Helpful Score: 3
"Dreaming in Cuban" tells the story of the Cuban Revolution from the point of view of three generations of women. However, it is truly a book about the relationships between the women. Their love/hate for the Cuban Revolution is just the catalyst, the most visible symptom of their famiy dynamic.
The chracters are a little difficult to keep track of at first, but luckily a "family tree" is included to help with that. The book is told from the viewpoint of the women, shifting from one to another with the start of each chapter. It is also told from various points in time over several decades.
There's a dreamlike quality to the book and a touch of the mystical in each character as the story evolves through their inner memories. They've all been effected by the revolution and it shapes the form of this book. There is violence, murder, passion, birth and death in this book, but all told in a sort of lyrical mist, not overly explicit. The reader feels the torpid heat of the Cuban day, the gentle warmth of the sea, and the breezes that stir the palms.
The chracters are a little difficult to keep track of at first, but luckily a "family tree" is included to help with that. The book is told from the viewpoint of the women, shifting from one to another with the start of each chapter. It is also told from various points in time over several decades.
There's a dreamlike quality to the book and a touch of the mystical in each character as the story evolves through their inner memories. They've all been effected by the revolution and it shapes the form of this book. There is violence, murder, passion, birth and death in this book, but all told in a sort of lyrical mist, not overly explicit. The reader feels the torpid heat of the Cuban day, the gentle warmth of the sea, and the breezes that stir the palms.
Helpful Score: 1
Beautifully written, if a bit heavy with the flowery and dreamy descriptions at times. But even those don't seem out of place when you're talking about that colorful, bright part of the world. I didn't feel this was so much a story about politics as it was a story about families and relationships within families: fathers and daughters; mothers and sons; daughters and mothers. About holding on to dreams, living out your passions. The context of the Cuban culture and revolution offers a unique, interesting and touching perspective.
Helpful Score: 1
beautifully written, a nice read on finding your place in life
Great book! Really makes you think about the way that that Castro has affected everday people's lives.
Helpful Score: 1
a delightful book with some beautiful imagery. Didn't think i would enjoy it but found myself really intrigued.
Helpful Score: 1
This book is one of my favorites. It is so well written and honest and beautiful. It should be savored.
I read this as a member of a book group and we all loved it.
I loved the trip to Cuba... I have often wondered what it was like there. This book swept me away in the the turquoise waves of one complex family and their diverse reactions to Fidel and the changes he made there.
Knowing history is one thing, living it through a novel like this touches your soul.
Knowing history is one thing, living it through a novel like this touches your soul.
