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book_concierge's review against another edition
4.0
3.5*** rounded up to 4****
Acevedo gives us a wonderful exploration of Cuba from 1933 to 1969, focusing on the life of Josefina, the only daughter of a police sergeant who lives a life of privilege until she meets and marries a poor dockhand, Lorenzo Concepcion.
Josefina is strong-willed at times, and passive at others. She takes charge when defying her father, but acquiesces to the role her husband demands of her. Her steadfast champion is her old nursemaid, Regla, who offers advice and a charm or two to help the girl she raised and loved. At one point in the story, just about at the end of her rope, Josefina asks Regla for a specific spell. My F2F book club had quite the discussion about that episode, as we were fully expecting a different outcome.
Over the course of the novel Acevedo explores love in all its many forms: passionate, chaste and unrequited, within marriage or outside of it, as a teenager, during old age, parental and among friends. The men come across as selfish idiots, the women are frequently long-suffering and passive.
The upheaval within the relationships is contrasted nicely against the revolutions and political changes in the country during this time frame.
Acevedo gives us a wonderful exploration of Cuba from 1933 to 1969, focusing on the life of Josefina, the only daughter of a police sergeant who lives a life of privilege until she meets and marries a poor dockhand, Lorenzo Concepcion.
Josefina is strong-willed at times, and passive at others. She takes charge when defying her father, but acquiesces to the role her husband demands of her. Her steadfast champion is her old nursemaid, Regla, who offers advice and a charm or two to help the girl she raised and loved. At one point in the story, just about at the end of her rope, Josefina asks Regla for a specific spell. My F2F book club had quite the discussion about that episode, as we were fully expecting a different outcome.
Over the course of the novel Acevedo explores love in all its many forms: passionate, chaste and unrequited, within marriage or outside of it, as a teenager, during old age, parental and among friends. The men come across as selfish idiots, the women are frequently long-suffering and passive.
The upheaval within the relationships is contrasted nicely against the revolutions and political changes in the country during this time frame.
tmathews0330's review against another edition
3.0
Painful to read the lack of awareness of pain. The tone felt true to the story and simultaneously heartbreaking.
ashlightgrayson's review
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
This story hit really close to home. My father is Cuban and being able to explore Cuba's past through this story was amazing. The story follows the family saga of the Concepción family over many decades. Josefina is the main character throughout the story with a focus on her strained yet loving relationship with her father. Josefina makes decisions in her life that lead her into a complicated marriage, a familial relationship that crosses oceans and decades, and infidelities. All of this is in synchrony with the social, economic and political struggles that Cuba undergoes over the years that indirectly affect her and those she loves. This is a story that is delightful, dark, sad, and also hopeful. There are parts of the story that I'm sure will resonate with a lot of Cuban people like it did with me when they read it. Acevedo really knows how to make you feel and sympathize for these characters. They are all flawed and feel human and at the same time reflect the historical experiences of the Cuban people. I am looking forward to reading more wonderful books by Chantel Acevedo.
Content Warnings
Minor: Sexual content
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