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King Of Cuba (2013)

by Cristina García(Favorite Author)

3.36 of 5 Votes: 2

ISBN

1476710244 (ISBN13: 9781476710242)

languge

English

genre

Fiction

publisher

Scribner

review 1: I don't normally read modern fiction unless it is recommended. This is an excellent read. The story follows the lives of The Tyrant (guess who?) and an expat from Cuba. It intertwines their lives through the crisis and resolution. Not only is it a well-constructed novel but it is chock full of cubanismos, some Latin phrases and memorable quotes. It includes enough bad language to excite even the more modest high school spanish class. I had fun with it.
review 2: I had high hopes for this book. I've read other books by the author and though some are arguably better than others, I was hopeful after I read a stellar New York Times review for this one. I thought it had to be amazing. Sadly, I was wrong, and that review was overly generous. To be fair, the book gets... more off to a great start, which made me even more excited to get through it. The writing is strong, the characters are well-drawn, and there's a lot of funny details. However, about halfway through the book I found myself very bored. The plot just didn't go anywhere. The relationships around the two main characters are flimsy and feel like cariacatures after a while. The two male protagonists are unlikable, which is fine, but they don't seem to have any redeeming qualities, even to the people close to them who seem to care about them. The chapters feel like endless ruminating and no real action, and the little action there is seems random and inconsequential. I enjoyed the asides from other characters throughout and actually found them more interesting than the rest of the book after a while. By the last third of the book I had a hard time paying attention and had to force myself to finish it, though the end was not at all worth the effort. I was disappointed by this book because I think there was a lot of potential to explore more about the exile community, and show more perspectives. In the end, it just felt too fluffy and light for the subject matter. I know it's satire, but I still craved more substance. I'll give it three stars because the writing is great despite the other flaws in the novel. less

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