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The Passion According to Carmela
The Passion According to Carmela is a captivating love story between a Cuban female doctor and an Argentine economist. Their erotic and ideological vicissitudes are driven by a reality they cannot control, like that of Homer’s characters. Invisible gods intervene in their lives to intertwine their physical attraction and intellectual admiration, courage and fear, secrets and unexpected complicity. They build their difficult and beautiful love in one of the most turbulent and romantic scenarios of Latin American history. They swim with the current; they enjoy it and enlarge it. But they are also dragged along by eddies that leave them breathless and turn their world upside down. Aguinis’ titles tend to be paradoxical. However, for this novel, he has preferred to place emphasis on the multiple meanings of the word passion. Passion refers to love, and also to the strength of ideals, to suffering, pleasure, salvation and the yearning for freedom. The emotional combat of the protagonists runs in parallel with the dizzying brilliance of concrete situations. This is what allows the suspense to grab the reader from the first page to the very end. A free-flowing, sweeping, and thrilling rhythm dominates the text, like that of musical passions. It should come as no surprise that this novel—where the voices of the female protagonist, her lover, and the omniscient writer alternate—has been written following Bach’s counterpoint model. From a distance, ineffable, we still hear the resounding epic of another war where the liberators sang to a different Carmela—also a torch, also a passion. Aguinis portrays his creations skillfully and renders them indelible. His skill in handling emotions does leaves no line void of poetry or consequences. And his extremely accurate style is a grounding that turns this work—situated in exceptional times—into one of the best love stories to mark out the course of literature.
284 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 2008
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About the author
Marcos Aguinis
44 books87 followers[For Spanish see below -- Para Español ver mas abajo]
Marcos Aguinis is an author with extensive international training in literature, neurosurgery, psychoanalysis, the arts and history. “I have traveled the world, but I have also traveled across different professions.” Aguinis was born in Córdoba, Argentina in 1935,
He published his first book in 1963, and since then he has written thirteen novels, fourteen essay collections, four short story collections, and two biographies. Most of them have become bestsellers and have generated enthusiasm and controversy. Mr. Aguinis was the first author outside of Spain to receive the prestigious Planeta Award for his book “The Inverted Cross ” and his bestselling novel “Against the Inquisition” has been translated to several languages and praised by Nobel Prize Laureate Mario Vargas Llosa as a “stirring song of freedom”.
Aguinis has received numerous awards and honors from institutions around the world, recognizing his humanitarian and literary work, including the Hispanic Literature and Culture Institute of California Award (USA), Fernando Jeno Award (Mexico), the Annual Silver Plaque of the EFE Agency (Spain), the title of Knight of Letters and Arts (France), and the Argentine Association of Authors Great Honorific Award for his life’s work. He received Honorary Doctorate degrees from Tel Aviv University, Israel (2002) and Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Israel (2008) and he was named a Distinguished Writer in Residence at the American University in Washington, D.C. and Public Policy Scholar by the Wilson Center (Washington, USA).
Español:
Nació en Córdoba, Argentina. Escritor que ha transitado una amplia formación internacional en literatura, medicina, psicoanálisis, arte e historia. En 1963 apareció su primer libro y, desde entonces, ha publicado doce novelas, catorce libros de ensayos, cuatro libros de cuentos y dos biografías que generan entusiasmo y polémica.
Aguinis es seguido por millares de admiradores que recomiendan, discuten y coleccionan sus obras.
A lo largo de su extensa carrera literaria, Marcos Aguinis ha recibido numerosos premios y honores de instituciones de Argentina y otros países del mundo, incluyendo el Premio Planeta (España), Premio Instituto Cultural y Literario Hispánico de California (EE.UU), Premio Fernando Jeno (México), Placa anual de la Agencia EFE (España), Título de Caballero de las Artes y de las Letras (Francia) y el Gran Premio de Honor de la Sociedad Argentina de Escritores (Argentina). También ha recibido el Título de Doctor Honoris Causa de la Universidad de Tel Aviv (Israel) y de la Universidad Hebrea de Jerusalén (Israel) y fue nombrado Escritor Residente Distinguido por la American University en Washington, D.C. (EE.UU) y Académico en Políticas Públicas por el Wilson Center (Washington, EE.UU).
