04/09/2019 | Penguin Publishing Group | 11 Hrs 7 Minutes
When We Left Cuba continues the story of the Perez family after they flee Cuba and seek refuge among Palm Beach’s wealthy elite. Eldest daughter Beatriz Perez has always been bold and unconventional. She isn’t one to sit around waiting for marriage and she soon begins a scandalous affair with a promising young politician (read: JFK) and is recruited by the CIA to kill Castro.
This book pulled me in way more than the first one because it felt a lot less like things were ‘explained’ to the reader. I will say despite this book being about an heiress moonlighting as a spy–It is not an action-packed thriller. It’s reserved, character-driven, and focuses more on Beatriz’s life and self-discovery. While listening to this book I was surprised that Castro makes an “on page” appearance with dialogue and everything. I just get this odd uncanny valley vibe when historical figures show up in fiction.
There are two more Perez sisters and I thought the next two books in the series would be about them. but they are actually about Beatriz and her love interest’s ancestors during the Great Depression.
I’ve been reading more historical fiction lately and at times I get frustrated with how slow historical fiction moves. If anyone has suggestions for fast-paced historical fiction let me know !
I listened to this on Audible Premium Plus. Kyla Garcia is great as always and had a wonderful ability to age her voice as the book goes between past and present-day Beatriz.
1/2 of the blogging duo at Books and Sensibility, I have been blogging about and reviewing books since 2011. I read any and every genre, here on the blog I mostly review Fantasy, Adult Fiction, and Young Adult with a focus on audiobooks.