Blog Tour: When We Left Cuba: Chanel Cleeton
In 1960s Florida, a young Cuban exile will risk her life--and heart--to take back her country in this exhilarating historical novel from the author of Next Year in Havana, a Reese Witherspoon Book Club pick.
Beautiful. Daring. Deadly.
The Cuban Revolution took everything from sugar heiress Beatriz Perez--her family, her people, her country. Recruited by the CIA to infiltrate Fidel Castro's inner circle and pulled into the dangerous world of espionage, Beatriz is consumed by her quest for revenge and her desire to reclaim the life she lost.
As the Cold War swells like a hurricane over the shores of the Florida Strait, Beatriz is caught between the clash of Cuban American politics and the perils of a forbidden affair with a powerful man driven by ambitions of his own. When the ever-changing tides of history threaten everything she has fought for, she must make a choice between her past and future--but the wrong move could cost Beatriz everything--not just the island she loves, but also the man who has stolen her heart...
This is one of my most anticipated reads of this year. From the moment I finished Next Year in Havana, I knew I needed to read Beatriz’s story. Beatriz Perez left everything she loved about home behind when her family fled Cuba. Now the revolution is over, her family is putting down roots in Florida, and the feelings of loss are stronger than ever for Beatriz. She feels like no one is fighting to return to Cuba, to return Cuba to what it should have been. A new season is upon them in Florida, more men are proposing marriage, but nothing excites Beatriz about her situation. She isn’t interested in the traditional family life her sister has chosen and her mother would steer her to. An offer to work for the CIA is tempting for this woman who has held on so tightly to the dream of returning home.
The CIA aspect of Beatriz’s life is only one thread of this story, however. She leads a rich life on the edge of what is considered proper for a young well-bred woman in the 1960s. She isn’t as concerned with what others think of her decisions, choosing to follow her heart rather than the expectations of her family. But her heart pulls her in multiple directions as she falls in love while working with the CIA, and her love and her work cannot exist at the same time.
My heart pulled with hers as she considered her choices. The situations she finds herself in do not make this a spy story, and she is definitely not a full time operative, but the jobs they send her on put her in dangers she never imagined. She is strong willed, but has a deep heart for those she loves. Her desire to return home never wavers even as those around her question every move.
Like Next Year in Havana, this is a bittersweet story of family, love, and loss. The way this story is woven into the events surrounding the years directly following the Cuban Revolution gave a depth and poignancy to Beatriz’s story. I could feel her hesitation as she considered which path to take with her life, the decisions that would shape her adulthood. Beatriz was an very intriguing character when we met her in the first book, but hearing her story in her own words made her an even more dynamic character than I imagined she would be.
I received a copy for free from the author and Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
Next Year in Havana
After the death of her beloved grandmother, a Cuban-American woman travels to Havana, where she discovers the roots of her identity--and unearths a family secret hidden since the revolution...
Havana, 1958. The daughter of a sugar baron, nineteen-year-old Elisa Perez is part of Cuba's high society, where she is largely sheltered from the country's growing political unrest--until she embarks on a clandestine affair with a passionate revolutionary...
Miami, 2017. Freelance writer Marisol Ferrera grew up hearing romantic stories of Cuba from her late grandmother Elisa, who was forced to flee with her family during the revolution. Elisa's last wish was for Marisol to scatter her ashes in the country of her birth.
Arriving in Havana, Marisol comes face-to-face with the contrast of Cuba's tropical, timeless beauty and its perilous political climate. When more family history comes to light and Marisol finds herself attracted to a man with secrets of his own, she'll need the lessons of her grandmother's past to help her understand the true meaning of courage.
Havana, 1958. The daughter of a sugar baron, nineteen-year-old Elisa Perez is part of Cuba's high society, where she is largely sheltered from the country's growing political unrest--until she embarks on a clandestine affair with a passionate revolutionary...
Miami, 2017. Freelance writer Marisol Ferrera grew up hearing romantic stories of Cuba from her late grandmother Elisa, who was forced to flee with her family during the revolution. Elisa's last wish was for Marisol to scatter her ashes in the country of her birth.
Arriving in Havana, Marisol comes face-to-face with the contrast of Cuba's tropical, timeless beauty and its perilous political climate. When more family history comes to light and Marisol finds herself attracted to a man with secrets of his own, she'll need the lessons of her grandmother's past to help her understand the true meaning of courage.
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Chanel Cleeton is the USA Today bestselling author of Reese Witherspoon Book Club pick Next Year in Havana. Originally from Florida, Chanel grew up on stories of her family's exodus from Cuba following the events of the Cuban Revolution. Her passion for politics and history continued during her years spent studying in England where she earned a bachelor's degree in International Relations from Richmond, The American International University in London and a master's degree in Global Politics from the London School of Economics & Political Science. Chanel also received her Juris Doctor from the University of South Carolina School of Law. She loves to travel and has lived in the Caribbean, Europe, and Asia.
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