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Момичето от Хавана
Хавана, 1958 година. Магдалена Фуентес е убедена, че Анхел Мачеда е мъжът на живота и, дори след като я уведомява, че ще се ожени за друга. За дъщерята на прочут мафиотски бос. Въпреки всичко тя не се съмнява, че двамата са родени един за друг. Защо тогава не спира да мисли за Рейес Гарсия, търговец на оръжие, контрабандист и шпионин. Когато бунтовниците на Фидел Кастро затягат обръча си около Хавана, светът на Магдалена рухва и съдбата и поднася горчиви уроци за живота и любовта...
Колин Фалконър пренася събитията от обсадената от бунтовници Хавана, през гангстерския свят на Маями, бляскавите киностудия на Холивуд и раздирания от война Виетнам до лабораториите за опиум в джунглите на Лаос... Резултатът е великолепна сага за любовта и житейските изпитания, издържана в традициите на “Казабланка” и “Отнесени от вихъра”.
Колин Фалконър пренася събитията от обсадената от бунтовници Хавана, през гангстерския свят на Маями, бляскавите киностудия на Холивуд и раздирания от война Виетнам до лабораториите за опиум в джунглите на Лаос... Резултатът е великолепна сага за любовта и житейските изпитания, издържана в традициите на “Казабланка” и “Отнесени от вихъра”.
608 pages, Paperback
First published September 30, 2013
89 people are currently reading
306 people want to read
About the author
Colin Falconer
68 books735 followersColin Falconer writes fast-paced historical adventures that sweep readers across centuries and continents, from the battlefields of Rome to the intrigues of forgotten empires. His novels blend action, danger, and unforgettable characters in richly imagined worlds.
Born in London, Colin now lives in Australia with his wife and their cocker spaniels. Click FOLLOW for updates on new releases, or join his mailing list for exclusive offers.
Born in London, Colin now lives in Australia with his wife and their cocker spaniels. Click FOLLOW for updates on new releases, or join his mailing list for exclusive offers.
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Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews
August 21, 2019
Нямам думи, с които да опиша този автор.Страхотен е!Умее да разказва и оплита сложни сюжети,като използва исторически факти, с които се обогатих.След Харем,Източна Индия и тази книга веднага си накупих всичко от бг пазара на този автор.Препоръчвам силно!Относно историята в тази книга тя е толкова интересна ,динамична,където доброто и злото сами определяте кое е.Теми за първата любов,семейството,политиката,хайлайфа,войната, мафията,цената на доверието.А любовната история беше изпепеляваща!
January 14, 2019
I very much enjoyed this book, it was a great look at Havana 1958, and the old city is still much the same today. The characters were good, writing nice and flowing, storyline authentic, a little short with an abrupt ending. I could recommend this as a nice short comfy read.
December 26, 2020
Допадна ми, беше някак ненатрапчива и лека...Явно аз като фен на Отнесени от вихъра си падам по този тип любовни истории, само че тук с гангстерски привкус. Разбира се, всичко тук е преувеличено и героите са леко хиперболизирани, но ѝ се насладих.
July 4, 2016
Маргарет Мичъл среща Джаклин Сюзън и Нелсън Демил. :) Единствената ми критика към книгата е, че няма собствен глас и звучи, като нещо, което вече съм чела. В първата си 1/3 прилича на "Отнесени от вихъра", във втората 1/3 на "Долината на куклите", а в последната напомня за "На север". Но пък любовната линия ми хареса, прочетох я на един дъх и затова реших да я оценя емоционално.
December 28, 2018
I liked the book and recommend it to fellow readers.
The setting is Cuba in 1958-59 just as Fidel Castro is coming to his power over that country. The book reads a little like THE GODFATHER, condensed version, but history cannot be changed. The author's writing mechanics were excellent, and I am ready to read the next book in the three part series. I got this book free and the next book in the series is offered free of charge. Mr. Falconer is a generous author, but he is an author from whom I would buy good reads.
Thank you, Mr. Falconer, for a good read.
The setting is Cuba in 1958-59 just as Fidel Castro is coming to his power over that country. The book reads a little like THE GODFATHER, condensed version, but history cannot be changed. The author's writing mechanics were excellent, and I am ready to read the next book in the three part series. I got this book free and the next book in the series is offered free of charge. Mr. Falconer is a generous author, but he is an author from whom I would buy good reads.
Thank you, Mr. Falconer, for a good read.
