Review: When We Left Cuba (by Chanel Cleeton)

My rating: 4.5 stars

In her first book about the Perez family, Next Year in Havana, author Chanel Cleeton had introduced us to Beatriz Perez, Marisol Ferrara’s great-aunt and also older sister to Elisa Perez.  Even though the focus of that story was on Marisol and Elisa, with Beatriz playing only a supporting role, I still remember quite vividly Beatriz’s strong, spirited, defiant personality – in fact, she was one of my favorite characters from that story so of course, I was absolutely ecstatic to learn that Cleeton’s next novel, When We Left Cuba, would essentially be Beatriz’s story.   While Next Year in Havana was set primarily in Cuba and focused on the time period of the revolution in which president Batista was ousted and Fidel Castro took power, When We Left Cuba is set primarily in the United States and focuses on the aftermath of the revolution, the Cuban exiles living in Florida and their fight to reclaim Cuba, as well as the island’s relationship with the rest of the world under Castro’s leadership.  In addition, this story touched on elements that we would normally find in a spy thriller, as Beatriz becomes involved with the CIA and goes on a few secret missions for them with the goal of killing Castro in order to avenge the death of her twin brother Alejandro and the loss of her family’s home and fortunes.  Story-wise, there was a lot at play here –politics, history (both Cuban history as well as American), romance, espionage, family, culture, etc. – plus quite a few characters, both ones we were introduced to in the previous story as well as new ones, yet not once did I feel overwhelmed by everything that was going on – rather, I was captivated by the story and couldn’t put the book down once I started reading it.  I’m usually not a reader of spy/espionage-themed stories and more often than not, I also don’t take well to stories heavy on American politics, but this book defied my expectations in this area -- both of these themes were incorporated extremely well, to the point that they didn’t overpower the story, which I absolutely appreciated.

One of the biggest draws to this book for me was the character of Beatriz Perez herself – a wonderfully written character who was at once complex, intriguing, and absolutely unforgettable.  I loved her sassiness, her independent spirit, her boldness in following her heart and not caring what others thought of her or her actions, her open defiance of convention and refusal to conform to what society and her parents expected of her (which was to marry someone rich and well-connected, have children, and fade into the role of demure housewife).  Beautiful, smart, funny, willful, and headstrong, Beatriz was the type of person who wanted to be recognized and respected for her own merits, who valued her own independence and freedom and making her own way in the worl               d, who wanted to shape her own destiny and not be a woman needing to be “taken care of” by a man or whose worth in the world could only be defined by the merits and achievements of her significant other.   At the same time, she was also a woman who knew how to love passionately, fearlessly, boldly, devotedly, yet still be able to approach the same relationship with pragmatism and discernment.  In her Author’s Note, Cleeton mentioned that after introducing Beatriz’s character in Next Year in Havana, she had to stop halfway through drafting that novel in order to write the first chapter of this book because Beatriz’s story “was pushing its way out, demanding to be told” – that’s exactly how I felt about Beatriz even before I started reading her story!

Once again, Cleeton does a fantastic job of seamlessly melding historical events with a captivating story while at the same time giving us beautifully drawn, imperfect characters whom we can’t help falling in love with as the story progresses.  While it’s not required to have read the first novel in order to appreciate this one, I would still recommend reading Next Year in Havana prior to going into this one because of the background it provides in terms of the Perez family and what happened to them during the revolution in Cuba.  I enjoyed revisiting some of the characters from the previous story and also seeing how perfectly the timelines from both stories aligned.  I’m not sure if Cleeton’s next historical novel (which, according to the note at the back of this book, is scheduled to come out in Winter 2020) will also be about the Perez family, but even if it’s not, given how much I loved her last 2 novels, no doubt I am still highly anticipating its release.  Historical fiction fans definitely should pick both of these novels up, especially those who are interested in better understanding Cuban history and its role on the world stage.

Received ARC from Berkley Books via Penguin First to Read program

Review: A Ladder to the Sky (by John Boyne)

My Rating: 4.5 stars

Last year, there was one book that I not only kept seeing repeatedly atop many “best of” lists, I also saw that nearly every one of my Goodreads friend who had read the book (and whose opinions I trust) raved about it.  Of course, I immediately put the book on my TBR and even bought a special annotated hardcover version with the goal of reading it as soon as my time allowed.  That book, as I’m sure most have guessed already, was John Boyne’s award-winning masterpiece The Heart’s Invisible Furies.  Unfortunately (and much to my disappointment), things didn’t turn out the way I wanted and I ended up not being able to read the book last year as planned (though with that said, in planning my 2019 reading goals, I have prioritized the book as a “must read” for next year).  When I saw that Boyne would have a new book out this year, a novel entitled A Ladder to the Sky, I just knew that I could not repeat the “missed opportunity” from last year, so I jumped on getting an advance copy and prioritized it for this month.  Now, having finished this brilliantly written novel, I’m so glad I was able to get to it and finally experience for myself Boyne’s masterful storytelling (not to mention I think I’ve found myself yet another author to add to my “favorites” list)! 

