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okiecozyreader's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
reflective
sad
fast-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.5
I might give this one 4.5. I love that it is translated from Spanish and that the author edited it to convey what he wanted in English. He is so delightful to talk with and I’m grateful I got to discuss this with him and @bookfriendsbookclub.
This is an interesting, under the radar pick. It begins in Germany during WWII with Ally Keller, a poet who has a daughter Lilith, fathered by a black German musician. When he disappears, she moves on with her life with the help of a professor. When her child is declared a bastard and doesn’t meet the Aryan purity, she sends her to Cuba with a Jewish couple they know seeking refuge. As Lilith grows up, she marries the son of a president, who becomes a target when Castro takes leadership, sending her young daughter Nadine to NYC through the Catholic Church. Nadine ends up back in Europe when the only mother she’s known is arrested.
So many generations of trauma from a Cuban perspective at times (from his family’s memories). Even though it covers many hard topics, it is beautifully written and our bookclub loved it (it got all 4.5 and 5 votes). It’s so interesting in how it covers these memories relating to this time period of WWII in Cuba and how these generations of people hid and lost their families.
Titled The Night Travelers, originally because Ally and Lilith couldn’t travel safely during the day (because her hair gave her away as being black and less-than), they felt safer at night. Ally wrote a poem mentioned throughout the book likewise called The Night Travelers. And I loved how each generation carried this through as night travelers.
Night travelers are full of light. —RUMI
“the night belongs to us, to me and you. The night is ours.” Ch 2
“she, who had always been a night traveler. By night, we’re all the same color,” Ch 18
“She had abandoned her daughter to save her. We give up what we love. We forget as the only means of salvation. It was her daughter’s turn to be the night traveler, just as she had once been.” Ch 20
“This was when the little girl realized: she was destined to live in the night. She and her grandmother Lilith were daughters of the moon.” Ch 26
“She’s realized I’ve spent my whole life forgetting, ever since I was born, and now she wants to remember everything.” Ch 26
“There’s no better way to welcome someone than with books.” Ch 26
“You had to be born so that I could understand my mother.” Ch 33
“Perhaps they’d left the world knowing that their lives weren’t as hopeless as they’d believed. “You can’t leave life carrying a heavy load,” she had heard her grandmother Ernestine say on more than one occasion. “To get to the other side, you must travel as lightly as possible.” Ch 35
This is an interesting, under the radar pick. It begins in Germany during WWII with Ally Keller, a poet who has a daughter Lilith, fathered by a black German musician. When he disappears, she moves on with her life with the help of a professor. When her child is declared a bastard and doesn’t meet the Aryan purity, she sends her to Cuba with a Jewish couple they know seeking refuge. As Lilith grows up, she marries the son of a president, who becomes a target when Castro takes leadership, sending her young daughter Nadine to NYC through the Catholic Church. Nadine ends up back in Europe when the only mother she’s known is arrested.
So many generations of trauma from a Cuban perspective at times (from his family’s memories). Even though it covers many hard topics, it is beautifully written and our bookclub loved it (it got all 4.5 and 5 votes). It’s so interesting in how it covers these memories relating to this time period of WWII in Cuba and how these generations of people hid and lost their families.
Titled The Night Travelers, originally because Ally and Lilith couldn’t travel safely during the day (because her hair gave her away as being black and less-than), they felt safer at night. Ally wrote a poem mentioned throughout the book likewise called The Night Travelers. And I loved how each generation carried this through as night travelers.
Night travelers are full of light. —RUMI
“the night belongs to us, to me and you. The night is ours.” Ch 2
“she, who had always been a night traveler. By night, we’re all the same color,” Ch 18
“She had abandoned her daughter to save her. We give up what we love. We forget as the only means of salvation. It was her daughter’s turn to be the night traveler, just as she had once been.” Ch 20
“This was when the little girl realized: she was destined to live in the night. She and her grandmother Lilith were daughters of the moon.” Ch 26
“She’s realized I’ve spent my whole life forgetting, ever since I was born, and now she wants to remember everything.” Ch 26
“There’s no better way to welcome someone than with books.” Ch 26
“You had to be born so that I could understand my mother.” Ch 33
“Perhaps they’d left the world knowing that their lives weren’t as hopeless as they’d believed. “You can’t leave life carrying a heavy load,” she had heard her grandmother Ernestine say on more than one occasion. “To get to the other side, you must travel as lightly as possible.” Ch 35
Content Warnings
Moderate: Medical content, Violence, War, Pregnancy, Abortion, Abandonment, Deportation, and Genocide
astifel21's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Deportation, Suicidal thoughts, War, Genocide, Violence, Antisemitism, Blood, Death, Grief, Murder, Racism, Death of parent, and Racial slurs
Minor: Medical content, Dementia, Sexual assault, and Medical trauma
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