Marcos Aguinis is an author with extensive international training in literature, neurosurgery, psychoanalysis, the arts and history. “I have traveled the world, but I have also traveled across different professions.” Aguinis was born in Córdoba, Argentina in 1935,
He published his first book in 1963, and since then he has written thirteen novels, fourteen essay collections, four short story collections, and two biographies. Most of them have become bestsellers and have generated enthusiasm and controversy. Mr. Aguinis was the first author outside of Spain to receive the prestigious Planeta Award for his book “The Inverted Cross ” and his bestselling novel “Against the Inquisition” has been translated to several languages and praised by Nobel Prize Laureate Mario Vargas Llosa as a “stirring song of freedom”.
Aguinis has received numerous awards and honors from institutions around the world, recognizing his humanitarian and literary work, including the Hispanic Literature and Culture Institute of California Award (USA), Fernando Jeno Award (Mexico), the Annual Silver Plaque of the EFE Agency (Spain), the title of Knight of Letters and Arts (France), and the Argentine Association of Authors Great Honorific Award for his life’s work. He received Honorary Doctorate degrees from Tel Aviv University, Israel (2002) and Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Israel (2008) and he was named a Distinguished Writer in Residence at the American University in Washington, D.C. and Public Policy Scholar by the Wilson Center (Washington, USA).
Español:
Nació en Córdoba, Argentina. Escritor que ha transitado una amplia formación internacional en literatura, medicina, psicoanálisis, arte e historia. En 1963 apareció su primer libro y, desde entonces, ha publicado doce novelas, catorce libros de ensayos, cuatro libros de cuentos y dos biografías que generan entusiasmo y polémica.
Aguinis es seguido por millares de admiradores que recomiendan, discuten y coleccionan sus obras.
A lo largo de su extensa carrera literaria, Marcos Aguinis ha recibido numerosos premios y honores de instituciones de Argentina y otros países del mundo, incluyendo el Premio Planeta (España), Premio Instituto Cultural y Literario Hispánico de California (EE.UU), Premio Fernando Jeno (México), Placa anual de la Agencia EFE (España), Título de Caballero de las Artes y de las Letras (Francia) y el Gran Premio de Honor de la Sociedad Argentina de Escritores (Argentina). También ha recibido el Título de Doctor Honoris Causa de la Universidad de Tel Aviv (Israel) y de la Universidad Hebrea de Jerusalén (Israel) y fue nombrado Escritor Residente Distinguido por la American University en Washington, D.C. (EE.UU) y Académico en Políticas Públicas por el Wilson Center (Washington, EE.UU).
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 217 reviews
June 1, 2019
"The Passion According to Carmela" by Marcos Aguinis was the first book I have read that took place during the Cuban revolution. All in all, I enjoyed this novel. It is written in a colourful, passionate prose, full of emotion and sometimes slightly ridiculous turn of phrase. The author described the journey of Carmela, a privileged young woman, who disillusioned by her unfaithful husband and her parents’ values decided to join the revolutionary forces against a depraved Cuban leader. That was Fulgencio Batista, whose regime was supported by the USA.
Truthfully, I couldn’t sympathise with Carmela, because her actions and choices from the beginning till the end felt ridiculous and silly to me. Her naïve, blind faith in revolutionary ideals was abysmal to me. I guess the author agrees with me to some extent, because he showed Carmela’s progressing disillusionment with her comrades, revolutionary leaders, revolution itself and even the love of her life.
The revolution ended not with liberation, but with imprisonment and total loss of democratic freedoms and rights. Carmela had to do what she was told by the regime, even when it was morally wrong or against common sense, otherwise she had to face negative consequences.
"Revolution without violence is no revolution at all. That’s why we had to accept the purges, as much as they hurt." – quote from the book.
The most disturbing parts of the book where when Carmela and her beloved tried to convince themselves that everything was well and the revolution was on the right path, even though people all around were being arrested on false charges, unjustly imprisoned and executed, wrongfully dismissed or deprived of their possessions.
