Rating: 
Summary: interesting book, multiple sympathetic viewpoints
Review: This book tells the story of three women's lives, from each of their perspectives. Although each of the women had different loyalties and made very different decisions regarding the direction of their lives based on those loyalties, you never felt that one character was more "right" than the others. In all it was a great story about a mother and her two daughters and their relationships with each other, the men in their lives, and their countries (Cuba and the United States).
Rating:
Summary: Balmy seas, coconuts and Fidel Castro
Review: This finalist for the National Book Award tellsthe story of three generations of a Cuban family.Indelible images and vivid characters combine to create a dreamlike evocation of Cuban life. Celia del Pino is the matriarch of a family that spans from Havana to Brooklyn, New York. She is unswervingly patriotic in her support of Fidel Castro, while her daughter Lourdes in the United States has embraced her new life and its capitalism by opening a chain of bakeries. Celia's second daughter is ambivalent toward the revolution as she deals with abuse and mental illness. Mothers and daughters may disagree, but Celia's granddaughter forms an emotional bond with her faraway grandmother. Using fragmentary vignettes, Dreaming in Cuban is reminiscent of stories repeated down through the generations, and the reader feels a connection to this family. Try it if you liked How the Garcia Girls Lost Their Accents by Julia Alvarez or The Stone Diaries by Carol Shields.
Rating:
Summary: The story of people and the story of Cuba
Review: This gem of a first novel, written in 1992, by Christina Garcia is the story of Cuba as well as the story of a few unforgettable Cuban women. The words themselves have a lyrical quality as the the tale evolves through their different voices.Set in the 1970's, Celia del Pino, in her 60s, is a loyal Cuban patriot, who lives by the sea. Her daughter, Lourdes, has fled to America and owns a bakery in Brooklyn. The other daughter, Felicia, still in Cuba, shows signs of mental unbalance and dabbles in Santeria. Her granddaughter, Pilar, a rebellious teenager, has been raised in America but feels a deep connection with her grandmother in Cuba. There's a dreamlike quality to the book and a touch of the mystical as each character is deeply developed and the story evolves through their inner memories. Strong characterization is the author's strength as well as the way she weaves the stories of each of them together. They've all been effected by the revolution and it shapes the form of this book. Not only did reading this book introduce me to its interesting characters, it also taught me more about the Cuban revolution than I ever learned from just reading the newspapers. And it piqued my interest in wanting to know more. Recommended.
Rating: 
Summary: Snoring in Cuba???? Must not have very good taste then
Review: This is just in response to the person that wrote "snoring in
Cuba". This is one of the BEST books I have ever read, and believe me I have read thousands. I highly recommend this book not just to someone who expresses an interest in learning more
about the Cuban Revolution but to anyone who enjoys reading
fantastic fiction novels. Unless you're a heartless robot this
book will move you. I couldn't put it down until the last page,
and when it was over I was left longing for more. GREAT BOOK!
Rating: 
Summary: Crudely crafted vehicle doesn't run
Review: This is one of the most disappointing reads in years. The author may have had a good idea, examining the tensions between expatriate Cubans and those who remained behind, but it's lost amid the cardboard cut-out characters and the formulaic "magical realism". There are occasional glimmers of interesting imagery, but the "story" wanders aimlessly over the years and the members of the family appear to be pathetic (e.g., Felicia) and/or hateful (e.g., Lourdes). The author's attitude towards her characters comes across as arbitrary and random. The vignettes from Pilar's "life" were particularly unsatisfactory. The question arises: If the author cares so little about her characters, why should the reader care at all?
Rating: 
Summary: Dreaming in Cuban sent me to la la land
Review: while I applaud the author for a good first time effort, getting through this book was no small task. At the beginning of the book we are introduced to several characters and soon you can't keep track of them. At some point it feels like the author lost track of the characters herself. She left a lot of loose ends,and several plot changes that just didn't make sense or went nowhere. If this book is a "must read" for you, ONE SUGGESTION find the quickest way to the library.
Rating:
Summary: Snoring in Cuban
Review: While trying to read this excuse for a story, I fought back yawns, and dreary eyes. The author attempts to recreate a story of a Cuban's life, but it is constantly interrupted by smaller, less relevant stories. I do not by any means recommend this novel.
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