Synopses & Reviews
Set against the exotic background of Cuba in 1938, The Wise Women of Havana is the deeply moving, lyrical, and yet earthy story of three remarkable women whose lives are suddenly intricately intertwined.
When Marguita, a beautiful and voluptuous young girl, marries Lorenzo, they find their dream home in a cozy apartment in Havana. But that dream is soon shattered. Lorenzo's once-wealthy parents, now in dire need of financial help because of the Great Depression, force the newlyweds to move into the family's crumbling mansion with them. Marguita is hardly settled with her in-laws when Lorenzo's older sister, the spinster Lolo, behaves in a shocking way toward the young couple, seriously injuring Marguita's sense of honor and causing a dangerous rift between the two. In despair, Marguita flees to her mother, Dolores, a truly Wise woman, whose love, generosity, and resourcefulness provide the glue that promises to mend the break.
Review
“A page-turner that offers Latin-style solutions to universal problems.” St. Louis Post-Dispatch
Synopsis
Imbued with wonderfully evocative detail, "The Wise Women of Havana" brings together Marguita, voluptuous and newly married to Lorenzo, and Lolo, Lorenzo's envious older sister. Their embattled relationship threatens to destroy Marguita's marriage until her mother steps in. Gradually this wise woman helps the two "sisters" find a way to understand each other, and to live in peace.
About the Author
José Raúl Bernardo is the author of two previous novels: Silent Wing, elected as one of the Best Works of Fiction in 1998 by the Los Angeles Times Book Review, and The Secret of the Bulls, now available in seven languages. A renaissance man, José Raúl Bernardo is also a celebrated architect, poet, and a noted composer whose award-winning symphonic works have been heard all over the world. He now makes his home in the Catskill Mountains of New York.