Find Me in Havana by Serena Burdick: Book Review

The story unfolds in a series of letters between Estelita Rodriguez and her daughter Nina Lopez. The story begins in Cuba in 1936 with Estelita’s family struggling following the Cuban Revolution. Growing up with a group of sisters who loved to sing and dance, Estelita is discovered in a nightclub in Havana as a young girl and arrives in the U.S. at age 15 to sing at the Copacabana in New York City. Nina is the result of a marriage to actor Chu Chu Martinez, the first of her four husbands. As was the often the case during this time in history, Chu Chu forbade his wife from performing. Estelita leaves the marriage and is discovered in Hollywood, beginning an acting career and appearing in movies such as Rio Bravo with John Wayne and Dean Martin.

Nina’s relationship to her mother remained strong, despite many horrific events that fell upon the two. Upon her mother’s mysterious death in 1966, Nina finds herself on a journey, reflecting on memories of her mother’s life and all that she endured to find her American dream.

Book Review 

I found this book to be a very interesting read. It provides the reader with an immersion into the Cuban Revolution. It also demonstrates the way women have historically experienced injustice and atrocities as they strived to be something more than somebody’s wife.

Find Me in Havana would not be complete without the mention of the one constant in both Estelita and Nina’s lives- Estelita’s mother. A strong woman herself, she encourages Estelita to follow her dreams to Hollywood and becomes a stabilizing figure for Nina. The book really shines to me in the depth and sacrifice of all three women to create a good life independent of having to be someone’s wife. Therefore, I find it interesting that Estelita married so often in her 37 years.

As a warning to more sensitive readers, this book has elements of physical abuse, misogyny and rape. It is a difficult read at times because of this, but an important one to completely understand the story.

Audiobook Review

I listened to the audiobook version of the Find Me in Havana which was narrated by Marisol Ramirez and Frankine Corzo. Their performances were very good, and provided a sense of realism to the story. Their voices were articulate and expressive. I listened to the book at my usual 1.25x which provided a comfortable experience. I would not hesitate to recommend the audiobook version of the book to those that enjoy this format.

What I Liked About Find Me in Havana 

• The relationships between these three women
• Insight into the Cuban Revolution
• Insight into women’s role in society in 1936-1966
• Strong female characters

• I would have enjoyed hearing more about Estelita’s acting career.
• I found one scene effecting Estelita’s niece to be a little too intense.  I almost stopped reading at this point.

Those readers that enjoy historical fiction based on reality, or those that enjoy stories about family.

Thanks to Netgalley and Harlequin Audio for the ARC of this audiobook in exchange for the honest review provided here.

My rating:  ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️/5.

Add Find Me in Havana by Serena Burdick to your Goodreads shelf

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