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3.88 AVERAGE
3.88 AVERAGE
I love Cleeton's writing. Her books have such a great sense of place and great transitions through time. I really enjoyed Evangelina's, Marina's, and Grace's story and they connections that they made throughout the story.
Chanel Cleeton’s novels always grab my attention because of their stunning book covers, and The Most Beautiful Girl in Cuba was no exception. It wasn’t just the cover though; the history of 1800s Cuba, when the people were fighting to gain independence from Spain, intrigued me. Cleeton introduces us to three women: The Journal reporter Grace, Cuban revolutionary Marina, and “the most beautiful girl in Cuba” – legendary Evangelina Cisneros. Through these three young women’s perspectives, we are brought into the midst of the Cuban resistance and the Spanish-American War.
I generally enjoy Cleeton’s writing, but this novel took a little bit of effort for me to get into. It was slow to establish each of the characters and their backgrounds. I personally felt disconnected from the first half of the book. However, the latter half gripped me, and I became more invested in the conclusion of the women’s stories.
Similarly, the general pacing was a bit off to me. There was a lot of set up for some characters and much less for others. We got much of Grace’s background and story, but hers had the least action with the Cuban resistance. Conversely, we got very little background or set up for Evangelina – despite her being the title character, so to speak – but lots of plot action early on in her storyline. Marina often felt lost in between. None of the stories were disinteresting in any way, but between the scattered pacing and POV changes, I felt uncertain on what to care about most, and I definitely didn’t feel attached to everything.
Despite those qualms, I maintain that Cleeton is a good writer who tells unique stories. I really like the attention she gives to Cuban history with excellent descriptions of setting and character. I knew very little of the Cuban resistance, and Cleeton’s detailed narrative proved she put a lot of effort into researching for the book. The novel is also fairly free of any language or graphic sexual content.
While it’s not my new favorite novel, it’s a good historical read with action, romance, conspiracy, and interesting characters. Worth a read!
www.theliteratureladies.com
I generally enjoy Cleeton’s writing, but this novel took a little bit of effort for me to get into. It was slow to establish each of the characters and their backgrounds. I personally felt disconnected from the first half of the book. However, the latter half gripped me, and I became more invested in the conclusion of the women’s stories.
Similarly, the general pacing was a bit off to me. There was a lot of set up for some characters and much less for others. We got much of Grace’s background and story, but hers had the least action with the Cuban resistance. Conversely, we got very little background or set up for Evangelina – despite her being the title character, so to speak – but lots of plot action early on in her storyline. Marina often felt lost in between. None of the stories were disinteresting in any way, but between the scattered pacing and POV changes, I felt uncertain on what to care about most, and I definitely didn’t feel attached to everything.
Despite those qualms, I maintain that Cleeton is a good writer who tells unique stories. I really like the attention she gives to Cuban history with excellent descriptions of setting and character. I knew very little of the Cuban resistance, and Cleeton’s detailed narrative proved she put a lot of effort into researching for the book. The novel is also fairly free of any language or graphic sexual content.
While it’s not my new favorite novel, it’s a good historical read with action, romance, conspiracy, and interesting characters. Worth a read!
www.theliteratureladies.com
3.5 - a little slow to capture my interest, but then it got interesting. Enjoyed taking a look into this time period of history.
adventurous
challenging
emotional
inspiring
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
My favourite Chanel Cleeton yet. Found it much easier to get into than Next Year in Havana and loved the fictional following of a true story. I did think it was the book for Beartiz Perez which took me a while to figure out, but I really enjoyed this. Thank you TUI for a 27.5hr delay for helping me finish this so quickly.
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
I made it almost halfway through before I decided to abandon this book. I really loved The Last Train to Key West but this plot just moves way too slow for me. Nothing of significance has happened between the characters in the first 125 pages of the book to make me slog through the rest. I hate not finishing books but my summer book stack is a mile high and I want to find my next great summer read, sadly this isn’t it. I might pick it back up this winter but I’m taking it back to the library where hopefully it will be a great read for someone else.
adventurous
challenging
emotional
informative
inspiring
sad
tense
fast-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:
Yes
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes