Book Review - When We Left Cuba
When We Left Cuba by Chanel Cleeton is wonderfully written about a Cuban immigrant who seeks revenge for the man she believes killed her twin brother before her family fled Cuba for the United States.
This is the 2nd book I've read from Chanel Cleeton. After reading, The Last Train to Key West I couldn't wait to read another of her books
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Summary:
Beatriz Perez and her family fled Cuba in the '60s as Fidel Castro took over as president of her beloved country. She believed that Castro was responsible for killing her twin brother. One evening, a car pulled up in front of her house and her brother fell out of the car, already dead.
The Perez family resides in Palm Beach Florida. Every Spring when the socialites come to town, Mr. Perez seeks to find suitable husbands for her daughters. One of them is already married, while the other 3 are still single. Beatriz, however is not interested a wife, especially in an arranged marriage.
Beatriz is independent, and beautiful. At one of the galas, she meets an attractive politician. When she and Nick Preston meet, their attraction is undeniable.
OPPOSITES ATTRACT
Nick Preston is running for Senator and Beatriz will do anything to bring justice for her brother's death. She's even willing to assassinate Fidel Castro if given the opportunity. When her best friend from Cuba, Eduardo introduces her to a CIA agent, her life begins a path that is contradictory to the up and coming Senator Preston.
However, even though Nick is engaged to another socialite, he can't forget about Beatriz. In no time, they begin an affair. Beatriz has made it clear that her loyalties lie with Cuba and she plans to do whatever she can to bring justice to Alejandro. Nick, on the other hand is in love with Beatriz and can't live without her. Eventually, he breaks his engagement and purchases a house on Palm Beach for them to share when he's in town.
When word begins spreading about their affair, it's more than her family can handle. Her mother plans to send her to live in Madrid for a while, hoping to end the relationship between her and Nick. Mr Dwyer from the CIA has other plans for her. She is, instead to move to London to work on collecting intelligence for the CIA about Cuba.
When things don't work as planned and it becomes dangerous for Beatriz in London, she ends up moving back to the US and lives with Nick in Washington DC. Life is good for a while, until it becomes complicated. The relationship between the US and Cuba is not good and Beatriz is wondering when she will be asked to go to Cuba for the CIA and "take care of" Castro.
LIFE MUST MOVE ON
Beatriz finally gets the call she was waiting for. The CIA is ready for her to go to Cuba and take out Fidel Castro. Her friend Eduardo (also working with the CIA) will be part of the plan to get her to Cuba and secretly get her to Castro. When she tells Nick about her plans, they say "Goodbye". The reality is that she may not make it back to the US alive. Even if she does, they realize their lives are on different paths and they must not continue, together.
Beatriz safely gets to Cuba and is secretly taken to meet with Castro. Her plan is to get close to him and put poison in his drink so that he would die quickly and quietly. However, Castro had other plans. Needless to say, she is not successful in her effort. Fidel sends Beatriz back to the US with a message.
When Beatriz meets with Mr. Dwyer after returning from Cuba, he congratulates her for her efforts as well as her ability to stay the course. He offers her ongoing work with the CIA. She plans to attend college and go to law school.
The story ends in 2016 after Castro dies and Beatriz is ready to celebrate. However, after her conversation with Fidel in the '60s, she isn't necessarily celebrating her brother's killer meeting his faith. She had always hoped that with Castro losing power, hopefully her beloved country could find the peace it once had, when she was a child.
When she sees Nick again, it's like no time had passed at all.
REVIEW:
I thoroughly enjoyed this story. My husband is from Cuba, immigrating here to the US in the early 1970's. Therefore, I was interested in reading about his home country. After reading The Last Train to Key West, I knew that I would learn a little about Cuba from the quality writing of Chanel Cleeton. I was not disappointed.
She writes with wonderful description - of the characters and geography. I look forward to reading more from this author. I've learned a little from each story I've read from her and would recommend her books to any reader.
Until my next review...
