I enjoyed both of them quite a bit, but Next Year in Havana was definitely my favorite. It is a story of love, family, resilience, and perseverance as is When We Left Cuba though they tell the stories of two different women. Next Year in Havana tells a story of love and heartbreak during the Cuban Revolution of the fifties when Fidel Castro came into power. Cleeton weaves the tale amongst facts, and I quickly filled in some of the knowledge gaps by further researching the history of the time periods. The story lines immerse the reader in parts of Cuban and American history in which I found myself lacking substantive knowledge, but Ms. Her own stories of family fleeing Cuba and making lives here were a beautiful background to the inspiration of these books. Last month I had the opportunity to meet Chanel Cleeton at her book signing that introduced her new book When We Left Cuba, a spin-off of her book Next Year in Havana. I’ve also been reading books that I otherwise would not have chosen but that I end up enjoying tremendously,and I’ve found some new writers to follow! I love hearing the stories of how their novels came to be and how the stories connect to the author’s own life. Often, the authors at the book signings give a short talk about their latest work and answer any questions the crowd might have.

I’m really enjoying the regular events at Vero Beach Book Center. If you’ve never been to a book signing and you’re a reader, you should really consider going to one.

When we left cuba review