Book 1 of The Perez Family Series
American-Cuban Marisol Ferrera is a freelance writer who was raised by her grandmother Elisa Perez. Elisa fled Cuba in 1959 with the rest of the Perez family: her parents and three sisters. Elisa hoped to return to Cuba after Fidel Castro’s death, however, she passed away before Castro did. Elisa asked Marisol in a letter she received after her death to take her ashes back to Cuba and scatter them there.
Marisol arrives in Cuba expecting to meet her grandmother’s best friend Ana Rodriguez at the airport. However, Ana sent her grandson Luis, and Marisol is instantly attracted to him.
There are flashbacks throughout the book to Elisa’s life, starting when the revolution began in Cuba. 19 year old Elisa is not allowed to study – the university is closed anyway – or have a job. She’s expected to marry and take care of her family after her marriage. One night, at a party, she meets a much older man, a revolutionary and she falls in love.
I didn’t know what to expect from this book, I hadn’t even read the blurb before I started reading it. I picked it because the title starts with an N and because it was a Reese’s Bookclub Read. I do love historical novels, and didn’t know much about Cuba in the late 50s so it was interesting. I did like this book and look forward to reading the rest of the series.
Read for The 52 Book Club Reading Challenge 2025
Prompt 4: Title Starts with Letter N
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