"Look, before Marx, we already had Proudhon declaring that property is a form of theft." – quote from the book.
For Carmela revolution ended with dehumanisation and oppression. All beautiful ideals that Carmela believed in proved to be lies. Ideals look bright and shiny on a page, but in real life the human element changes everything. It is a sobering thought for any idealist.
I received "The Passion According to Carmela" from the publisher via NetGalley. I would like to thank the author and the publisher for providing me with the advance reader copy of the book.
Truthfully, I couldn’t sympathise with Carmela, because her actions and choices from the beginning till the end felt ridiculous and silly to me. Her naïve, blind faith in revolutionary ideals was abysmal to me. I guess the author agrees with me to some extent, because he showed Carmela’s progressing disillusionment with her comrades, revolutionary leaders, revolution itself and even the love of her life.
The revolution ended not with liberation, but with imprisonment and total loss of democratic freedoms and rights. Carmela had to do what she was told by the regime, even when it was morally wrong or against common sense, otherwise she had to face negative consequences.
"Revolution without violence is no revolution at all. That’s why we had to accept the purges, as much as they hurt." – quote from the book.
The most disturbing parts of the book where when Carmela and her beloved tried to convince themselves that everything was well and the revolution was on the right path, even though people all around were being arrested on false charges, unjustly imprisoned and executed, wrongfully dismissed or deprived of their possessions.
"Look, before Marx, we already had Proudhon declaring that property is a form of theft." – quote from the book.
For Carmela revolution ended with dehumanisation and oppression. All beautiful ideals that Carmela believed in proved to be lies. Ideals look bright and shiny on a page, but in real life the human element changes everything. It is a sobering thought for any idealist.
I received "The Passion According to Carmela" from the publisher via NetGalley. I would like to thank the author and the publisher for providing me with the advance reader copy of the book.
July 8, 2019
Written by a famous Argentinian author, this book tells the story of supporters of the Cuban Revolution led by Fidel Castro.
Carmela IS passionate, about medicine, love and the revolution. She is in a abusive marriage to her first husband (not physical; he is a philanderer). But she is able to find love again with another passionate revolutionist, Ignacio. She is also the sister of Lucas who is a revolutionary, but relegated to Mexico.
Carmela and Ignacio both become disenchanted and try to escape. The rest of the story tells of their attempt and results.
MANY real names of Cuban revolutionaries are mentioned. Book got slow at certain points... maybe just a little TOO much revolution. But the ending was satisfying and the last section riveting.
4 stars
Carmela IS passionate, about medicine, love and the revolution. She is in a abusive marriage to her first husband (not physical; he is a philanderer). But she is able to find love again with another passionate revolutionist, Ignacio. She is also the sister of Lucas who is a revolutionary, but relegated to Mexico.
Carmela and Ignacio both become disenchanted and try to escape. The rest of the story tells of their attempt and results.
MANY real names of Cuban revolutionaries are mentioned. Book got slow at certain points... maybe just a little TOO much revolution. But the ending was satisfying and the last section riveting.
4 stars
June 28, 2020
This is a fascinating account of the events leading up to the Cuban revolution, and the fallout thereafter, told through the eyes of Carmela and Ignacio, and a perceptive narrator.
Driven to join Fidel Castro's struggle to overthrow the corrupt and oppressive Batista regime, the two become lovers in the early days of the rebellion. Their passionate affair mirrors their passion for their revolutionary ideals. They initially rise to prominence in Fidel's new regime, but then as the revolutionary dream sours, they fall from favour into a brutal landscape of fear.
This well-crafted novel of historical fiction gives the reader an important insight into what went wrong in the post-revolution years in Cuba when, under Castro, idealism so rapidly turned into repression.
A good and thoughtful read.
Driven to join Fidel Castro's struggle to overthrow the corrupt and oppressive Batista regime, the two become lovers in the early days of the rebellion. Their passionate affair mirrors their passion for their revolutionary ideals. They initially rise to prominence in Fidel's new regime, but then as the revolutionary dream sours, they fall from favour into a brutal landscape of fear.
This well-crafted novel of historical fiction gives the reader an important insight into what went wrong in the post-revolution years in Cuba when, under Castro, idealism so rapidly turned into repression.
