Rating: 
Summary: Great travel book
Review: An excellent book and very observant of the 'small things' that Lynette sees as she cycles around this marvellously eccentric and somewhat surreal island. The author meets and greets a lot of different people, with something to say about them all, and goes through some hair-raising experiences too. The end result is an entertaining and amusing read. Very reminiscent of my own bike-borne tour too!
Rating: 
Summary: showing you the money
Review: chiang captures an economic system in these pages, sure it will be shelved with travel or cycling books, but the real insight is her rollicking sometimes obsessive look at what money means to ordinary folks. this is truth rarely told. finance looms large in relationships between intimates, neighbors and co-workers. chiang pulls out her wallet and gives us a chance to see both cuba and ourselves.
Rating:
Summary: "A Good Ride"
Review: From the get-go, I knew it would be a good ride...and a good read. Lynette's personality shines through every page. At once pensive, observant, candid and REALLY, REALLY funny, she takes a relaxed, slangy, conversational approach to her writing, making the reader feel as if he (she) is the sole listener to her tale (maybe over coffee and a bread roll!) Even the "Semi-Technical Stuff" at the end is worthy of a glance from the rest of us couch potatoes! But, to my mind, the BEST part (even though she herself may be unaware of it) are her all too few song-poems ...like Excess Baggage and Jungle Boy... poignant surprises that are scattered throughout the adventure. Leaves you wanting more.
Rating:
Summary: "Life is too short not to participate in life"...LC
Review: I enjoyed this book. I appreciated the honesty in Lynette's writing. I like to hear peoples' accounts of their experiences and as close to first hand retelling is best. Many times the written versions don't give you as much feeling. In much of her tale I found myself reeled into an emotion as I tried to empathize with the way she must have felt. I also appreciate learning more about Cuba, the real Cuba. Thank you Lynette Chiang for your story!
Rating:
Summary: Women can travel too!
Review: I met Lynette at a book fair this summer and was curious about her adventure in Cuba. One of my closest friends is from Cuba as was my high school Spanish teacher. I've heard many stories about the Cuba that was. Over the past few years, I've met a couple of people who have "run the blockades" and visited there. I've heard about were the inexpensive hotels, inexpensive food, and the natural beauty of the island. I've often wondered what life was really like for the people who live there. The Buena Vista Social Club gave me some idea. The once beautiful, tropical island with colorful buildings, hot music, and warm people... These days much lay in decay and poverty. Lynette's story now provides further clues. Some Cubans try to take advantage- rather try to get their fair share- from the comparatively wealthy foreigners who visit (who are also trying to "get a deal" by visiting here). That would only seem natural. But as Lynette discovers, despite their circumstances, many Cubans remain open, colorful, and resourceful. Their relationships with their families (even "ex-" family members) and friends are to be envied by more "privileged" people in this country. For all the lack of physical comforts, many willingly opened their homes and lives to a stranger. And shared their rations for the sake of friendship. As a single woman, I greatly admire Lynette's courage to follow her own heart and, in doing so, open herself to adventure and self-knowledge. It is this that makes The Handsomest Man in Cuba more than just a travelog. It is an unveiling of real people in a real place, by a real woman seeking new paths. I would highly recommend this book to all, but especially to those women thinking about setting out on their own adventures!
Rating:
Summary: Cuba on the road less taken
Review: Intrepid Lynette Chiang spurns the "soulless fast lane" in this account of a folding-bike trip across Cuba. Staying at campsites and in private homes licensed to take in tourists, Chiang takes a Cuban's-eye look at everyday life and sees both striking physical privation and human richness. The warmth, generosity and belonging she finds say much about what the rest of us have left behind amid those vintage Chevies on our fast lane to comfort and convenience. Woven through a wealth of deftly sketched adventures, such insights take this travel book the extra mile.
Rating:
Summary: A wonderful book, and a glimpse of a unique culture
Review: Lynette Chiang's first book is a wonderful introduction to this new writer; her engaging personality shines through that is truly inspiring. Her chosen mode of travel--a small foldable Bike Friday--allows her to glide through Cuba in a way that is very intimate and personal. I've read some of Lynette's other travelogues on her site and am waiting (impatiently, I might add!) for her next book. An excellent addition for the enthusiast's travel book collection.
Rating:
Summary: Intrepidest Cyclist in the World
Review: Lynette has a great, pizzazzy writing style and the nerve, resourcefulness and joie de vivre that it takes to go on an adventure like riding across Cuba on a bicycle alone. This type of travel is always the best. It gets you in touch with the people in a way that packaged trips cannot. I enjoyed her trip very much, and I enjoyed Lynette's telling of it. I recommend this book heartily.
Rating:
Summary: Handsomest Man
Review: The Handsomest Man in Cuba is a satisfying addition to those books which increase our understanding about daily life in Cuba. It is also a must read for thousands of foreigners who visit Cuba each year under the careful guidance of official tours and who report about life on the island usually from the comfort of luxurious four and five star resorts. Australian born Lynette Chiang has chosen to see Cuba a different way traveling alone on her bicycle and determined to spend as little money as possible. This means seeking out families along the way, who though unlicensed to house foreigners, willingly invite a stranger to share their bed and scant meals for precious dollars. No political sides are taken in this book, but the author vividly records the daily ration book life of many Cubans and you get to meet interesting people many of whom show ingenuity and surprising generosity in the face of their economic struggle. So you ride with Lynette on her limited budget looking over her shoulder as she navigates the unforeseen and endures more than a few bumps along the way. It is a serious book about the hard life of regular Cubans, but Lynette's experiences can often be funny and in places hilarious. She can be introspective and philosophical too, and at times writes with disarming personal honesty. Don't miss this one.
Rating:
Summary: Different, fun, revealing.
Review: This book was fun to read as well as revealing from several perspectives: first it offered an intimate look at Cuba from an unbiased observer. Ms. Chiang takes pains to remain objective and not take sides. This is a welcome change from the politically charged perspectives we have from Cuban expatriates and the Cuban government.Secondly, the book provided an interesting insight into how Ms. Chiang was personally affected by this journey. It left me wanting to know more about this person who was willing to leave her job and her home to travel around the world on her folding bike. An easy and yet thought-provoking read.
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