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Island that Dared: Journeys in Cuba
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Product Description
"The Island That Dared" is a passionate book from the pen of Dervla Murphy, which begins with a three-generational family holiday in Cuba. Led by their redoubtable hard-walking grandmother, the trio of young girls and their mother soon find themselves camping out on empty beaches beneath the stars with only crabs and mosquitoes for company. This pure Swallows and Amazons experience confirms Dervla in her quest to understand the unique society that has been created by the Cuban Revolution. She returns again and again to explore the island, investigating the experience of modern Cuba with her particular, candid curiosity. Through her own research and through conversations with Fidelistas and their critics alike, "The Island That Dared" builds a complex picture of a people struggling to retain their identity in the face of insistent hostility, and to stand against the all-but-overwhelming fire-power of capitalism. Whatever the fate of Cuba, "The Island That Dared" beautifully fulfils the role of a great travel book, 'to catch the moment on the wing, and stop it in Time' - Colin Thubron.
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
15 of 16 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
I have devoured most of Dervla Murphy's books with great enjoyment. I found this one similar in style to "The Embers of Chaos", her book about the Balkans, in that there is a large amount of historical and political background compared to her usual books - possibly because these two areas require such an analysis due to their complex histories. It made the reading a little heavier than usual, but that's no bad thing.
The book has two sections, the first a charming account of her journey to Cuba with her daughter and granddaughters, the second written after a solo return to the island some months later.
The book does a great job of showing you what life is really like for the average Cuban and reaches past the western anti-Castro propaganda and the green-sea-white-sand sanitized and segregated tourist brochure idyll, presenting a reality that is at odds with and seriously threatened by both of these views.
This is a mature and insightful work of great value. You will not be disappointed.
The book has two sections, the first a charming account of her journey to Cuba with her daughter and granddaughters, the second written after a solo return to the island some months later.
The book does a great job of showing you what life is really like for the average Cuban and reaches past the western anti-Castro propaganda and the green-sea-white-sand sanitized and segregated tourist brochure idyll, presenting a reality that is at odds with and seriously threatened by both of these views.
This is a mature and insightful work of great value. You will not be disappointed.
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
This is a superb book for anyone who has been to Cuba or who has an interest in Cuba. It is a travelogue but also much more than that.
Dervla Murphy makes considerable effort to understand the context of this complex and unique island, and that involves sections of historical, political and social analysis, as well as straight-forward - and very enjoyable - passages of travel writing. However it is far from a dull read. It is not a lightweight read, granted, but it reads well, and the historical and political aspects that Murphy looks at only serve to add necessary understanding towards what it is that makes Cuba so unique. Murphy does not attempt to sit on the fence in terms of her own views; this might irritate some, but for me it just adds to the charm of her writing. She is an intelligent and forthright woman without guille, and with a heart and a mind open to the everyday people that she meets and describes so well.
Very few people could do Cuba justice in print as well as Murphy has done here. I've read many of her books, and this, for me, stands up as one of her finest.
Dervla Murphy makes considerable effort to understand the context of this complex and unique island, and that involves sections of historical, political and social analysis, as well as straight-forward - and very enjoyable - passages of travel writing. However it is far from a dull read. It is not a lightweight read, granted, but it reads well, and the historical and political aspects that Murphy looks at only serve to add necessary understanding towards what it is that makes Cuba so unique. Murphy does not attempt to sit on the fence in terms of her own views; this might irritate some, but for me it just adds to the charm of her writing. She is an intelligent and forthright woman without guille, and with a heart and a mind open to the everyday people that she meets and describes so well.
Very few people could do Cuba justice in print as well as Murphy has done here. I've read many of her books, and this, for me, stands up as one of her finest.
8 of 9 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
I have now read several of Derlva's books, so am well used to her writing style. Factually, this is a comprehensive history of modern Cuba, mixed with a personal travelogue and a great passion for her subject matter. If you are interested in delving into pre and post revolution Cuba, then this book will give you all the facts you know, whilst painting a picture of the geography and culture of this fascinating island and it's stoical people. My only criticism is that it is a little laboured in parts, but the length of the book is worth the journey of understanding, especially if you have visited Havana or plan to tour the island. Those visitors that choose only to see Varadero get a distorted view of Cuban life.
Most Recent Customer Reviews
A must read for any visitor to Cuba
The writer gives a very balanced personal report on Cuba. I read it while there and so it was extremely informative. Read more
Published 2 months ago by Gill
The Island that Dared
Waking and shaking inside info on Cuba that we never seem to have heard about truthfully.
Dervla at her very best .
Dervla at her very best .
Published 10 months ago by ROBERT PANTER
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