December 13, 2018
This picked up pace as the story went along. I almost abandoned it in the first 3 chapters. It was interesting to read about Cuba during the change in government through the eyes of the very wealthy.
December 16, 2018
Even though this book was fiction, it is very historical. My grandparents came to America from Cuba and they told stories about the war 'revolution'. plus I have read other stories about these times. I liked this book and downloaded the FREE "LA Woman" that was offered. Hope it is as good.
June 30, 2018
Not his best work
Not his best by a mile. Definitely disappointing. I really didn't care about any of these characters -- highly unusual for a Colin Falconer novel.
Not his best by a mile. Definitely disappointing. I really didn't care about any of these characters -- highly unusual for a Colin Falconer novel.
December 4, 2018
I loved the book !( albeit some editing issues) ...a very interesting look at the way things were in Havana prior the communists' takeover ! can't wait to read the sequel ...
August 24, 2019
2++ stars
September 7, 2025
Jedna od mojih omiljenih
January 5, 2019
Sorry folks. I wanted to like this. This is “gone with the wind” movie plot set in Cuba. The best part some historical tidbits about the period. The worst is the predictable plot and characters.
May 29, 2014
I have been waiting for this one to come up on my reading calendar. There is something about the cover of Naked In Havana that drew me in. It could simply be the pink car, it also could be the word Havana in the title. I have never completely grasped the whole Cuba is forbidden to Americans concept. Was it Cuba and their products forbidden? I have a general grasp of the what happened, but it was before my time that I can remember back to. Cuba just always has been forbidden. My whole childhood I can remember news stories about people dying on rafts trying to make it to the safe shores of the United States. What was going on there that would make them risk their lives like that?
So I read. I read fiction and non-fiction. I read past news stories and watch movies. I read the success stories of people who miraculously made it on a tiny raft to the shores of the US. I read the heartbreaking stories of people who were caught before making it here and people who died just trying.
That is probably what most drew me to the book.
So we have Magdalena, Angel, and Reyes. It doesn’t feel like a love triangle to me because of the way things play out, you’ll see what I mean as you read it, thought it could be portrayed as one. To me this is a coming of age story. Magdalena is a a beautiful, vain, spoiled, rich girl in Havana. Havana is full of people who have nothing. You don’t see that if you stick to the tourists sections or where the wealthy live. She hasn’t had to see the side that would make the rebels choose to side with Fidel Castro. Angel is another rich child of a wealthy man who, from what it seems typically gets what he wants. Then there is Reyes, the older man, the man her father warns her to stay away from. Nobody really knows who Reyes is.
I loved this journey. I carried this book around with me all day long, reading in spare moments, finishing it one day. I didn’t want it to end.
The funny thing to me throughout the book was that even though Magdalena was rich, knew she was beautiful, and was spoiled by her papi, it was so easy to like her, to want good for her, to hurt for her. Maybe it was the love she had her father, the inner bits of her that showed us who she was inside, all of it combine? I don’t know, I just really liked that character.
I think Mr Falconer did an excellent job portraying Cuba before everything went completely to Hell, when the rebels were just starting to gain some momentum. I think he described things perfectly through the eyes of a rich girl, a girl who was proud, and then through the eyes of a girl who suddenly had to grow up.
As I turned the last page, I didn’t want it to end. I don’t want to wait until November 5 to read Naked In LA. I want to read it now.
Five stars from me. Excellent book!
Thank you so much for my copy of Naked In Havana!
So I read. I read fiction and non-fiction. I read past news stories and watch movies. I read the success stories of people who miraculously made it on a tiny raft to the shores of the US. I read the heartbreaking stories of people who were caught before making it here and people who died just trying.
That is probably what most drew me to the book.
So we have Magdalena, Angel, and Reyes. It doesn’t feel like a love triangle to me because of the way things play out, you’ll see what I mean as you read it, thought it could be portrayed as one. To me this is a coming of age story. Magdalena is a a beautiful, vain, spoiled, rich girl in Havana. Havana is full of people who have nothing. You don’t see that if you stick to the tourists sections or where the wealthy live. She hasn’t had to see the side that would make the rebels choose to side with Fidel Castro. Angel is another rich child of a wealthy man who, from what it seems typically gets what he wants. Then there is Reyes, the older man, the man her father warns her to stay away from. Nobody really knows who Reyes is.
I loved this journey. I carried this book around with me all day long, reading in spare moments, finishing it one day. I didn’t want it to end.
