Reviews with content warning for Sexual assault - Dreaming in Cuban

I really didn't enjoy Dreaming in Cuban - it was only 250 pages but took me over a week to finish. There was just a lack of cohesion in this book that really threw me off. There were so many storylines: Celia, the mother, her three children, and then four of her grandchildren, all narrated parts of the book, which regularly switched between their perspectives. Some lived in various places in Cuba, some in the USA, and each had vastly different experiences and views of Cuban politics. I didn't feel that these perspectives were woven together into something that resembled a coherent storyline, just a whole lot of loose threads. There were even some characters written in first person and some in third person, which just made things really jilted as you moved between the characters. The moment of most cohesion was at the end, but even then I felt that the narrative was too chaotic for me to properly understand.

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jrosegross's review against another edition

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dark emotional reflective sad medium-paced

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

3.0

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alexism26's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional funny mysterious 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

4.0

Limiting this book to a review I think does a disservice to it as it is a piece of literature that is not entirely consumed like, ACOTAR or Romance novels. This book is a look into Cuban life, whether that is the question of what it means to be Cuban on and off the island, or the political and religious ideologies that are held and make up the diverse population. I love the perspective being from women characters that you love and also despise at the same time. I think the author did a wonderful job on this novel and you can truly see it as a love letter while also a criticism on her own experience within the Cuban diaspora.

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smuds2's review against another edition

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challenging emotional mysterious reflective sad fast-paced

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

4.0

UNFINISHED

REVIEW RATING SYSTEM - [ 1 = FELT DECEIVED, 2 = NOT WHAT I EXPECTED IN A BAD WAY BUT WASN'T A WASTE OF TIME, 3 = WHAT I EXPECTED FELT LIKE MY TIME WAS USED AS EXPECTED, 4 = PLEASANTLY SURPRISED, 5 = THINKING ABOUT IT MONTHS LATER ]

RULES : (1) can not give anything a 5 outright, must either be a re-read or a update to score, (2) can not give incremental ratings, except for 4.75 which is functionally a "revisit in case it is actually a 5", (3) I should always end with a "this leads me to think" of 2-3 ideas this book roused in me.

Pretty writing that you want to keep reading more of.

Some graphic scenes I could have done without.

Contradictory sense of progress but lack of accomplishment if that makes sense

Heartwrenchingly sad in some parts

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clna_2's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional hopeful mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

3.0

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sofipitch's review against another edition

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emotional reflective 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? It's complicated

5.0

I really loved this book. It's hard for me to Express why I love books because I love so many different books for different reasons. This book I loved bc I felt seen, so many details feel like they were ripped directly from my life. Lourdes reminded me sooo much of my dad it's not even funny.

I really love how this book deals with the political scene in Cuba. When it comes to Cuba ppl can't act normal, ppl lean to one extreme or the other. Any government assistance is communism and will leave the ppl starving. Or Cuba is perfectly fine and the only ppl who suffered were wealthy plantation owners. The author shows how divisive Cuba is and by showing the extreme beliefs of the characters you get something closer to the truth, inbetween.
Also Storygraph recommended this book to me so their recommendations may be onto something

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stephsz's review against another edition

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dark reflective medium-paced

Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

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