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Loading... Broken Paradise: A Novel (2004)| 180 | 7 | 151,977 | 
(3.61) | 3 | Cousins Alicia and Nora experience profound life changes from different perspectives when Castro's rise to power incites political turbulence and revolution in Cuba, forcing Alicia to flee the country with her parents while Nora remains behind. |
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Information from the Norwegian Common Knowledge. Edit to localize it to your language. | |
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For all the cousins  | |
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What I love most is the warmth, how it reaches in and spreads out to the tips of my fingers and toes until it feels like I'm part of the sun, like it's growing inside me. | |
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Most of the other girls disliked chapel time, and I pretended to dislike it too, though actually, it was my favorite part of the day. I loved the way sweet incense drifted about in hazy clouds rising along multicolored streams of sunlight that filtered through stained glass windows high above. Hundreds of small white candles wavered at the bare feet of saints, their wax dripping like liquid lace as they carried their smoky messages to heaven. He even told her she was beautiful on the day she tried on the polka-dot two-piece bathing suit. She stretched those two pieces of fabric so hard I was afraid they'd snap like rubber bands. She had a great head of silvery hair she pulled tight into a bun at the nape of her neck and she wore thick cat eye glasses that made her eyes appear so huge it was possible to count the flecks of green in the brown, like leaves floating in a murky river. Trees hung dreamily overhead, occasionally stretching out their limbs to brush the ceiling of the car in greeting. Instead, a low blasting sound spread out across the silence of the city like electric rain. She was pretending to be strong instead of just being strong like I knew she was, and this made me worry in a new way. I could already picture us walking into the Beach Club. We'd make our entry into the hall chaperoned by Abuela, and Alicia would be mobbed by every boy in the room. They'd step on my white patent leather shoes in a desperate attempt to get somewhere on her dance card, while Abuela pushed me forward, trying to entice the boys like a street vendor selling over ripe mangos. I knew Abuela was referring to the brothels in the Barrio de Colon where the prostitutes were said to saunter around the streets wearing next to nothing while smoking long cigarettes. It was well known that this is where young men went to learn about the arts of love and physical pleasures. It was also understood that young girls didn't require a similar education. They would learn from their husbands on their wedding nights. Chaperones were there to make sure that the education didn't begin before then. I dared not ask her about the men's souls, but I could well imagine her answer. The men checked their souls at the door along with their hats and claimed them unharmed at the end of the evening. Once a woman lost her soul it could never be regained. "While you were at school today that man gave a speech that lasted more than six hours. Holy Lord, how that man can go on for so long without losing his voice, I don't know." Beba had refused to say Castro's name for weeks now, believing that simply uttering it would give him more power. "He said what I knew all along; that he was a Communist and that he would be a Communist until the day he died." There were no elaborate preparations for our departure, no packing to be done because we were only allowed to take one change of clothes, no pictures or books or jewelry or anything that might remind us of the home we were leaving behind. We simply floated about the rooms of our apartment like ghosts wandering through a museum of belongings that were no longer ours. I could see by the signature that it was a letter from Tia Maria, but it was peppered with square cutouts all through out so if you held it up, it looked like the snowflake decorations I'd seen hanging in the American classrooms. She was changing as surely as if she'd shed her old skin and slipped into the pale freckled hide of the americanas who were her friends. Many rode on rickety bikes, sometimes two or even three at a time, their limbs splayed out in an effort to balance like a circus act on a high-wave. "Complaining gives you a hard heart and soft bones." Jose was rowing differently this time, easing into each stroke with the gentle eloquence of a dancer. The water was slick as glass and even reflected the stars making it appear that our little boat was afloat in a vast universe of stars above and below us. Perhaps death was just as close as the creaking boards beneath us, but we were free and it was a beautiful feeling. | |
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▾References References to this work on external resources.  Wikipedia in English
None ▾Book descriptions Cousins Alicia and Nora experience profound life changes from different perspectives when Castro's rise to power incites political turbulence and revolution in Cuba, forcing Alicia to flee the country with her parents while Nora remains behind. ▾Library descriptions No library descriptions found. ▾LibraryThing members' description |
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This is the beautifully told story of two Cuban cousins separated by the Cuban Revolution. The book spans several decades going from the tropical beaches of Cuba to America. Being Latina I could easily relate to the lives of Alicia and Nora. I loved the family relationships and how they were realistically portrayed. There were portions of this book that I felt were taken from my own life. I also loved the development of the political situation and how it affected the characters. It did not come off as too preachy or too heavy. I’m not into reading politics, so this was a right mix for me.
Most of all what I loved about this book was the gorgeous descriptions and eloquent writing. I could smell the ocean and feel the breeze on my face as I read the passages from Cuba. My only complaint was the ending, which I did not care for. I thought it was too far-fetched and drawn, however, the rest of the book more than made up for it.
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