The funny thing to me throughout the book was that even though Magdalena was rich, knew she was beautiful, and was spoiled by her papi, it was so easy to like her, to want good for her, to hurt for her. Maybe it was the love she had her father, the inner bits of her that showed us who she was inside, all of it combine? I don’t know, I just really liked that character.
I think Mr Falconer did an excellent job portraying Cuba before everything went completely to Hell, when the rebels were just starting to gain some momentum. I think he described things perfectly through the eyes of a rich girl, a girl who was proud, and then through the eyes of a girl who suddenly had to grow up.
As I turned the last page, I didn’t want it to end. I don’t want to wait until November 5 to read Naked In LA. I want to read it now.
Five stars from me. Excellent book!
Thank you so much for my copy of Naked In Havana!
June 22, 2019
Generally very interesting but brief brush through the experience of the Cuban revolution from the perspective of the highly privileged set in Havanna. Also interesting take on gender roles in the context, while encapsulating that in Falconer's approach to Romance -- good enough, but not the best, but a quick read.
August 1, 2015
Magdalena Fuentes is eighteen and has been in love with Angel Macheda for years. That’s the only reason she has sex with him; she knows they will be married. But he tells her the day before the announcement (that he has known about for months) that he is engaged to an American girl and it has been arranged by his father so he can’t get out of it. She is furious and betrayed but determined to get him back. But then at her father’s club she meets Reyes Garcia, a man who not only looks dangerous but has the reputation to match. She is fascinated by him.
And they keep running into each other.
As Cuba descends into revolution, everything changes and her privileged lifestyle erodes.
***
I picked this out of my to-read pile as Cuba fascinates me so I loved reading about it. I had hoped to travel there but I don’t think it will happen now. *sigh* kid 1 is reading a book on Che and Ernesto this week, too.
I follow Colin falconer’s blog and this is the first in a series.
There are a few places where Falconer forgets he’s in first person - says ‘she’ not ‘I’. I suspect he changed it to first person to not turn the book into a Cuban history lesson. Magdalena has no real clue what is happening in her own country as she is the spoiled wealthy only child of a club owner so he can be pretty vague about including the actual politics. What she doesn’t know, she can’t tell the reader.
There are a few places where information is repeated. Magda expresses surprise that her father is looking at property in Florida when he already told her that.
I laugh at reviewers who got offended by the sex. Naked is in the title AND the description AND sex is written on the cover… *rolls eyes*
It was an easy read. My brain was dead after finishing camp nanowrimo and I consumed this in an evening.
3 stars
And they keep running into each other.
As Cuba descends into revolution, everything changes and her privileged lifestyle erodes.
***
I picked this out of my to-read pile as Cuba fascinates me so I loved reading about it. I had hoped to travel there but I don’t think it will happen now. *sigh* kid 1 is reading a book on Che and Ernesto this week, too.
I follow Colin falconer’s blog and this is the first in a series.
There are a few places where Falconer forgets he’s in first person - says ‘she’ not ‘I’. I suspect he changed it to first person to not turn the book into a Cuban history lesson. Magdalena has no real clue what is happening in her own country as she is the spoiled wealthy only child of a club owner so he can be pretty vague about including the actual politics. What she doesn’t know, she can’t tell the reader.
There are a few places where information is repeated. Magda expresses surprise that her father is looking at property in Florida when he already told her that.
I laugh at reviewers who got offended by the sex. Naked is in the title AND the description AND sex is written on the cover… *rolls eyes*
It was an easy read. My brain was dead after finishing camp nanowrimo and I consumed this in an evening.
3 stars
November 3, 2013
I just want to start with saying, this is an amazing story! Once you start this, you won't want to put it down. The main character is Magdalena Fuentes. She is eighteen and beautiful. This takes place in Havana (duh!) in the year 1958. I should warn you, if you don't like reading about sex and violence, then don't read this. CONSIDER YOURSELF WARNED!
I don't like a lot of sex and defiantly not graphic sex in the books I read and this doesn't have that. It does talk about nudity, but it doesn't go on and on and it isn't graphic, as I said. There is sexual tension, but I think that is a good thing.
Magdalena is a virgin until she sleeps with long time friend Angel Macheda. They have had a crush on each other for years, but Magdalena had held back. She is lying naked next to Angel when he tells her he is marrying someone else. She doesn't want to believe it. She believes they are meant to be together forever.
