author was able to fit the story of the two fictional characters so impeccably into the actual historical event of Evangelina Cisneros. If I am being honest though, I enjoyed the story of the two fictional characters more than Evangelina’s.
This book transports readers to 19th-century Cuba and Gilded Age New York City. It depicts the lives of Cubans during the Spanish occupation, their fight for independence, and America’s involvement. It also touches on the fierce competition between newspaper tycoons William Hearst and Joseph Pulitzer and yellow journalism during the period.
It is a page-turner!
afox98's review against another edition
4.0
Loved this book - fantastic historical fiction that gave insights into pre-Castro Cuba, but also about women journalists at a time when there weren't many. I learned about the war between Cuba and Spain, of which I previously knew nothing, and the writing was engrossing. Fascinating look at how strong journalism sways public opinion.
serendipitysbooks's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
informative
reflective
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
The Most Beautiful Girl in Cuba is historical fiction covering the Cuban War of Independence and the Spanish American War, right at the very end of the nineteenth century. It follows three women. Evangelina Cisneros was a real life Cuban rebel who escaped from a Spanish prison. The other two, Grace Harrington, an American reporter in the mould of Nellie Bly, and Marina Perez, a secret courier, are entirely fictional. I loved learning more about Cuban history of this period and especially about Cisneros. While Grace’s storyline, including the battle between the newspaper empires of Joseph Pulitzer and William Randolph Hearst, was interesting it felt a bit much for one book, and detracted from the Cuban stories.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief, War, Confinement, and Violence
rrickman33's review
5.0
I cannot say enough good things about this book, easily 5 stars for me. The writing was phenomenal and the characters were so well developed. They had incredible stories and I couldn’t put this book down. I will definitely be buying it when it comes out and can’t wait to recommend it to everyone.
In The Most Beautiful Girl in Cuba we follow 3 women through the years 1896-1898 during the Cuban War of Independence from Spain. Grace Harrington born into an old money family in NYC goes against her family’s wish for her to marry and instead lands a job at the New York Journal working as a journalist for William Hearst. In a time when women aren’t journalists, she begins writing about a woman wrongly imprisoned in Cuba, Evangelina Cisneros.
Based on a real woman, Evangelina is put in the Casa de Recogidas, a prison for women, because she thwarted the forced advances of a Spanish officer. America becomes obsessed with Evangelina through the newspapers where she is called “The Most Beautiful Girl in Cuba”. Evangelina is able to communicate with the outside world through Marina Perez (yes from the Perez family from the past 3 books). Marina was taken from her country home and thrown into a re-concentration camp in Havana with her daughter and mother-in-law because the Spanish were scared of people in the country meeting and rebelling.
Chanel Cleeton took the best aspects of her past 3 books in this series and put them all together here. The stories of these women unfold slowly and gracefully, nothing is rushed. Characters are fully developed and there are no instant romances (thank you for this!). I rooted for Grace to excel in her career and take control over her life. Evangelina was showed off as just a beautiful face but she had so much more to her. Her concern for her country and ALL women imprisoned there, beautiful or not. Marina’s love for her husband and daughter just poured out of the pages, I felt her grief when her husband went off to fight in the war.
This story is the prequel I didn’t know I needed. Cleeton explored wrongfully imprisoning women for “crimes” like simply being married to a rebel and forcing women and children into re-concentration camps where they died by malnutrition and disease at an alarming rate. She also wove in themes true today such as privilege during a war vs being poor and unprotected and how much influence the news does and should have on what happens in the world (such as an article pushing a country to war).
This book was very well researched and I spent a lot of time looking up Evangelina, Casa de Recogidas, and re-concentration camps in Havana. The Author’s Note really got me started into my deep dive. While this story about a war may sound heavy, it’s truly about the fight for Cuban Independence and for the soul of a beautiful country.
Thank you to Berkley Publishing Group and NetGalley for this ARC.
In The Most Beautiful Girl in Cuba we follow 3 women through the years 1896-1898 during the Cuban War of Independence from Spain. Grace Harrington born into an old money family in NYC goes against her family’s wish for her to marry and instead lands a job at the New York Journal working as a journalist for William Hearst. In a time when women aren’t journalists, she begins writing about a woman wrongly imprisoned in Cuba, Evangelina Cisneros.
Based on a real woman, Evangelina is put in the Casa de Recogidas, a prison for women, because she thwarted the forced advances of a Spanish officer. America becomes obsessed with Evangelina through the newspapers where she is called “The Most Beautiful Girl in Cuba”. Evangelina is able to communicate with the outside world through Marina Perez (yes from the Perez family from the past 3 books). Marina was taken from her country home and thrown into a re-concentration camp in Havana with her daughter and mother-in-law because the Spanish were scared of people in the country meeting and rebelling.
Chanel Cleeton took the best aspects of her past 3 books in this series and put them all together here. The stories of these women unfold slowly and gracefully, nothing is rushed. Characters are fully developed and there are no instant romances (thank you for this!). I rooted for Grace to excel in her career and take control over her life. Evangelina was showed off as just a beautiful face but she had so much more to her. Her concern for her country and ALL women imprisoned there, beautiful or not. Marina’s love for her husband and daughter just poured out of the pages, I felt her grief when her husband went off to fight in the war.
This story is the prequel I didn’t know I needed. Cleeton explored wrongfully imprisoning women for “crimes” like simply being married to a rebel and forcing women and children into re-concentration camps where they died by malnutrition and disease at an alarming rate. She also wove in themes true today such as privilege during a war vs being poor and unprotected and how much influence the news does and should have on what happens in the world (such as an article pushing a country to war).
This book was very well researched and I spent a lot of time looking up Evangelina, Casa de Recogidas, and re-concentration camps in Havana. The Author’s Note really got me started into my deep dive. While this story about a war may sound heavy, it’s truly about the fight for Cuban Independence and for the soul of a beautiful country.
Thank you to Berkley Publishing Group and NetGalley for this ARC.
rheaz98's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
pppaigeee's review against another edition
3.0
Liked it & learned a lot about the Cuban revolution and also the early newspaper industry. Overall enjoyable, but probably would not reread or necessarily recommend over other books, unless that’s a period of history you specifically want to read about?
It felt like that specific subgenre of book club read that is great for what it is, but in the space between beach read & contemporary lit that’s a bit too “literature lite” for me personally. Felt like reading something like The Paris Wife or The Nightingale, etc—good and extremely popular books that just don’t quite do it for me. But if you love books like that, I’d bet you love this too!
It felt like that specific subgenre of book club read that is great for what it is, but in the space between beach read & contemporary lit that’s a bit too “literature lite” for me personally. Felt like reading something like The Paris Wife or The Nightingale, etc—good and extremely popular books that just don’t quite do it for me. But if you love books like that, I’d bet you love this too!
kecrain28's review against another edition
5.0
One of the most phenomenal stories I’ve read in a while! The book Chronicles three women and their varying roles throughout Cuban revolution- and ultimately how all of their stories are woven together. Incredible page-turner, highlighting fierce femme warriors.
erinnicole84's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
inspiring
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
4.0
bethberry18's review against another edition
3.0
Interesting time during Cuban War of Independence from Spain and the Spanish-American War. It took longer than I like to connect some dots.