A good and thoughtful read.
August 23, 2018
Weaving together the threads of romantic desire and revolutionary zeal, The Passion According to Carmela offers a portrait of the Cuban Revolution that is wide in its scope, but perhaps a little wanting in its characterisation.
Inspired by the actions of her brother Lucas, Carmela decides to leave her bourgeois life behind to join a group of Cuban rebels committed to overthrowing the American-backed dictator Batista, led by none other than Fidel Castro himself. Despite their wealthy upbringing, both Carmela and Lucas become deeply involved in the revolutionary movement, an ideological immersion made particularly resonant for Carmela by her growing relationship with the Argentine socialist Ignacio Deheza. But for all their zeal, storm clouds are gathering: the aftermath of the Revolution will force them to confront both the truths of their beliefs, and their feelings for each other…
With a shifting narrative voice, moving from the first person to the third and then back again for our three main characters, Aguinis allows his protagonists to justify themselves while supplementing the plot with his own ironic comment on their behaviour and beliefs. Carmela climbs a hot, stuffy bus filled with the “ordinary people she idealize[s]”; in a rare break from analysing socialist politics, Ignacio seeks out Lucas for a discussion on the merits of English literature, having found most of his rebel comrades too uneducated for such a conversation.
Yet Aguinis manages to keep these moments of irony subtle; the main draw of the plot remains the parallel made between Carmela’s passion for the rebel cause, and her aching desire for Ignacio. The further she drifts from her philandering first husband, Melchor (aptly nicknamed “Malhechor”), the closer she moves towards both radical socialism and the alluring Ignacio. Amid flowing descriptions of ardent love, particular scenes and metaphors catch the eye; the image of her gaze meeting his is beautifully captured as “a bridge of hot glass” forming between them.
But for all that this connection is suggested, it often feels as if there is a vital thread missing in the plot. As the novel progresses, an ever-widening gulf grows between the almost poetic prose of Aguinis’ passionate love scenes (masterfully translated into English by Carolina de Robertis), and the clumsier, more expositional tone in which the facts of the Cuban Revolution are described. Aguinis’ research shines through, he knows what he’s talking about – and yet such a factual rendering of events, compared to the brilliance of some of the lines depicting the torrid love affair between Carmela and Ignacio, seems at times a heavy-handed distraction from the association offered between revolutionary and romantic passions.
That is not to say that Aguinis presents an entirely dry account of the Revolution; rather, it is to argue that the moments of superb tension that slowly build up between characters are not maintained quite tight enough. The strange meeting of Lucas and his family’s former chauffeur in the rebel camp allows a short, sharp description that shivers with the essence of foreboding; it is the actions of this chauffeur which first inject the narrative with unease. But such dramatic potential finds itself squandered when the fallout of such events is relegated to the background, a certain taut thread loosened by a narrative pace not quite fast enough to live up to the possible drama.
The loss of such tension weakens otherwise well-crafted and interesting characters. There is thus a certain prescience when Lucas remarks to Carmela that they are only “minor characters in the Cuban Revolution”. Sometimes the reader feels the same is true of their role in the novel.
(Thank you so much to AmazonCrossing for offering me the chance to review the book; I received a free copy through NetGalley for an honest review).
Inspired by the actions of her brother Lucas, Carmela decides to leave her bourgeois life behind to join a group of Cuban rebels committed to overthrowing the American-backed dictator Batista, led by none other than Fidel Castro himself. Despite their wealthy upbringing, both Carmela and Lucas become deeply involved in the revolutionary movement, an ideological immersion made particularly resonant for Carmela by her growing relationship with the Argentine socialist Ignacio Deheza. But for all their zeal, storm clouds are gathering: the aftermath of the Revolution will force them to confront both the truths of their beliefs, and their feelings for each other…
With a shifting narrative voice, moving from the first person to the third and then back again for our three main characters, Aguinis allows his protagonists to justify themselves while supplementing the plot with his own ironic comment on their behaviour and beliefs. Carmela climbs a hot, stuffy bus filled with the “ordinary people she idealize[s]”; in a rare break from analysing socialist politics, Ignacio seeks out Lucas for a discussion on the merits of English literature, having found most of his rebel comrades too uneducated for such a conversation.
