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book_concierge's review
4.0
Audio performed by Adriana Sananes and Eileen Stevens
A young woman, born in Cuba but raised in Miami by her maternal grandfather, is determined to finally find the mother who abandoned her – or saved her. Her grandfather didn’t find the scrap of paper her mother had pinned to the infant’s sweater until after they got to the United States. Printed on it was a quote from a Pablo Neruda poem, and this is the only clue she has as she begins to search for her mother. Several trips to Havana following her grandfather’s death bring her a sense of the island, but no further clues to her mother’s identity. She has all but given up the search when a mysterious package arrives, bearing no return address but a Spanish postmark. It contains letters, notes, photos and scraps of poetry that reveal a passionate affair between the woman claiming to be her mother – Teresa – and the charismatic Ernesto “Che” Guevara.
Oh, this is lush writing. The reader feels the tropical heat and humidity, smells and tastes the salty sea air, relishes in a faint breeze, hears the beat of a rain storm or the buzz of insects, sees the soft pastels of a decaying city. The beginning and ending sections are narrated by the nameless young woman (and voiced by Eileen Stevens). The middle section is devoted to Teresa’s story (performed by Adriana Sananes), and told in snippets of memories – poetic, erotic, sensual, passionate, and heartbreaking.
Along the way we get a mini-history lesson on the Cuban revolution, told in a very intimate and personal way. There are layers of deception here – Teresa works hard to keep her identity a secret, even from the child she loved enough to let go. And yet, something compels her to relay her story to the one person who needs to understand it. The looming question is whether Teresa’s account – hidden behind false names and inconsistencies with known facts – can be trusted. Is it fact, or fantasy?
Having the audio performed by two talented artists makes this all the more memorable. The performance by Adriana Sananes, in particular, was excellent; she really made me lose myself in Teresa’s story.
A young woman, born in Cuba but raised in Miami by her maternal grandfather, is determined to finally find the mother who abandoned her – or saved her. Her grandfather didn’t find the scrap of paper her mother had pinned to the infant’s sweater until after they got to the United States. Printed on it was a quote from a Pablo Neruda poem, and this is the only clue she has as she begins to search for her mother. Several trips to Havana following her grandfather’s death bring her a sense of the island, but no further clues to her mother’s identity. She has all but given up the search when a mysterious package arrives, bearing no return address but a Spanish postmark. It contains letters, notes, photos and scraps of poetry that reveal a passionate affair between the woman claiming to be her mother – Teresa – and the charismatic Ernesto “Che” Guevara.
Oh, this is lush writing. The reader feels the tropical heat and humidity, smells and tastes the salty sea air, relishes in a faint breeze, hears the beat of a rain storm or the buzz of insects, sees the soft pastels of a decaying city. The beginning and ending sections are narrated by the nameless young woman (and voiced by Eileen Stevens). The middle section is devoted to Teresa’s story (performed by Adriana Sananes), and told in snippets of memories – poetic, erotic, sensual, passionate, and heartbreaking.
Along the way we get a mini-history lesson on the Cuban revolution, told in a very intimate and personal way. There are layers of deception here – Teresa works hard to keep her identity a secret, even from the child she loved enough to let go. And yet, something compels her to relay her story to the one person who needs to understand it. The looming question is whether Teresa’s account – hidden behind false names and inconsistencies with known facts – can be trusted. Is it fact, or fantasy?
Having the audio performed by two talented artists makes this all the more memorable. The performance by Adriana Sananes, in particular, was excellent; she really made me lose myself in Teresa’s story.
rachelhelps's review
2.0
I'm pretty meh on this book. I liked learning a little more about Che (did you know his first name is Ernesto?), but most of that was on my own time and not through this novel. Basic plot: an orphaned woman receives letters from her mother (?) which tell her she is Che Guevara's daughter. Are the letters true? She goes on a wild goose chase to Cuba to find out. We never really know, and it's unclear what this means for us about Che. The thing that saved the book I think were the kind of poetic (possibly over-the-top) reminiscing letters at the beginning.
servemethesky's review
3.0
This book was...mildly interesting. The writing is beautiful, but that's just about all I have to say for the book. Maybe it's the kind of thing you won't understand unless you're Cuban. I just felt very detached, never really connecting with the narrator or her mother. [a:Roxane Gay|3360355|Roxane Gay|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1407278304p2/3360355.jpg]'s novel, [b:An Untamed State|27865163|An Untamed State|Roxane Gay|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1448023315s/27865163.jpg|26127435], about a woman's tangled relationship with Haiti was more powerful and poignant for me than this book about a Cuban exile.
The pictures were fun to look at, though!
The pictures were fun to look at, though!
emmyelizabeth's review
emotional
hopeful
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
This book is just beautiful. An exploration of memory, culture, family, legacy, heritage, history, love, loss, and so much more in less than 230 pages. It left me with the incredible sensation of time moving through me. Truly a work of art.
alexplores's review
3.0
Alright, so about this book. I really like the way it was written, though I was confused at so many parts. Who's speaking? Who's dead, and who's not dead? The context of which the book was written was so good that I was able to overlook all of this, though. I just wish I could have known a few more details.
Like: Is Che alive at the end of the book? Is Calixto? And who's speaking at the beginning?
But all in all, it was a good read.
Like: Is Che alive at the end of the book? Is Calixto? And who's speaking at the beginning?
But all in all, it was a good read.
pepper1133's review
1.0
Oh my God, this was awful. I had to create the "couldn't finish reading" category just for this book. Please don't bother with this drivel. Read something by Allende or Alvarez instead. Those authors are who this one wants to be, but she fails miserably at it.