Then, she meets Reyes Garcia. "From the moment I saw you," he says, "I knew there would be no one else." "From the moment I saw you," she tells him, "I knew you were arrogant, conceited, and rude." Reyes is a lot like Rhett Butler in Gone With the Wind. The things he says and the way he acts is like Rhett, you'd almost think Rhett and Reyes were brothers.
This is very well described with loads of facts about what was going on in Cuba in the 1950's. Mr. Falconer must have had to spend years researching all those facts. Though it has war scenes and information, I still find those scenes very interesting. They are well written.
I have two things to pick at. First is that this is supposed to be in first person, but every once in a while it's in third person. When that happens it doesn't make since and it is out of place. The second thing is that whoever edited this didn't do a very good job. There are quite a few sentences were there are words in the wrong order, missing or the wrong word. It is sometimes a bit confusing.
Even saying all that, I still really enjoyed reading this and I will try more of his books. As a matter of fact I am dying to read his Anastasia book. Mr. Falconer is a very talented author and I highly recommend this to any one who is interested. I will defiantly read this again.
This is in the tradition of Casablanca and Gone With the Wind. This really is very interesting and I can not wait for the second book to come out. Which will be November 5th.
I don't like a lot of sex and defiantly not graphic sex in the books I read and this doesn't have that. It does talk about nudity, but it doesn't go on and on and it isn't graphic, as I said. There is sexual tension, but I think that is a good thing.
Magdalena is a virgin until she sleeps with long time friend Angel Macheda. They have had a crush on each other for years, but Magdalena had held back. She is lying naked next to Angel when he tells her he is marrying someone else. She doesn't want to believe it. She believes they are meant to be together forever.
Then, she meets Reyes Garcia. "From the moment I saw you," he says, "I knew there would be no one else." "From the moment I saw you," she tells him, "I knew you were arrogant, conceited, and rude." Reyes is a lot like Rhett Butler in Gone With the Wind. The things he says and the way he acts is like Rhett, you'd almost think Rhett and Reyes were brothers.
This is very well described with loads of facts about what was going on in Cuba in the 1950's. Mr. Falconer must have had to spend years researching all those facts. Though it has war scenes and information, I still find those scenes very interesting. They are well written.
I have two things to pick at. First is that this is supposed to be in first person, but every once in a while it's in third person. When that happens it doesn't make since and it is out of place. The second thing is that whoever edited this didn't do a very good job. There are quite a few sentences were there are words in the wrong order, missing or the wrong word. It is sometimes a bit confusing.
Even saying all that, I still really enjoyed reading this and I will try more of his books. As a matter of fact I am dying to read his Anastasia book. Mr. Falconer is a very talented author and I highly recommend this to any one who is interested. I will defiantly read this again.
This is in the tradition of Casablanca and Gone With the Wind. This really is very interesting and I can not wait for the second book to come out. Which will be November 5th.
March 14, 2019
Magdalena Fuentes is eighteen years old and she has the world at her feet. The city has become a magnet for the Hollywood stars and the mobsters who flock to Havana to lie by the casino swimming pools and listen to the boleristas in the nightclubs, like her father’s.
She has her future all mapped out. One day she will marry her sweetheart and buy a beautiful mansion overlooking the Malecon.
But fate has other ideas.
Her boyfriend announces he is marrying someone else – the very same afternoon he takes her virginity.
She is determined to win him back, at all costs, shrugs off the hysterical news stories about Castro and the charismatic Che Guevara.
But as the year draws to a tumultuous end, and Castro’s rebel army tightens its grip on the city, Magdalena is about to grow up fast. Not only does she have a lot to learn about love; as the clock edges towards midnight on New Year’s Eve, she also has to find a way to keep herself and her father alive.
That night, Havana descends into chaos, and there’s only one man who’s prepared to help her; and it’s not the man of her dreams.
An enthralling story of passion and courage set against the beauty and tragedy of war-torn Cuba.
She has her future all mapped out. One day she will marry her sweetheart and buy a beautiful mansion overlooking the Malecon.
But fate has other ideas.
Her boyfriend announces he is marrying someone else – the very same afternoon he takes her virginity.
She is determined to win him back, at all costs, shrugs off the hysterical news stories about Castro and the charismatic Che Guevara.
But as the year draws to a tumultuous end, and Castro’s rebel army tightens its grip on the city, Magdalena is about to grow up fast. Not only does she have a lot to learn about love; as the clock edges towards midnight on New Year’s Eve, she also has to find a way to keep herself and her father alive.