Yet Aguinis manages to keep these moments of irony subtle; the main draw of the plot remains the parallel made between Carmela’s passion for the rebel cause, and her aching desire for Ignacio. The further she drifts from her philandering first husband, Melchor (aptly nicknamed “Malhechor”), the closer she moves towards both radical socialism and the alluring Ignacio. Amid flowing descriptions of ardent love, particular scenes and metaphors catch the eye; the image of her gaze meeting his is beautifully captured as “a bridge of hot glass” forming between them.
But for all that this connection is suggested, it often feels as if there is a vital thread missing in the plot. As the novel progresses, an ever-widening gulf grows between the almost poetic prose of Aguinis’ passionate love scenes (masterfully translated into English by Carolina de Robertis), and the clumsier, more expositional tone in which the facts of the Cuban Revolution are described. Aguinis’ research shines through, he knows what he’s talking about – and yet such a factual rendering of events, compared to the brilliance of some of the lines depicting the torrid love affair between Carmela and Ignacio, seems at times a heavy-handed distraction from the association offered between revolutionary and romantic passions.
That is not to say that Aguinis presents an entirely dry account of the Revolution; rather, it is to argue that the moments of superb tension that slowly build up between characters are not maintained quite tight enough. The strange meeting of Lucas and his family’s former chauffeur in the rebel camp allows a short, sharp description that shivers with the essence of foreboding; it is the actions of this chauffeur which first inject the narrative with unease. But such dramatic potential finds itself squandered when the fallout of such events is relegated to the background, a certain taut thread loosened by a narrative pace not quite fast enough to live up to the possible drama.
The loss of such tension weakens otherwise well-crafted and interesting characters. There is thus a certain prescience when Lucas remarks to Carmela that they are only “minor characters in the Cuban Revolution”. Sometimes the reader feels the same is true of their role in the novel.
(Thank you so much to AmazonCrossing for offering me the chance to review the book; I received a free copy through NetGalley for an honest review).
October 26, 2018
A love story set against the backdrop of the Cuban Revolution, I found this a compelling and absorbing read, not least because it emphasises the human and personal aspects of cataclysmic political events. The eponymous Carmela and her brother Lucas leave their affluent and privileged middle-class lives behind to join Castro’s rebels and fight for the revolution. Carmela meets an idealistic young Argentinian socialist, Ignacio, who has come to Cuba to help in the struggle. United in their dedication to the cause, they see their hopes and aspirations crushed by the way greed, venality and corruption that inevitably overtake the initial euphoria of Castro’s success. I enjoyed the political aspects of the novel very much, gaining an increased understanding of how it all went wrong, and how quickly idealism turned to fear and repression. This is a really satisfying work of historical fiction, one which combines fact and fiction successfully and authentically and draws the reader in from the first pages. A good read.
May 28, 2019
For me, what was promised was not delivered. I expected a lyrical, beautiful story of two people finding love and purpose during the Cuban revolution. I love Cuban history and pretty much anything Cuban in general, so I was excited about this one. But it was pretty dull, disjointed, and shallow. The changing from first to third person narration made the story choppy. Overall, just a really boring take on events that are hard to make boring. Meh.
February 19, 2020
This was my “read on my work device when I have a few minutes” book; hence it took me forever to finish. (Darn passengers, and co-workers who love to talk😊.) But I really did like getting lost in the world of Cuba just before and during the revolution. Dialogue was a little stilted at times, but I still felt like the excitement and subsequent disillusionment were portrayed really well.
July 9, 2020
Beyond Luke warm and overly pretentious so not sure if it is the writer or the translator but wasn’t impressed
September 6, 2019
I was very pleasantly surprised with this novel. Although I’ve read more than a few novels by Latin American writers, I had not encountered the Argentinian novelist Marcos Aguinis before.
THE PASSION ACCORDING TO CARMELA draws you in and wraps its message in several layers of camouflage. What at first seems like an apology (in the literary sense) for the Cuban revolution, then seems to transform into cautionary tale of love, ends as something quite different and, at least to me, quite moving.
