“Narrators Kyla Garcia and Frankie Maria Corzo tag-team a story that spans generations, with the flavors of Cuban food and culture saturating the shared narrative….Taking Elisa’s perspective, Garcia portrays a gently bred Cuban socialite who falls in love with a revolutionary in the shadow of Fidel Castro’s rise to power. From Marisol’s perspective, Corzo describes genuine appreciation for the country of her roots, and for a man she’s falling in love with too quickly to be safe for her continued stay.” AudioFile
Description
After the death of her beloved grandmother, a Cuban American woman travels to Havana, where she discovers the roots of her identity—and unearths a family secret hidden since the revolution.
Havana, 1958. The daughter of a sugar baron, nineteen-year-old Elisa Perez is part of Cuba’s high society, where she is largely sheltered from the country’s growing political unrest—until she embarks on a clandestine affair with a passionate revolutionary …
Miami, 2017. Freelance writer Marisol Ferrera grew up hearing romantic stories of Cuba from her late grandmother Elisa, who was forced to flee with her family during the revolution. Elisa’s last wish was for Marisol to scatter her ashes in the country of her birth.
Arriving in Havana, Marisol comes face-to-face with the contrast of Cuba’s tropical, timeless beauty and its perilous political climate. When more family history comes to light and Marisol finds herself attracted to a man with secrets of his own, she’ll need the lessons of her grandmother’s past to help her understand the true meaning of courage.
Praise
“Narrators Kyla Garcia and Frankie Maria Corzo tag-team a story that spans generations, with the flavors of Cuban food and culture saturating the shared narrative….Taking Elisa’s perspective, Garcia portrays a gently bred Cuban socialite who falls in love with a revolutionary in the shadow of Fidel Castro’s rise to power. From Marisol’s perspective, Corzo describes genuine appreciation for the country of her roots, and for a man she’s falling in love with too quickly to be safe for her continued stay.” AudioFile
“An evocative, passionate story of family loyalty and forbidden love that moves seamlessly between the past and present of Cuba’s turbulent history.” Shelley Noble, New York Times bestselling author
“Cleeton’s prose is as beautiful as Cuba itself, and the story she weaves—of exile and loss, memory and myth, forbidden love and enduring friendship—is at once sweeping and beautifully intimate. This is a moving, heartfelt, and gorgeously realized story that will stay with you long after you turn the final page.” Jennifer Robson, author of Somewhere in France
“[A] flat-out stunner of a book, at once a dual-timeline mystery, a passionate romance, and paean to the tragedy and beauty of war-torn Cuba.” Kate Quinn, author of The Alice Network
“Cleeton’s prose is as beautiful as Cuba itself, and the story she weaves—of exile and loss, memory and myth, forbidden love and enduring friendship—is at once sweeping and beautifully intimate.” Jennifer Robson, author of Somewhere in France
Details
| Language | English |
|---|---|
| Release Day | Feb 5, 2018 |
| Release Date | February 6, 2018 |
| Release Date Machine | 1517875200 |
| Imprint | Blackstone Publishing |
| Provider | Blackstone Publishing |
| Categories | Literature & Fiction, Women's Fiction, World Literature, Fiction - All, Fiction - Adult, Book Club, Book Club Favorites |
Author Bio
Chanel Cleeton writes contemporary romances, women’s fiction, and thrillers. She is the author of one stand-alone novel and novels in five series, including six novels in her acclaimed Cuba Saga.
Narrator Bio
Kyla Garcia is an AudioFile Earphones Award–winning narrator. Born and raised in Hoboken, New Jersey, she discovered acting at the age of eight when she played Lady Macbeth in a children’s adaptation of Shakespeare’s tragedy. She made her off-Broadway debut at fifteen when she played Dorothy in Oz: A Twisted Musical. Eleven years after she discovered her passion for acting, she would go on to play Lady Macbeth once again in London at the Globe Theatre, where she studied Shakespeare during her third year at Mason Gross School of the Arts. She received her BFA in acting from Rutgers University.
Frankie Corzo is a film and voice-over actress and audiobook narrator. She obtained a BA degree in theater studies from Montclair State University.
Overview
After the death of her beloved grandmother, a Cuban American woman travels to Havana, where she discovers the roots of her identity—and unearths a family secret hidden since the revolution.
Havana, 1958. The daughter of a sugar baron, nineteen-year-old Elisa Perez is part of Cuba’s high society, where she is largely sheltered from the country’s growing political unrest—until she embarks on a clandestine affair with a passionate revolutionary …
Miami, 2017. Freelance writer Marisol Ferrera grew up hearing romantic stories of Cuba from her late grandmother Elisa, who was forced to flee with her family during the revolution. Elisa’s last wish was for Marisol to scatter her ashes in the country of her birth.
Arriving in Havana, Marisol comes face-to-face with the contrast of Cuba’s tropical, timeless beauty and its perilous political climate. When more family history comes to light and Marisol finds herself attracted to a man with secrets of his own, she’ll need the lessons of her grandmother’s past to help her understand the true meaning of courage.
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