Tuesday, July 16, 2013

Review: HABANERA: A PORTRAIT OF A CUBAN FAMILYA by Teresa Dovalpage

 
Habanera is a wonderfully lively and entertaining journey, alternately humorous and wistful. By the end, you will feel as if you have traveled to one of the most exotic islands on earth, during its most surrealistic historical moment. Dovalpage is a master of quirky, loveable characters, and emotionally resonant narrative. Habanera bursts with the energetic curiosity and hopefulness of youth.
 
 
 
Reviewed by: Celia
Rating: 3 stars
 
Review: This story is about a young girl coming of age in a historical communist country. It allows us to re-live the struggles and hardships in a Cuba so unlike the one seen with Ricky Ricardo. Centered on one family struggling to break free of Castro’s domineering ways, we experience the history and politics through the astute vision of a little girl named Longina, who is unaware of what’s going on and is just hearing words like “revolution” and “visa” for the very first time. Filled with wholesome and vivid details so precise you can taste it, actually feel it scraping the roof of your tongue. This book will take you back in time and make you experience each day like a blind man trekking through mud.  
 
Even though this book was a tad too political for my taste, I was still impressed by the author’s impeccable writing skills. A highly recommended book for the history buff.

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