Reviews

Your Heart My Sky by Margarita Engle

claudiaslibrarycard's review against another edition

emotional reflective sad fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

Your Heart, My Sky is a beautifully written novel in verse. I had never read a historical fiction novel in verse so I was eager to pick this up when I found it at the library. I picked it up for its lovely green cover, and I couldn’t be more glad I did. 

This story begins in the early 1990s in Cuba as the USSR falls and Soviet aid is withdrawn. Cubans are facing mandatory labor, rationing, and extreme hunger. The poems are told in three perspectives: Amado, Liana, and the singing dog. Amado and Liana are both teenagers who refuse to comply with the compulsory labor. They meet in this solitary time as they scrounge for food and connection. 

At first I was a bit leery of the dog’s perspective but those poems became my favorite as they embodied the cultural beliefs and a more omniscient and reflective perspective. 

This book is such a gorgeous story of love and humanity in terrible times. I am so glad I read it, for the experience and for the knowledge of a time in recent history that I was uneducated about. Your Heart, My Sky is a book that will linger in my heart. 

pich's review against another edition

emotional hopeful reflective fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

unlike others, i thought the verse writing was a nice way to tell the story. learning about this aspect of Cuban history through the perspectives of two kids and a ‘whimsical’ dog, along with the poetic writing style, made for an almost bittersweet short story. 

janviiiii7's review against another edition

adventurous dark fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

libscote's review against another edition

3.0

I thought the descriptions of hunger and slow starvation were really powerful. I also liked the singing dog.

christina_billhartz's review against another edition

emotional hopeful informative reflective sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

madsanne's review against another edition

2.0

the verse writing style wasn’t my cup of tea, but the story was beautiful nonetheless.

shahnachristine's review against another edition

4.0

bluehairedlibrarian's review against another edition

4.0

A short novel in verse about two teenagers in Cuba during the famine years of the early 1990s. As with a lot of verse novels, I didn't think the format was used to advance the story except in rare occasions, especially as the two protagonists' stories came together. The addition of a possibly magical dog gave a harrowing story some magical realism, but it's mostly about the struggle of surviving a country that refuses to take care of its people for the sake of maintaining an image to the rest of the world.

rachael_jo's review against another edition

adventurous emotional informative sad fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

shaffe71's review against another edition

3.0

3.5

I liked that this story is about a period of time that Americans don't learn a lot about, if they learn anything about it. However, I don't think verse was the best way to tell the story.