Reviews

The Passion According to Carmela by Marcos Aguinis

margardenlady's review against another edition

dark emotional tense slow-paced

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

3.0

If you like political intrigue and are curious about Cuba, this book is for you. The novel loosely follows Carmela through her relationships and her activism during the rise of Castro. Her brother is another major protagonist, as well as her lover. It was not immediately obvious whose perspective we were reading. 

kaitsbooked's review against another edition

4.0

I really enjoyed the physical and emotional journey that the characters experienced

yvo_about_books's review against another edition

4.0

Finished reading: October 7th 2018

"At the root of any insanity you're bound to find great truths."

*** A copy of this book was kindly provided to me by Netgalley and AmazonCrossing in exchange for an honest review. Thank you! ***

Spoiler

I know I should probably have read this one in Spanish, but since it takes me twice as long to read it and I had the opportunity to read this newly published English translation, I decided to be lazy. I was fascinated by the premise of The Passion According To Carmela as soon as I first started reading it. While I learned a few things about the Cuban Revolution during Uni, most of the history was skimmed over and I was looking forward to learn more about that particular part of Cuban history. The promise of a love story mixed in with a proper look inside the Cuban Revolution just sounded too good to be true, and I'm glad I was given the opportunity to read this book. The translation was excellently done and the writing style really flowed. The descriptions both of the Cuban setting and the background information around the Revolution and its consequences for the locals are exhaustive and very thorough. The Passion According To Carmela not only introduces us to the main character and their tragic and complicated love history, but also teaches you about how Fidel Castro came to power and how this effected the country. The prose is easy to on the eye, draws you in and makes it really easy to invest your time in this story. The pace was a bit slow at points, but overall The Passion According To Carmela was a really satisfying read.



Cuba is on the border of a Revolution, and the country isn't alone in facing some drastic changes. Carmela Vasconcelos has been living a privileged life so far, but her idealistic ideas and her brother Lucas end up convincing her to join Fidel Castro's rebels. There she meets the Argentinian socialist Ignacio Deheza, and they are both aware of the instant connection between them. Their passion for both each other and the cause blind them, and they soon discover passion alone might just not be enough... Is the Revolution really everything they thought it would promised to be?



The Passion According To Carmela is perfect for both historical fiction fans and those who enjoy a good complicated love story. You will come out both exhausted by everything that happens to the main character and having learned more about the Cuban Revolutions and its effects on the locals. Well written, well translation, well executed... It reads a bit slow at points, but the story is without doubt still 100% worth reading.

P.S. Find more of my reviews here.

thereshegoesagain's review against another edition

4.0

Overall an interesting story, but I felt like it could have done with better editing and tighter narratives. Why did we need 3 first person narratives and a third person narrative? I think it would have been better if the story had been told in the “present” day of disillusionment with flashbacks to the past days of the revolution.

Also don’t think the name was quite right for the story nor the summary. The most passionate part of Ignacio and Carmela’s love affair was probably the opening chapter when they first lay eyes on each other.

essipneztak's review against another edition

3.0

I confess I didn’t truly finish the book.
I wanted to like it a lot more than I did but the writing just didn’t stick with me, maybe it’s a translation issue.
I appreciate knowing more about the Cuban Revolution now than I did before and I found the rebel movements interesting to follow. I just had a hard time sticking with it and ultimately decided to move on.

laurenabeth's review against another edition

4.0

I’ve been trying to read more translated works. I struggled with Gabriel García Márquez and basically gave up after Love in the Time of Cholera. I’m not going to lie, the cover art here is what caused me to download this book (it’s gorgeous!). I try not to make decisions based on cover art, because it can be deceiving. In this case, I was a little disappointed. Carmela is a doctor and revolutionary in Cuba during Castro’s overthrow of Batista. She falls madly in love with another rebel, Ignacio, and together they ride the waves of Castro’s success, followed almost immediately by the devastating realization that they’ve helped install a tyrant into power. Familiar, no? “Happiness can’t be imposed, only unhappiness can be imposed, and that is what he’s done.” Ultimately, I found the text lacking in urgency. I figured secretive trysts set against the backdrop of political upheaval would ignite feelings of power or fear or even liberation, like their love might free them from Fidelism. Maybe the emotion was lost in translation, or maybe the calm was intended to feel like a refuge amidst chaos. In any case, it took me until almost the final pages to get invested in Carmela’s fate. Aside from the story, however, I want to note the narrative structure of this book. It fluctuates between Carmela’s and Ignacio’s first person accounts to a sort of omniscient third person narrator, and I absolutely loved it. It provides this macro/micro, zoomed in/zoomed out perspective. I thought I would hate it, but it ended up being something very wonderful and special

elizafiedler's review

3.0

Strong on characterization, light on original plot. "The revolution isn't turning out like we expected" seems like a good starting point for a novel plot, emphasis on *starting point.*

carolynschaf's review against another edition

3.0

The passion wasn't according to Carmela. It was a few people. It was just boring.

ipehalena's review against another edition

4.0

The book is narrated very detail by the first pov. Let's say that the narrator is the author himself. So, a lot of readers find it's hard to get into the story from the first page. This book is historical fiction about rebellion that happened on March 13, 1957. They were attacked presidential house in Cuba in an attempt to assassinate Batista. They chose to attack when he was in the building, so as to hunt him down like a wild animal, kill him, generate shock, and restore democracy immediately. The story contains a lot of conflicts. It's something that I really like because it provides a balance portion about historical facts that packed with fiction to let readers engaged into the story.

I'd like to thank to Netgalley and Amazon Crossing for this book in exchange for an honest review.

kcbatts's review against another edition

challenging emotional informative medium-paced

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

3.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Gun violence

Minor: Classism, Infidelity, and Medical content