Truth be told, I felt conflicted the entire time I read this book.  On the one hand, I absolutely loved the writing (to say that the writing in here is “brilliant” is actually an understatement – it’s so good that I can’t think of a proper word to describe it that would give it justice) and the story was well-executed, powerful, and magnificently told (I was engrossed in the story from first page to the last).  In the area of character development, Boyne’s skill is beyond phenomenal, as the meticulous way he crafted the character of Maurice Swift – a “protagonist” so without morals and without a single redeeming quality about him that it was impossible not to hate him (I actually loathed him with every fiber of my being) – yet at the same time, the character is written in a way that is so realistic and utterly believable that there were many moments where I felt like I was reading about a real person instead of a fictional character.  Never have I read a book where I despised the main “protagonist” so much that I almost didn’t want to continue reading after part 2 because I was so overwhelmingly disgusted with Maurice’s actions up to that point that I didn’t think I could bear reading any more about his bad deeds without wanting to pull my hair out.  The only reason I persevered was because I absolutely HAD TO KNOW whether Maurice would get his comeuppance in the end (and in another first for me -- as I read every subsequent page after that middle section, I hoped that the ending would be satisfying, but more importantly, I actually “prayed” that the ending would involve the character’s demise).  Of course, I’m not going to spoil it for those who’ve yet had the chance to read this, so I’m not going to say anything further about the plot or my feelings about the ending.

Bottom line, this was a fantastic read, one that I can’t recommend highly enough!  Rating-wise, this was easily a 5 star read given how much I loved the magnificent writing and the engaging story (plus parts of the story and the dialogue between some characters did give me food for thought and made me ponder some previously-held beliefs), but I ended up giving 4.5 (rounded down) because I hated the character of Maurice so much (and disliked many of the other characters as well) that I just couldn’t bring myself to rate it higher.  With that said though, I will echo the sentiments of many of the other reviewers here in saying that if you haven’t read a John Boyne novel yet, rectify that by reading this one.  I personally intend to go a step further in that I plan to read as many of his previous novels as I can while I eagerly wait to see what Boyne has in store for us next!

Received ARC from Hogarth Press and Crown Publishing via Penguin First to Read program.

Review: The Late Bloomers’ Club (by Louise Miller)

My Rating: 3.5 stars

After a slew of emotional, heavy, intense reads, I needed a "palette cleanser" of sorts, something light-hearted and not too long, a book that would be a perfect wind-down to summer -- Louise Miller's The Late Bloomers' Club fit the bill nicely!  This is a charming story set in a small town in Vermont, with characters so endearing that I found myself taking to them almost immediately.  I grew up in the hustle and bustle of a big city where everyone was always so busy trying to meet the demands of city life that it was often hard to develop friendships with others in the same neighborhood, let alone the community at large.  Because of this, I'm often attracted to books about small towns where everyone in the community know each other and the natural inclination is to band together and help each other out in times of trouble – this is the exact type of community at the center of this story, which revolves around Nora Huckleberry, owner of the Miss Guthrie Diner, her free-spirited sister Kit, and cake lady Peggy Johnson who bequeaths the sisters with her home and property upon her death.  While the sisters are tasked with having to decide whether to sell the land to the big-box developer that Peggy was in talks with prior to her death, they also have their own personal issues to deal with – add to that the differing opinions from everyone in the community, some of whom want the growth opportunities that the developer would bring, while others oppose any change that could potentially threaten their livelihoods.  These various conflicts were incorporated into a narrative that featured many elements of a heartwarming, "feel-good" story – small town atmosphere with ordinary people living ordinary lives, close-knit friendships, sisterly and family love, plenty of descriptions of mouth-watering foods and desserts, lush depictions of farms, orchards, country houses, a light touch of romance, and yes, Freckles the dog (one of the characters I adored the most, lol).  The result was a well-balanced story with just enough depth to keep things interesting, but still maintain a light, warm tone that made this an easy, fun read.  While it's true that much of the plot was predictable and the ending was tied up a little too nicely, that was to be expected with this story, so not much of an issue there.  If I had one "complaint," it would be that the narrative was told entirely from Nora's first person point of view, which made the writing a little bit clunky in some parts – I think the story would've been better told in third person, especially since the other characters aside from Nora also factored into the story in significant ways. 

With all that said, I did enjoy this one overall and actually would like to read this author's first book, The City Baker's Guide to Country Living, which it sounds like is a companion piece to this book (same setting and some of the same characters).  Overall, a worthwhile, recommended read!

Received ARC from Pamela Dorman Books via Penguin First to Read program.