This work is decidedly not “magical realism,” a genre that, in the hands of anyone but Borges or Garcia Marquez, more often than not bores me (and I’m excluding Murakami from being labeled a writer of magical realism - he’s unique). Many Latin American writers are quite capable of telling realistic stories without the crutch of fantasy (my favorite example would be Alvaro Mutis).
THE PASSION ACCORDING TO CARMELA draws you in and wraps its message in several layers of camouflage. What at first seems like an apology (in the literary sense) for the Cuban revolution, then seems to transform into cautionary tale of love, ends as something quite different and, at least to me, quite moving.
This work is decidedly not “magical realism,” a genre that, in the hands of anyone but Borges or Garcia Marquez, more often than not bores me (and I’m excluding Murakami from being labeled a writer of magical realism - he’s unique). Many Latin American writers are quite capable of telling realistic stories without the crutch of fantasy (my favorite example would be Alvaro Mutis).
August 6, 2011
Muy linda trama, y super interesante el contexto histórico. No me termina de convencer el estilo de Aguinis, me parece que le falta riqueza descriptiva como para que uno pueda meterse de lleno en la historia.
May 11, 2019
If anything this book has inspired me to look further into the cuban revolution and the regime of Fidel Castro. However beyond that it was a very interesting love story. I would love to know what happened with Carmela and her love but some things are always up in the air.
June 20, 2020
I am always looking for good Hispanic authors. This one was new for me.
Very interesting story line but the characters were a little stiff for me. I listened to Audible for this one and it had 3 different narrators some good and some not so good. But I tried to concentrate on the storyline.
The title of the book was a little misleading to me but maybe it had to do with Cuban revolution and Carmela's involvement with it. It was kind of surface in the telling of the story. Sometimes it was very interesting but most of the time just ok.
The history of the Cuban revolution was interesting but the story of the main characters not so much. I need to connect with the characters and their story and in the book it didn't for me.
Very interesting story line but the characters were a little stiff for me. I listened to Audible for this one and it had 3 different narrators some good and some not so good. But I tried to concentrate on the storyline.
The title of the book was a little misleading to me but maybe it had to do with Cuban revolution and Carmela's involvement with it. It was kind of surface in the telling of the story. Sometimes it was very interesting but most of the time just ok.
The history of the Cuban revolution was interesting but the story of the main characters not so much. I need to connect with the characters and their story and in the book it didn't for me.
March 6, 2024
Me gustó más de lo que esperaba.
Pensé que sería más romántico, pero trata mucho el tema de la revolución cubana y se entiende que Carmela también es apasionada sobre eso.
Me ubicó en una época de la que no sabía mucho y de la que quiero leer más.
Se hace muchísima referencia a personajes históricos reales y el autor indica que en cierta medida se basó en las experiencias de personas reales.
Recomendado, quizás si tienen la oportunidad de leerlo en español sea mejor jaja, pero en mi caso, estaba gratis 😋
Pensé que sería más romántico, pero trata mucho el tema de la revolución cubana y se entiende que Carmela también es apasionada sobre eso.
Me ubicó en una época de la que no sabía mucho y de la que quiero leer más.
Se hace muchísima referencia a personajes históricos reales y el autor indica que en cierta medida se basó en las experiencias de personas reales.
Recomendado, quizás si tienen la oportunidad de leerlo en español sea mejor jaja, pero en mi caso, estaba gratis 😋
June 30, 2019
A view from the inside of the Cuban Revolution under Fidel Castro, that few Americans know, is worth a thoughtful read. Although this is a work of fiction, the times, the place, the events and many of the characters are very real. I understand much better what happened in this small Caribbean Island and how it went wrong.
November 25, 2019
Marcos Aguinis is a famous Argentinean author, but this was the first I had heard of him. This title was a free selection from Amazon for International Book Day, or something similar.
The Passion According to Carmela is set during the Cuban revolution and the early days of Castro's reign. I enjoyed the story, although it seemed to drag a bit at times.
