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A review by claudiaslibrarycard
Your Heart, My Sky: Love in a Time of Hunger by Margarita Engle
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This story begins in the early 1990s in Cuba as the USSR falls and Soviet aid is withdrawn.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.
This story begins in the early 1990s in Cuba as the USSR falls and Soviet aid is withdrawn.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.