Review: A Place for Us (by Fatima Farheen Mirza)

My Rating:  5 stars

 

How could I not give 5 stars to a book that touched me so deeply and resonated with me in such a way that closing the cover after reaching the end of this poignant story made me feel like I was leaving a part of myself behind?   This is the third book I’ve read so far this year that broke my heart and moved me to the point of tears, but the first one where I experienced such a deep connection emotionally that, upon finishing the book, I felt utterly depleted, as though the wind had been knocked out of me.  Even now, as I attempt to put into words how I feel about this astoundingly beautiful debut novel, I am struggling because nothing I write will do justice to how good this book was and the profound impact it had on me.  It is not often that I am rendered essentially speechless after reading a book and have to fight hard to gather my thoughts as well as express them in a somewhat coherent manner – yes, THIS book had THAT type of effect on me.

Even though I do not share the same culture or religion as the family at the center of this story, I am blown away by how strongly I was still able to relate to each of the characters as well as how similar our experiences were on so many levels.  Indeed, this was one of the most unique aspects of this book and absolutely a reflection of the author Fatima Farheen Mirza’s immense literary talent – I was floored by the author’s ability to explore with such depth the complexities of family dynamics against the backdrop of one particular culture and religion, yet still make the story so universally resonant with those of us who may not share the same beliefs.  Mirza’s writing is exquisite, beautiful, emotionally nuanced to the point that it draws you in from the very first page, grabs a hold of your heart, and never lets go.  This is the kind of writing that is quiet and subtle, yet rich in its coverage of the topics that matter – family dynamics, culture and tradition, community, religion, identity and belonging.  Each character was so tenderly and gently drawn at the hands of this talented writer, yet the portrayal was so realistic and authentic that there were many moments where I felt I was reading about a real Indian-American Muslim family learning to exist in a world where the culture was so different from their own.

This was a family I grew to love – the parents Rafiq and Layla, their two daughters Hadia and Huda, and the youngest, their only son Amar whose path, even as early as birth, was already rocky and perhaps destined to “not fit in” with the norm.   I love how the story alternated between each character’s point of view -- the same events, life moments at times told from a different character’s perspective, the differences in interpretation of each other’s words, actions, facial expressions, body language, and how all these nuances in each character’s interactions with one another trigger a myriad of reactions and decisions that eventually altered the course of their lives, for better or for worse.  As the story progressed and I got to delve deep into the thoughts and feelings of each character, I began to see a little bit of myself in each of the siblings and it was at that point that I knew this book would affect me on personal level.  I resonated with eldest sister Hadia – the part of her that was studious, responsible, obedient, the rock in the family who can always be counted on to do the right thing, to follow the right path, to sacrifice her wants and desires in order to fulfill the obligations expected of her – I completely understood the inner conflict she had to go through in trying to reconcile her genuine love and affection for her family with the feelings of resentment and constant yearning for recognition and praise from her parents that, at times, got the better of her and influenced her decisions.  I connected with middle sister Huda – the sibling who was most self-assured and comfortable in her own shoes, who was the voice of reason, who wore her heart on her sleeve and was never afraid to tell things like it is, to be up front and direct, to admonish her siblings when they screw up, yet in times of need, stand loyally by their side and be that shoulder to cry on or that source of comfort during moments of despair.  And yes, I absolutely resonated with Amar – the wayward son, the baby of the family, the sensitive soul who always felt everything so deeply, who was kind-hearted but rebellious, the apple of his mother’s eye and the sibling who received the most outward love and attention, well-liked by everyone in the community, yet he was the one who struggled the most with his “place” in the world and felt that he never truly “belonged,” a young man constantly striving for acceptance, self-worth, identity.

The last part of the story, told entirely from the father Rafiq’s point of view, very nearly broke me – from the first page of that section, the tears flowed non-stop and by the end, I was outright crying.  Hearing the narrative and many of the same defining moments from the earlier sections, this time told from the father’s first person perspective -- the one character who had remained silent for the most part throughout majority of the story finally giving his account – it was stirring and powerful, heartfelt and inspiring, yet at the same time tremendously heart-breaking.  It made me think about my own relationship with my parents, the many arguments we’ve had over the years, and reminded me how fragile family relationships can be, how a family can love each other deeply yet make decisions in each other’s best interests that end up hurting each other the most.  This last section brought the story full circle and was particularly thought-provoking, albeit emotionally draining.

Many reviews out there have sung the praises of this book and rightfully so!  There isn’t much I can add that hasn’t already been eloquently stated by others so I won’t attempt to put all my thoughts here but just know that even now, a day after finishing this book, I am still thinking about it, revisiting certain scenes and allowing Mirza’s beautifully written words to once again flow through my mind.  This one is highly recommended, without a doubt! 

Received ARC from SJP for Hogarth via Penguin First to Read program.