The Passion According to Carmela is set during the Cuban revolution and the early days of Castro's reign. I enjoyed the story, although it seemed to drag a bit at times.
January 16, 2021
Un libro bien escrito como nos tiene acostumbrado Aguinis. Tal vez por momentos demasiado apurado ya que no es fácil describir la Revolución Cubana en 300 páginas entrelazándola con una historia de amor. Visión anticastrista que obliga a la reflexión de las múltiples injusticias del régimen. Buen libro para entender un poco más este período de la vida en Cuba.
December 15, 2021
Truly fascinating book about a time and place (Castro's uprising in Cuba) that I know very little about. Great use of multiple narrators/perspectives, fabulous story telling, characters you want to know better. I got this book for free when Amazon did their annual books from other countries thing. Wonderful find.
April 17, 2021
Very much enjoyed this book. A passionate romance between man/woman/revolution with the Cuban revolution as the backdrop. The use of two separate first-person narratives was interesting and unexpected. Thank you amberlovesbooks for this recommendation.
May 6, 2022
3.5 estrellas
July 15, 2023
A really unique perspective of the Cuban Revolution. It’s a part of history I don’t really know outside of “The Motorcycle Diaries.” Even the view of Che is very different from this angle. Romance, resistance and the persistence to do what’s right compel Carmela and those around her while the future of Cuba hangs in the balance. Carmela is a revolutionary, a doctor and a leader when women aren’t looked at or respected in either role. Very well written and the story flows quickly.
May 26, 2019
I was really excited about this book and honestly enjoyed the first half of it, but for some reason it was really difficult for me to get through the second half. I kind of wish the whole book had just been told from Carmela's perspective, instead of switching between her and a third person narrator, and then randomly Ignacio towards the end of the book. I also wasn't super compelled by the love story. I would be interested to hear from someone who read it in the original language to see if they liked it.
January 5, 2020
I remember what a sly devil Fidel Castro was as I lived through these times. This novel is factually accurate, framed as a love story between two idealistic revolutionaries. One from the upper class Cuban society and an Argentinian economist, both idealistic and loyal communists.
October 9, 2018
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! ***
P.S. Find more of my reviews here.
May 8, 2019
Carmela's passion for the Cuban Revolution didn't make for a passionate tale. I found the back and forth between narrations weren't different enough to make the literary construct useful. I also love history and but I thought the characters and writing shallow, which detracted from the meaty history of Castro and the Revolution at our doorstep. Sometimes translations fail. Perhaps this was the case.
December 14, 2025
Interesting look into revolutionary Cuba. Especially interesting after visiting! :) I did find the jumping between PoVs a little distracting initially.
September 30, 2019
More like a 2.5 so this was an interesting look at the underbelly of the Cuban revolution. Going from the Batista dictatorship to Fidel & Che you think that of course things were better and they were to an extent. The repression that Cubans went through if they said anything even slightly negative about the ways things were being done and run was wild. Ignacio and Carmela were not exactly the best narrators and I had difficulty even noticing who's point of view it was sometimes until they got into specifics, which is not good. I wonder if this is a failure in the translation and if I can find this book in Spanish in a bookstore one day I'll def read a few chapters to see if it comes across the same way. Overall having just been in Cuba 3 months ago & hearing nothing but great things about the revolution which of course theres no doubt that the difference it made on the lives of peasants and what socialism and agrarian reform has done for the past 60 years was a feat to see, this shows that there is always a dark past that isn't as openly discussed. I want to read more about Huber and these other political prisoners. I would've read a whole book by Lucas, Carmela's brother, who is imprisoned because he's gay basically regardless of all the good he did in the name of the revolution. The parts with the homophobia he dealt with made me so angry because he was clearly still passionate about bringing down the dictatorship and using his skills to further the goal of the revolution but because he liked men, it was like that didnt matter. I hate itttt. I loved that there was a full circle moment by the end in that when he was saved by Carmela and Ignacio's petition to get him out of jail but he had to move to Mexico, he was basically fighting for human rights for LGBTQ folks there, and he came back for his sister, blessss. Carmela is such a conflicting character because this is categorized as a love story and while yes she did have a horrible ex husband and she leaves her privileged life to join the revolution where she meets Ignacio and they fall in love, the language and way it is presented just felt so rushed. Again want to read this in Spanish to see if it is just an issue of that passion not coming across in English but in general their care for each other over time does grow on you as you get to learn about Ignacio's radical leanings and how Carmela is a smart ass doctor who while shocked at how things go down can't also ignore the injustices that begin to occur around her. I do think that when Huber is imprisoned there was a chance for shit to go down but the fear of going against the goverment and being counterrevolution is such intriguing dilemma and I want to read more about that. So yeah overall, I think what makes this story good is the deep dive into all these elements of a revolution that aren't discussed. I'm off to look up more books about the cuban revolution.
