Book Review - Next Year in Havana
Next Year in Havana by Chanel Cleeton is written with so much Cuban history. This is the 3rd book I've read by Chanel Cleeton. After reading her historical novel, The Last Train to Key West followed by When We Left Cuba I was anxious to continue reading her stories.
My husband and his family lawfully emigrated from Cuba and immigrated to the US in the 1970s. I've heard some stories from him over the years, but these stories by Chanel provided interesting insight for me.
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SUMMARY:
Next Year in Havana is the story of a Cuban family who find themselves threatened by new President Fidel Castro in the late 1950s. When the Perez family realize that to save their family legacy they will have to leave their beloved Cuba, not everyone is happy.
Marisol, the granddaughter of one of the daughters of the Senior Perez takes a trip to Cuba in 2017 to spread the remains of her grandmother in the country her grandmother always considered Home.
Chanel Cleeton does a wonderful job telling the story of the Perez family during the time in Cuba when Fidel Castro takes over as President. Describing the Perez family history through Marisol's visit to Cuba provides the reader a real sense of how it would feel to learn about one's heritage through travel to where her family originated.
Mr. and Mrs. Perez realize that to save their family fortune and legacy they will have to move to leave Cuba when Castro threatens to take over their's and many other's livelihoods. They have 4 daughters and Elisa Perez had just met Pedro who she quickly fell in love with. Unfortunately, Pedro is fighting the war in Cuba and would not be accepted by Elisa's family, therefore, their relationship is kept secret.
Marisol, Elisa's granddaughter takes a trip to Cuba to learn about her family's heritage and spread her grandmother's remains where her grandmother loved the most. Marisol is a writer and traveled under the guise of writing an article about Cuba's travel industry. When Marisol lands in Cuba, the grandson of Elisa's childhood best friend greets her at the airport. Luis becomes Marisol's tour guide and they become close. Luis is a professor at the University in Havana as well as a blogger about Cuba's history under a ghost name.
FAMILY SECRETS
Luis's grandmother, Ana, who was best friends with Elisa gives Marisol a box of treasures that Elisa left behind when her family moved to Miami. When Marisol reads some letters that were written to Elisa by her long-lost love, Pedro, Marisol is determined to meet the man Elisa left behind.
When Elisa realizes she is pregnant right before her family leaves Cuba, the only person she feels she can trust with the news is the girls' nanny, Magda. Magda has been like a mother to all 4 girls as their mother was always busy with galas and parties. She is devastated to learn that Pedro has perished while fighting for Cuba.
Marisol seeks information from Ana and learns that the best person to speak with about her grandmother in the days before leaving Cuba was her nanny, Magda. Luis and Marisol make the drive to Santa Clara to meet with Magda. Magda is able to fill in the gaps that Marisol was missing about her grandmother, including that she was pregnant when her family left Cuba for Miami.
LOVE IN CUBA
Marisol quickly feels the ties to Cuba. She and Luis find an unexpected connection and quickly fall in love. Marisol feels some degree of betrayal that she didn't know her grandmother, as well as she thought she did since she always felt that she was closest to Elisa when she was alive. However, she realizes how similar she and her grandmother were, both loving men who fought for better in Cuba.
Luis was the author of a blog about the negative side of Cuba. He had to hide his blog (writing under a ghost name) since the country was still ruled by Castro. He risked being caught and punished for his writing. Since Marisol's arrival, Luis was under a microscope. Cuban officials were aware of his blog and feared that he and Marisol were colluding about publishing an article shedding Cuba in a negative light.
Things quickly turn dark for Luis and Marisol and secrets come to light. Luis must make a life-changing decision to save his life. Marisol went to Cuba to learn more about her family's country and comply with her grandmother's dying wish. She heads home to Miami with SO much more!
REVIEW:
I thoroughly enjoyed reading this story. After 20 years of marriage to my Cuban-born husband, I've heard some stories, but haven't really KNOWN what life was like for his family living in Cuba during the Batista and Castro years. Ironically, Magda, the nanny was living in Santa Clara when Marisol went to meet with her. Santa Clara was the city my husband was from, therefore I felt some kind of ties to this story.
Chanel Cleeton does a wonderful job of describing the landscape and scenery of the settings for this story. Where When We Left Cuba focuses more on Miami/Palm Beach, this story focuses on Havana. These 2 stories read in succession were wonderful stories with so much history, but exciting love stories as well! I would definitely recommend reading any story by Chanel.
What historical fiction stories have you read lately? Please share below!
Until my next review...
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