But soon, the Cuban rebellion against Batista impacts even her quiet, sheltered life - in the form of one, unforgettable revolutionary. She knows what to expect in her life - courtship, marriage and then children (undoubtedly, in that order). Tabloid newspapers and quiet, refined lives. 'No.' Elisa Perez, daughter of a sugar baron in Cuba, had a vastly different life from her granddaughter, Marisol Ferrera.Įlisa's world is of wealth, and intrigue. 'I promised I would never see you again.' The message would've been more effective if it wasn't just constantly parroted by the two main characters, if it was actually demonstrated more in the plot.

We get it-Cuba is a conflicted place with a conflicted history. Even though the characters say they love Cuba, I want to know why.Ĥ. The narrator just tells and tells and tells without showing us anything, and it didn't make me connect with the setting. I wanted to enjoy that love, soak it up, but I didn't feel anything for the characters because it just didn't seem realistic.ģ. Both sets of main characters fall in love after only a couple of descriptions. It was mediocre at best and at worst, well, try slamming your eyes closed (I did, and I just don't buy it).Ģ.

'My eyes slam closed.' This is the perfect example of why I didn't enjoy the writing style. Reasons that this book was thoroughly unimpressive:ġ. When more family history comes to light and Marisol finds herself attracted to a man with secrets of his own, she'll need the lessons of her grandmother's past to help her understand the true meaning of courage.

Elisa's last wish was for Marisol to scatter her ashes in the country of her birth.Īrriving in Havana, Marisol comes face-to-face with the contrast of Cuba's tropical, timeless beauty and its perilous political climate. Freelance writer Marisol Ferrera grew up hearing romantic stories of Cuba from her late grandmother Elisa, who was forced to flee with her family during the revolution. The daughter of a sugar baron, nineteen-year-old Elisa Perez is part of Cuba's high society, where she is largely sheltered from the country's growing political unrest-until she embarks on a clandestine affair with a passionate revolutionary. After the death of her beloved grandmother, a Cuban-American woman travels to Havana, where she discovers the roots of her identity-and unearths a family secret hidden since the revolution.

Next Year in Havana by Chanel Cleeton