Rate this book

The Island Of Eternal Love (2006)

by Daina Chaviano(Favorite Author)

3.79 of 5 Votes: 1

ISBN

1594489920 (ISBN13: 9781594489921)

languge

English

genre

Romance

publisher

Riverhead / Penguin

series

La Habana oculta

review 1: Ами не ми хареса книгата. Идеята е страхотна, но изпълнението слабо. Авторката не умее да разказва добре. Не е хубаво подредено като фактология. На мен не ми стана ясна особено много драмата на тези хора, идващи от Куба, избягали от режима на Кастро. Промлемите на китайците - лошо описани. Да, основният пробем ми е ясен, но конкретните истории не можаха да ме трогнат. Нямаше кой знае каква емоционалст, а съдържанието предполагаше ... moreтакава. Всичко беше объркано, нелепо написано, дразнещо на места. Дори темата за любовта не беше вълнуващо изложена. Чак ме е яд за слабото изпълнение. Мисля, че Куба заслужава по-красив и трогателен разказ.
review 2: A sprawling saga that blends fantastic and gothic imagery while traces the ethnic origins of Cuban people. Young and depressed Cecilia is a Cuban journalist writing a piece on a mysterious house that appears and disappears around Miami. She finds solace in Amalia, a shady old woman she meets in a bar every night to hear a long family story. Upon that framework we meet the three families (Chinese, Spanish and African) that will eventually collide in Cuba. The author creatively casts quite a bunch of interesting characters: an imp that only certain women can see, a forgotten god, an old aunt the tries hard not to kill a pet parrot, a Madam that inspires one of Cuba’s literary classics and a real-life diva from Havana’s glory days. Sadly the main characters pale in comparison and while the author tries hard for a feminist approach the novel falls flat when all we see is female characters passively watching their male counterparts move the story. The African branch of the story is richly detailed and well researched, however it is the most cliché ridden of the three with its story of slaves being freed and starting a business. The Chinese branch begins a bit dull but becomes interesting as the family arrives in Cuba. The Spanish branch it’s the most rewarding, involving the imp mentioned earlier, a sweet love story and bizarre galore. It is in the turf of the bizarre and gothic that the author finds her true voice and when the action follows Cecilia and the mystery house the novel becomes a nail biter. The latter part of the novel falls apart as Cecilia becomes tangled in a turbulent romance that finds no place in the plot and the action of the saga unravels at high speed as the Cuban revolution approaches. The book has a lot of stories to tell, chapters titled after boleros, glimpses of fantasy and history, however such a colorful combination comes at the expense of substance and vitality. less

Download links for: The Island of Eternal Love

Advertising