That night, Havana descends into chaos, and there’s only one man who’s prepared to help her; and it’s not the man of her dreams.
An enthralling story of passion and courage set against the beauty and tragedy of war-torn Cuba.
February 25, 2014
I got this book through a giveaway and please don't hit me *covering my face with my arms* but my expectations weren't really that high. The summary was interesting but I wan't totally raving. When I read the first page I thought to myself this is going to be good. Magdalena is on feisty chica she has attitude and a great sarcastic side. But she has her sensitive moments and her lady side. She has to deal with so much I mean this a really bad time for Cuba. But she stays loyal to her dad and listens to him (most of the time). And wow Reyes he has the confident attitude I just adore in a man. He has a charismatic attitude I can't resist. The plot of this story was really interesting my this guy Angel is going to get himself in trouble only god knows what is going through his head. I honestly don't know what to say without giving details away. One of the only reasons i didn't give this book 5 stars is because i hate how short the book is. I really can't deal with it. Another thing I didn't like was the book was a bit predictable at times. Other then that the Naked In Havana was a great book.
February 18, 2015
I’m completely torn about this book. On the one hand, it was fast-paced and enjoyable. I nearly felt as if I was in Old Havana as a I read with Barry Manilow’s song Copacobana playing in the background. But then the main character, who is also the narrator, confused the daylights out of me. She falls in and out of love with no apparent reason. She doesn’t even see the character she’s supposedly in love with and still she falls for him. And her would-be lover? He falls for her in a blink of the eye and then… Well I can’t tell you the then part but I’m not buying it.
The writing is a bit quirky. There’s some great foreshadowing at the start of the story but it doesn’t come to fruition (or maybe it does in the next book?). The novel is written in first person but often the writer forgets this and writes a paragraph in third person. A little copy editing and this problem would be easily solved.
I was also caught off guard by the ending of the story. I was pulled in and then wham! it turns out that the story continues in another novel. My bad. I should have looked more carefully at the synopsis but I do so hate a story that continues over several books.
3 1/2 stars
The writing is a bit quirky. There’s some great foreshadowing at the start of the story but it doesn’t come to fruition (or maybe it does in the next book?). The novel is written in first person but often the writer forgets this and writes a paragraph in third person. A little copy editing and this problem would be easily solved.
I was also caught off guard by the ending of the story. I was pulled in and then wham! it turns out that the story continues in another novel. My bad. I should have looked more carefully at the synopsis but I do so hate a story that continues over several books.
3 1/2 stars
May 29, 2022
Vulkan izdavaštvo je objedinilo sva tri dela iz serijala ,,Naked" ili ,,1958" u jednu knjigu i hvala im na tome. Ne znam zašto su se odlučili da naziv knjige bude ,,Miris ljubavi" koji je mene u početku odbijao jer sam na osnovu naslova pretpostavio da se radi o klasičnom ljubiću. Međutim odlučio sam da ovom romanu pružim šansu i nisam se pokajao.
Pisac kao da je ,,preselio" junake romana ,,Prohujalo sa vihorom" iz njihove epohe na Kubu s kraja pedesetih i početkom šezdesetih godina dvadesetog veka. Glavna junakinja Magdalena neopisivo podseća na Skarlet, glavni junak Rejes je preslikani Ret Batler, jedino je Anhel kojim je Magdalena u početku opčinjena, daleko od južnjačkog džentlmena Ešlija. Ali radnja se ne odvija samo na Kubi. Glavni junaci se gotovo po čitavom svetu (Majami, Sajgon...) godinama nakon prvog susreta na Kubi susreću i razilaze obnavljajući i prekidajući svoju romansu uvek nailazeći na nove prepreke.
Pisac kao da je ,,preselio" junake romana ,,Prohujalo sa vihorom" iz njihove epohe na Kubu s kraja pedesetih i početkom šezdesetih godina dvadesetog veka. Glavna junakinja Magdalena neopisivo podseća na Skarlet, glavni junak Rejes je preslikani Ret Batler, jedino je Anhel kojim je Magdalena u početku opčinjena, daleko od južnjačkog džentlmena Ešlija. Ali radnja se ne odvija samo na Kubi. Glavni junaci se gotovo po čitavom svetu (Majami, Sajgon...) godinama nakon prvog susreta na Kubi susreću i razilaze obnavljajući i prekidajući svoju romansu uvek nailazeći na nove prepreke.
Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews