Spirits of the Revolution

by Luis González

A novel of the United States and Cuba. This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0966305809
• ISBN13: 9780966305807
• Release Date: July 1998
• Publisher: Colonnade Books
• Length: 933 Pages
• Weight: 3.04 lbs.
• Dimensions: 2.3" x 6.3" x 9.3"

Customer Reviews

Hurry Up with Book II

I learned about this wonderful book from my daughter who, although born in the US, is a true-blue Cuban. We enjoyed the novel very much and Alejandro Palante has become a member of our family since we mention him very often and miss him just like if he was a real person as so many of us can identify with him. Please hurry up with Book 2, I am old and sick and would really like to enjoy the sequels before I die. Congratulations, Mr. Gonzalez`

The Great "Cuban" Novel

I went to the Miami/Coral Gables book signing. I'm only 2/3's of the way through reading, but I am thoroughly enjoying it. I think "Spirit's of the Revolution" is the "Gone with the Wind" of the Cuban exile community. It's amazing how it captures so many details of the Cuban exile experience so succinctly. I can definitely relate to so many of the experiences and feelings of trying to exist between two cultures. I'm anxiously awaiting for the 2nd part.

A lively and satisfying read

This long, juicy book tells the tale of one visit of Group Volveremos to Cuba in the late 1980s. This organization of Cuban immigrants (the name means Group We Will Return) and Cuban-Americans is permitted by the Castro regime to come to the island once a year, work, meet with fellow comrades, and leave one member behind as a sort of reverse defection. The members of this year's Group Volveremos team are at each other's throats from the get-go, and author Luis Gonzales lets us into why each group member is there, how they relate-or generally don't- with the others, and what they hope to get out of this latest trip to the patria. The characters are complex, quirky, and highly opinionated, which makes for some very lively reading. Gonzalez has the gift of showing, not telling. It is through the characters that we see Cuban life and are left to make up our own minds about it. Like California social worker Alejandro Palante's aunt and cousin, everyone in Cuba seems to be arguing over whether to leave or stay. And no one in Group Volveremos is ever, ever allowed to ask what happened to earlier reverse-defectors. Only occasionally does Gonzalez overplay his hand (the story of Alejandro Palante's school experiences is way over the top) but for the most part, Spirits of the Revolution is a delightful intertwining of past and present, with a few glimpses of the future. The good news is that the trip to Cuba is just beginning, which means that another long and satisfying read is due sooner, we hope, rather than later. This is the first effort published by Colonnade Press in Los Angeles. They've put out a stylish book, but desperately need a new copy editor. May there be many more equally enjoyable books on their list in the future!

Extraordinary

New Years Day 1959 Cuba's old regime collapsed and a Revolution came to power. An exodus of Cubans migrated to America to live in exile. Cuban-American author Luis Gonzalez writes of the lost nationality and culture that a generation experienced and their yearning to return to the homeland despite Castro's totalitarian rule. Spirits of the Revolution is a novel that transcends the political boundaries of the US and Cuba to reveal a passionate tale of a young man's gallant dream to return to his native country.

Brilliant

How can a book this challenging be a good read? Only because the passionate pen of Luis Gonzalez leads us to experience the soul of Cuba. These mildly disturbing characters will carry you while you take a peak at the drama of human beings looking to their own culture to fill the empty parts of their lives. With an extraordinary knack for character development and an eye for psychosocial behavior, the author captures the dynamics of group microcosms. This leaves us with an insightful perspective of the lure of that island so close and yet so far away from the United States.Gonzalez does not write of villains and heroes. He writes of the good and bad in each of us as we interact in society. I look forward to reading the sequel. What other personalities can this talented author so vividly expose while he hones his craft?