Blessed by Thunder: Memoir of a Cuban Girlhood

Blessed by Thunder: Memoir of a Cuban Girlhood - Flor Fernandez-Barrios No Spoilers!!!

I could not finish this book, but this is NOT due to a lack of interest or diappointment in the book. I enjoyed every minute spent reading the book. I am giving it four stars, because I feel to give it five is incorrect given that I did not read to the end. What I loved about the book is that you do not get just the dry facts of history aobut Fidel Castro's takeover of Cuba, but rather the facts and how these historical events shaped the lives of normal people living in Cuba at this time. You learn abbout Cuban tradtions, culture and beliefs. You get so much more from hearing of one family's experiences than by reading dry dates and names, the historical events from the newsreels.

I am hoping to return to the book in the future.

P.S. You cannot compare this book to House of Spirits. I enjoyed both immensely, but the stories are so different!. Such a comparison has no purpose. Belief in spirits and mystical powers are evident in both. Such beliefs were an integral part of the cultural backgrounnd in both books.

BEFORE READING: I was hooked when I read a bit of the text at Barnes & Noble! I loved Allende's The House of the Spirits, and I think that perhaps there really will be similarities between the two books. It is a memoir about a girl's childhood growing up under the guidance of her grandmothers and the mystical stories that were an integral part of her experiences. History too - as Cuba falls to Castro's regime.

Just tell me - how in the world can I find the time to read all these books I simply must read? Lynne - thanks again - it looks marvelous, although it certainly took me awhile to get around to reading it. Ialso want to read Waiting for Snow in Havana: Confessions of a Cuban Boy, which has a similar theme. Both are memoirs about children living in Cuba when Fidel Castro came to power.