This is the story of Cuban women, their lives in Cuba before and after (briefly) the revolution, and their sad, sorry lives in the land that was to save them as factory workers in New Jersey. From the title one would believe this to be a romance, but is clearly women's fiction, that was so aptly written by a man. The title refers to the main characters in the telanovellas the women watch at night in their bleak apartments before going to the lonely beds, only to rise to cold mornings to ready for wearying days at the conveyor belt filled with doll parts (all but the heads). A good portion of their stories takes place on the van ride in to the factory, where their memories abound, their relationships to home, this new country, and mostly to each other is told.
A surprisingly warm, touching novel that left me wishing there were a sequel.
A surprisingly warm, touching novel that left me wishing there were a sequel.