June 2, 2019
You just don’t find books which begin with a combination review/pitch speech written by the author. Good, in that the reader is forewarned the narrative voice will hop around between third person omniscient and first person. Because that first hop from upper-middle class female getting on a bus packed full of country bumpkins to inside her head – where an educated woman is ditching med school, a recent ex-husband, and her family to join Fidel Castro’s band of revolutionaries in the woods – is a doozy. Bad, in that the author over-promises.
Yes, this is the story of the Cuban revolution told from a Cuban point of view (so no Bay of Pigs, no missile crisis, and no relatives arguing over Elián). But it’s minor characters’ points of view – characters who are too trusting, who only see major historical figures as they walk through, who speculate, who get entrained in others’ plots, who only grasp a bigger picture when bad things befall them. It’s Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead without the humor.
And yes, it’s a romance between two types of revolutionaries – the intellectual trying to put a philosophy into practice to achieve a better world (by force only at first) and the passionate for whom a new worldview lets her call bullshit on everything from sexism/machismo to the idle rich.
But no, it’s not a story of a grand passion, because there aren’t nearly enough dialogue passages or live-through moments to give that immediacy. The first-person portions often as not read like diary entries written weeks or months after the fact. Sex scenes are timid and fade to black or occur entirely off-screen. And Communism as passion loses steam rapidly. Our heroine’s brother is drummed out of the revolution for being gay and everyone from peasants to visiting Soviet-bloc diplomats call bullshit on the ration books, forced labor, etc.
A peasant tells Carmela she can best help him by leaving farming to those who know planting and harvesting. The glimpses Carmela’s story gives us to the world behind Fidel’s Iron Curtain are worthwhile; would that the author had left the passion to the romance novelists.
Yes, this is the story of the Cuban revolution told from a Cuban point of view (so no Bay of Pigs, no missile crisis, and no relatives arguing over Elián). But it’s minor characters’ points of view – characters who are too trusting, who only see major historical figures as they walk through, who speculate, who get entrained in others’ plots, who only grasp a bigger picture when bad things befall them. It’s Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead without the humor.
And yes, it’s a romance between two types of revolutionaries – the intellectual trying to put a philosophy into practice to achieve a better world (by force only at first) and the passionate for whom a new worldview lets her call bullshit on everything from sexism/machismo to the idle rich.
But no, it’s not a story of a grand passion, because there aren’t nearly enough dialogue passages or live-through moments to give that immediacy. The first-person portions often as not read like diary entries written weeks or months after the fact. Sex scenes are timid and fade to black or occur entirely off-screen. And Communism as passion loses steam rapidly. Our heroine’s brother is drummed out of the revolution for being gay and everyone from peasants to visiting Soviet-bloc diplomats call bullshit on the ration books, forced labor, etc.
A peasant tells Carmela she can best help him by leaving farming to those who know planting and harvesting. The glimpses Carmela’s story gives us to the world behind Fidel’s Iron Curtain are worthwhile; would that the author had left the passion to the romance novelists.
September 16, 2018
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.
I'd like to thank to Netgalley and Amazon Crossing for this book in exchange for an honest review.
June 24, 2019
I downloaded this book for free from Amazon for International Book Day. I’m not sure if it is the original writing or the translation, but the writing felt really flat to me. It also irritated me greatly that the narration switched from first person Carmela to first person Ignacio to third person. It was confusing and didn’t add anything to the story.
May 6, 2022
3.5 estrellas
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