Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:
An hard look at a little known country, 21 Sep 2002
By A Customer
This is a really fascinating read. It was good to pick up a book that wasn't all salsa and rum. Cuba is one of the world's last dictatorships and Bran doesn't hesitate to get involved with the lives of ordinary Cuban's, questioning, digging and finally stripping away the layers of courtesy and smiles to reveal the private hell that many Cuban's live in today as a result of Castro's political ideology and US spite. There's blood and magic too, as the reader is taken through a private Santeria ceremony in the remote south east of the island. Bran's grasp of history is excellent; there's Mafia, Hemingway and conquistador's - this is a great way to get a grip on what came before Castro and Che Guevara. You feel you're seeing with Bran as she travels from one end of the island to the other meeting taxi drivers, nurses, artists, writers and ex pats. But this is not just a travel book, thought and skill have gone into the actual writing which is often quite beautiful and raises Enduring Cuba above the ordinary run of travel books. Highly recommended.
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6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
Well written and very interesting but not wholly accurate, 4 Aug 2004
I read this book within a month of returning from a trip to Cuba (also as a solo female) and found that many of my experiences matched those of the author with one major difference, she chose to fear them rather than embrace them. She appears to have a negative mindset from the outset, which colours her view of things and,I fear, may unfairly influence those who haven't visited themselves. By all means read the book for a good insight into Cuba but bear in mind its missing much of the positive experiences that can be gained from a visit to the country. It largely ignores two major factors, most importantly, the joy d'vivre of the Cubans despite, or maybe because of, their economic hardships; and secondly, the life enhancing experinece that can be found in embracing the country's lack of commercialism and focus on simple pleasures in life such as music, landscape and human interaction.
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5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
Enduring this book, 24 Nov 2004
I visited Cuba before I read this. I was backpacking with a friend from Peru so I feel I have a certain knowledge of the country. I did not like this book. First of all I found it quite boring and it was a struggle at times to keep going. It improved towards the end and does provide some food for thought but overall the whole book is told in such a dull, dreary, depressing manner. Also I found the author a bit arrogant and aloof at times. Cuba is a unique country in the world and has many very good things going for it (especially comparing it to other Latin American countries) and very bad things e.g. the day-today struggle of the people but it is a fascinating place nonetheless. There is just no excuse for the book to be boring. It was as if her writing style had to mirror her perceived struggle of the people. Not a travel book, not a good analysis of the political situation - didn't achieve at any level. Some food for thought and that's it. I could do better myself.
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