I was thoroughly captivated by the saga of the Bright family. The Bright family moves to Philadelphia to work in the family funeral home. Just as they are settling into their new life, the Spanish flu strikes. Told from the viewpoints of the four Bright females, this story pulled me in from the first sentence. Susan Meissner wrote a beautiful book about finding hope amongst tragedy.
I received an advanced reader’s copy from Goodreads. All opinions are my own.
Next Year in Havana is an epic story of love and hope. I was in love with the cover the first time I saw it and the story inside is just as beautifully written. Chanel Cleeton spent a lot of time researching and it shows in her descriptions of the old Havana and the present day Havana. I read a lot of historical fiction but this was the first I’ve read about Cuba. I’ve seen movies depicting the beauty of old Havana in it’s heyday and it saddens me to think that after all these years the people of Cuba are still suppressed.
A quote from the book stuck with me. “You never know what’s to come. That’s the beauty of life. If everything happened the way we wished, the way we planned, we’d miss out on the best parts, the unexpected pleasures.”
I can’t wait to read Beatriz’s story in Chanel Cleeton’s next book due out in the winter of 2019!
