Customer Reviews

White Rose: Una Rosa Blanca (A Ballantine Readers' Circle Book)

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

This is the second book I've read my Amy Ephron, and I enjoyed it just as much as the first. Of course, I love anything historical, so that helps, plus the storyline -- and the fact that it is based on a true event -- fascinated me. I know for sure that I will buy anything Ms. Ephron writes, and I hope another one is forthcoming soon.

White Rose tells the story of the beautiful and young Evangelina Cisneros and her imprisonment in her native Cuba in the late 19th century. Evangelina, like many others in the prison, are there because they have turned their backs on their Spanish government in an effort to liberate Cuba. Soon, Evangelina will be transferred to a different prison -- one where no one survives....

Karl Decker, a journalist in New York City, is sent by his employer to Cuba under the pretense of interviewing Evangelina for a story. However, he is actually there to aid her escape from the prison before she is transferred to a place of certain death. But there are hurdles and many untrustworthy people along the way.

White Rose is a beautiful love story as well as a powerful tribute to patriotism. I loved each page of this novel, and knowing it was a true story made it only better. An awesome book that is highly recommended, especially for historical fiction lovers.

Ms Ephron's book misses the historical implications of the protagonist's actions. Why did the US/Hearst get involved? I suggest Eduardo Galleano; "Open Veins of Latin America." What would cause a young woman to willingly give up "love" from 2 different men; perhaps an intense desire for independence or her quest for freedom? These were never developed. The Karl/Charles character was also flat. Was he after a story or working for the US interests? The book seem too simplistic and more of a short story needed further development.

As a Cuban-American I was looking forward to reading this book and suggested it to my Book Club as our next selection. In summary, we found the book to be historically and culturally inaccurate (there are no torillas in Cuba*!). The characters are one-dimensional and unsympathetic and the storyline slow and plodding. It did nothing to inform and educate its readers about the Cuban War of Independence. If I hadn't been reading it for my book club I would have given up after Chapter One.

*In Cuba the term "tortilla" refers to egg omelettes not the typical tortilla eaten in Mexico and Centeral America. The author clearly makes references to the Mexican type of tortillas in the first chapter of the book. She should have done her homework! This reference caused me to question the rest of the research done for the book.

Seamless, breathtaking storytelling. Couldn't put it down. I found myself completely immersed in Ephron's well crafted world which, at times, surprisingly enough, is told from a man's point of view. History and fiction blend nicely in a spare but utterly romantic novel. Highly recommended

I too am a Cuban-American and I loved this book! I couldn't put it down once I got started. After reading this book I felt compelled to do more research on Evangelina to see if the story was indeed based on history, & it is!

This book is beautifully written. I could feel the warmth of the island and envision the tropical landscape. I felt I was there. I don't know what book that other Cuban-American was reading, but it couldn't have been this one. This book was NOT boring!

I would have given it five stars but I didn't like the way this story ended. I didn't feel this was a romance story and liked the way the author had written the majority of the book not as one. But on the very last couple of pages, she changed the tone of the relationship of the two main characters and it didn't feel necessary or right.

I read this book on the beach in the Virgin Islands in February, so that could account for some of the fondness I feel for this book, but I'm certain that it's more than that. I have read other books from Latin authors (translated from Spanish) and this little novel had the same gentle mood and soft language, as if it had been written in Spanish. Really, it is a long short story (and so is The Old Man and the Sea), but what a pleasure to read. The issues raised are presented, not solved, leaving the reader something to ponder after putting the book down. I also found the ending to be a bit of a let down, but the time spent reading this book was a lovely interlude. I've recommended and given this book to many people and plan on recommending it to my Cuban-American doctor today. For a real pleasure, take this book to the beach, preferably on an island, and really immerse yourself in the experience.

A real page turner , could not put the book down. I loved the historic setting of turn of the century Cuba intertwined with a beautiful depiction of two worlds meeting and two people compelleded to be together. Great Job ! !

White Rose absoltely blew me away. Extraordinary storytelling. Amazing prose. Sentence by sentence, Amy Ephron may be the most prodigiously talented author writing in America today. This novel manifests all her strengths: heart, passion, suspense, and most of all a grasp of the inner workings of the human spirit that will take your breath away even as you draw blood turning the page. A total masterpiece.

Talk about a left-over screenplay... I've read hundreds of better screenplays than this novella (posing as a novel). How long did it take the author to write this? One week? Two days? It feels like the typical New Yorker book - everything is laid out just right; nice and short, fancy cover design, airport sales, mass market....yet there's nothing to this story or this book. There's no motiff, no compelling characters, no engaging theme...There are a million talented suffering writers and the publishers spit in our faces with this drivel. What next? A novel condensed in three pages? Give me a break - will not be buying from Ballentine for a long time.

it has action, suspense, romance and political intrigue. once you start the book you absolutely cannot put it down.