When We Left Cuba by Chanel Cleeeton – 368 pages
ARC from Berkley Books and Netgalley in exchange for an honest review
Book Blurb:
The Cuban Revolution took everything from sugar heiress Beatriz Perez–her family, her people, her country. Recruited by the CIA to infiltrate Fidel Castro’s inner circle and pulled into the dangerous world of espionage, Beatriz is consumed by her quest for revenge and her desire to reclaim the life she lost. As the Cold War swells like a hurricane over the shores of the Florida Strait, Beatriz is caught between the clash of Cuban American politics and the perils of a forbidden affair with a powerful man driven by ambitions of his own. When the ever-changing tides of history threaten everything she has fought for, she must make a choice between her past and future–but the wrong move could cost Beatriz everything–not just the island she loves, but also the man who has stolen her heart.
My Review: 4.5 stars
When We Left Cuba is a compelling sequel to best-selling novel Next Year in Havana; either can stand alone, but there’s added depth if you read them in order. This was a highly anticipated release for spring of 2019 and it certainly did not disappoint.
Cleeton has a way of immersing the reader in history, without ever feeling preached to or lectured to. This book takes place in both Palm Beach, Florida and in Cuba during the height of the Cold War. In high school, I learned the history surrounding this time period only from an American’s point of view, not from a Cuban’s. Through the eyes of the Perez family, this book explores what living through those tyrannous years must’ve felt like. The first book focuses more on the Revolution, while this one on the Cuban Missile Crisis.
The Perez family has an amazing cast of characters that keeps you invested in each of their lives. I’d like the author to tackle yet one more sister, in a new book. Perhaps the youngest, as her age kept her insulated from politics and war. I loved the cameo’s with JFK. It really took you to time and place. I read this while in Palm Beach, which made me feel like I was truly inside the book. I loved that.
This book offers an amazing love story, espionage, revenge, adultery, trust, suspense, feminism, love for one’s country and the strong bonds of family. When We Left Cuba will be a doozie to discuss and I’m definitely adding it to my list of book club picks. Highly recommend!
Quotes I liked:
He’s an American politician, how innocent can he possibly be? The Americans have unclean hands in all of this.”
-“Sometimes I don’t know what’s worse: feeling like you did nothing or failing in the attempt?
-“Why are the things that are the most fun invariably the worst for you?”
-“Are you to be a widow to a country that has only ever existed in your dreams?”
-“Love ebbs and flows, a low-level hum in the background, but anger sinks its claws in you and refuses to let go.”
-“But time has taught her many lessons, chiefly, the ability to put someone else’s happiness above her own. After all, does not the very nature of love demand sacrifice?
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