What do readers think of When We Left Cuba by Chanel Cleeton? Write your own review.

This is a beautiful novel,that's full of family secrets and forbidden passions. The author is skillful in developing her characters and developing them through many years. I did read the first novel When We Left Cuba this novel has some of the same characters in it also. It pulled together history of Castro, Kennedy and the Cuba Missile Crisis. It was a historical fiction novel with a complicated romance in it. A strong woman character with courage and choices to make.

If you enjoy historical romances, you may enjoy this book. For me, it was too superficial, which was unfortunate, because the political complexity the story was set against and attempted to convey offered a chance for deeper reflection. The love story read like most light romances, and although there was an attempt to portray a strong female character within the era, her femme fatal personification did not appeal to me. She never seemed to grow beyond seduction. Lastly, although there were some interesting twists and turns in the plot, the CIA intrigue, the double-agents and so on did not feel authentic, that's not to say that the author's research wasn't accurate, rather that the scenes and characters did not feel real.

Although Chanel Cleeton was not alive at the time of the revolution, her historical research was extremely accurate and objective.I wondered about her background and experience prior to writing fictional accounts of the time. Having visited Cuba in 2015, her descriptions of Havana were extremely evocative.

Although I generally enjoyed reading the book, I found the characters stereotypical and predictable Each character seemed to represent a stereotype - the strong, beautiful and independent woman, the sister who took a traditional path, the father who hung on to the past, the revolutionary brother, the kind and principled Senator. The last third of the book was disappointing, Beatriz's later dealings with the CIA were never explained, but alluded to a successful career of espionage. How about some details? It all sounded so idealistic.The fairly-tale ending was unrealistic.

This is a hard book to review. I thought it was going to be about Beatriz Perez becoming a spy in order to infiltrate the world of Fidel Castro after her family lost so much in the Cuban Revolution.
Instead, it is a story of a love affair. There were long periods in the plot about the affair and how beautiful Beatriz is. I kept wondering when the plot was going to get back to her undercover work with the CIA. That seemed to be an afterthought. It was as though the author went on and on about the affair and then decided, "oh, I need to get back to the spy story." I had hoped for more....

Beatriz Perez is the beautiful, dangerous and very Independent heroine of the novel "When we left Cuba." Thank you, Ms Cleeton for telling us the story of Beatriz, sister of Eliza whose story was told in the bestselling novel, "Next year in Havana."

While this story has it's moments it did not hold my interest as much as Eliza's story. Beatriz is a fascinating character and I really wanted to be involved an believe in her character. But, somehow the story just didn't get me there. it was very uneven, starting off strong with the promise of an engaging plot, but bottoming out in the middle and struggling toward the end. The story coincided with well known events, including the bay of pigs, the soviet missile crises and the assassination of President Kennedy. Strong events coupled with a powerful love story should have made for a great story. Sadly for me it left me disappointed. Still a good read but not as fulfilling as expected.

Set in Florida just after Fidel Castro's 1959 takeover of Cuba , this historical novel features Beatriz Perez, the beautiful, strong-minded daughter of an exiled Cuban patrician family. A quick, fast-paced read: the women are beautiful, the men squared–jawed, the plotting engaging though improbable. Not a novel for readers who seek hefty themes to chew on, it is more a meringue of a book: easy to digest though not sticking with you for long.

I read Next Year in Havana and quite enjoyed it. I found this a really poor follow up. The plot is really weak, and the characters very 2 dimensional. A supposedly strong, intelligent, independent woman who trades solely with her looks and sexual appeal is recruited by the CIA. Using only those attributes she is to assassinate a brutal dictator. She receives no training, acquires no skills, the book meanders along until finally she is sent to do the job and in the greatest anti-climax ever - Castro turns her around and sends her home with her tail between her legs. When she finally does get into a spot of danger (for about half a page) she’s rescued by a knight like any traditional damsel in distress. Whilst Prince Charming doesn’t quite come to the rescue he’s a fairly flat and boring good guy. He’s a nice fantasy character but seriously lacking in reality. I liked the historical information about Cuba but there was very little detail of people’s lives, nothing to really relate to. Family relationships that had such great potential to introduce depth and complexity, such as those with Beatriz’ mother and father were glossed over. There was a nice twist with Eduardo’s character. Overall - An opportunity missed.

This is a historical novel set in Florida and Havana in the critical period of the 1960's. Beatriz is a beautiful, strong-willed woman conflicted by her desire to return to Havana and to play a part in the political turmoil around her. It is primarily a romance novel. I thought the character development was too predictable, the dialog inconsistent, and some of the plot just not believable. Cleeton's other romance novels have been popular and this will no doubt be enjoyed by her readers.