Customer Reviews

The Island of Eternal Love

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
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The Island of Eternal Love by Daina Chaviano centers on Cecilia, a Miami journalist, who after having migrated during the 1994 Cuban exodus is experiencing bouts of homesickness and depression. At the insistence of friends, she is reluctantly dragged along for a night out and meets an old woman in the back of the club who commences to tell her life story to Cecilia. Finding more interest in the old woman's story than the club scene, Cecilia anxiously returns on a regular basis to hear the next episode in the soap opera-like saga. Therein, the history of Cuba unfolds in the old woman's rendering of an enchanting multi-generational love story.

The reader is transported back to China and follows the migration of a young, hopeful Chinese family to the island and learns of the survival, assimilation, and racial challenges that ensue. The Spanish conquerors and the enslaved Africans are represented in their historical context and the comingling of the races is inevitable and evident in the colorful landscape of Cubans today. What also emerges is the manifestation of curses, superstitions, and mythical lore evidenced in segments where a mischievous imp torments the chosen women of one family for generations and a mysterious phantom house randomly that appears throughout Little Havana, which ironically (or perhaps it is fate) becomes Cecilia's assignment at the newspaper where she is a reporter. The author eventually bridges the significance of the house, the disjointed family saga, and Cecelia's angst to wrap up the novel nicely.

This was my first time reading Chaviano and I chose to read it based on the synopsis, which hinted at a cross-cultural tale that explored the African, Chinese and Spanish ancestry of the Cuban people. While all three cultures were mentioned, I honestly expected more in regards to the African cultural contribution but the novel tended to focus more on the Chinese and Spanish influences - which is fine, I just expected an equal presentation or representation of the tri-cultures. Nonetheless, the novel is a wonderful blend of myth, fantasy, and speculative fiction - it is a refreshing departure from the "norm" for those who can use their imaginations and open their minds to the concepts of predestined love, the influences of the supernatural on the living, and appreciate an alternative approach toward historical fiction

Reviewed by Phyllis
APOOO BookClub
July 26, 2008

This is a family saga that takes place along two parallel lines: one in our time and another that begins in the 19 Century. The modern story revolves around the paranormal investigations of Cecilia, a young journalist researching a phantom house that appears and disappears in different parts of her city, Miami. The other story is told by an old woman whom Cecilia meets in a bar. Every night, Cecilia listens to the story of that woman, which begins in the 19th century in three regions of the world; China, Africa and Spain.

Different magical or supernatural events conspire to make these three stories from the past begin to mix. If you like family sagas, Gothic and fantasy literature, historical novels, and even SciFi, this is a novel for you.

One of the best things is the interaction between the fantastic and the real worlds. I specially liked the connection between humans and fantasy creatures. Be aware though that this is not exactly Magical Realism, as I've read somewhere. The story is more in the tradition of novels like "Little, Big", by John Crowley, where human beings have fantasy traits.

In general, the characters are complex and rich, full of contradictions and doubts about themselves. By the end of the book, you may probably have two or more favorites--and probably one of them will not be human...

This is a fascinating blend of realism and fantasy whose aim is to show the mixture of Spanish, Chinese and African cultures in Cuba. While it is true that the African part tends to fall out, there is a lot of attention given to the other two. Chaviano gives you a (sometimes literally) hallucinatory vision of Havana and Cuban exiles in Miami. Although the fantasy part is prominent, there is a lot of history as well.

I appreciated that the different sections were equally interesting. Often when a writer blends together different stories I find myself more drawn to one strand or the other, but each one was interesting in its own right.

If you're interested in Cuban culture or just a good read, I would definitely recommend this book.

This novel has a little bit of many things - history, love, fantasy, supernatural events, humor, tragedy... Even though it has some subjects outside the realm of what many would consider "realistic" literature, it feels as an intimate, human tale. The characters are skillfully portrayed and full of complexities. By the end of the book, you may have two or more favorite characters--and probably one of them will not be human... Some people have classified this book as magic realism. For me, a more appropiate label would be "Caribbean Gothic". Anyway, I can't wait to read another novel by this author.

This is a novel that will keep you mesmerized from the first page to the last. Daina Chaviano does an excellent job of creating a story that intertwines across generations of three separate families. Each chapter tells a story and by the middle of the book, the paths of each family will cross on this one island. Yet, what brings this novel to life and separates it from any other story is that the island is reflected in the characters Chaviano brings to life and as complex as the characters are, so is the island of Cuba- an island loved yet draped by a curse.

He estado buscando esta novela desde que la leí para comprar algunos ejemplares más y regalarla a amigos y familares para Navidad. Ya se la había regalado a mi novia un 14 de febrero y le encantó. Pero se agotó hace algún tiempo. Me alegra que hayan vuelto a sacarla. Volví a leerla hace poco y la sigo disfrutando igual. Tiene una prosa incomparable, tan disfrutable como la mejor novela de Vargas Llosa, aunque el estilo de esta autora es completamente distinto, como más etéreo y a la vez más sensual. Difícil de describir. Hay que leerla para entender de qué hablo.

I enjoyed this book, it had interesting story lines. I really liked the multi-generational elements but thought it was bit over done in the mystical aspect. I did find it a bit confusing at times and thought the character of Cecelia was too narrow. I would recommend this book for casual reading especially if you like mysticism written into your stories.

I really enjoyed this fusion of fantasy and reality. Chaviano's way of blending these literary perspectives transforms the plot in something unique. Also, the amazing recreation of the Chinese world of those who migrated to Cuba in the 19th Century, with all their traditions and believes, makes this novel an exceptionally original work. For more information, check the trailer available on YouTube, in the author's Website, or the Amazon author's page). I recommend it to anyone who had enjoyed the works of Amy Tan, Isabel Allende, and other authors dealing with multicultural historical/magical fiction.

Born in Cuba, Cecilia left in 1994 settling in Miami's Little Havana; she has since become a reporter. Her friends persuade a hesitant Cecilia to accompany them to a club, which she finds totally boring. She is ready to leave when she meets an elderly woman in the back. Amalia begins telling a fascinated Cecilia re her family heritage.

Every night Cecilia returns to hear more about how Amalia's three racial-makeups that consolidated into hybrids in Cuba. The old woman adds plenty of romance, violence and blood along with fairies and imps assaulting the females. Especially cursing her relatives for generations is Martinico the imp who has seemingly harassed her and her family forever.

Using a Sherazade like narrator and fantasy elements also like in the Arabian Nights, Daina Chaviano provides an intriguing creative look at the multicultural roots that merged in Cuba. Thus readers obtain a glimpse at the impact of the Chine and the Spanish and to a lesser degree the African. Fans of historical fiction with a fascinating spin that will require an adjustment will enjoy the deep look at Cuban history and culture.

Harriet Klausner

The book was well written and full of whimsy. I really enjoyed reading about the family's history, but i thought that the modern story of Cecilia fell short. The stories of the other characters were rich and complex, so much so that getting through the agonizing chapters of Cecilia questioning herself and sulking in self pitty were painstaking.

Like i said though, the history was great and i enjoyed those parts. :)