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Revolutions

By: Lory Manrique-Hyland

Publication Date: October 2004

(3 customer reviews)

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Revolutions by Lory Manrique-Hyland 

Evening Herald/Today FM Paperback Writer Competition Winner

Marysol Castillo is a Cuban-American girl living in Miami. Haunted by the loss of their homeland, her parents and friends ‘imagine their little two-bedroom homes to be Santa Clara cattle ranches, many-acre estates, Marianao mansions’. Marysol sees herself as ‘an American with no pedigree, a nonentity trying to make herself into a somebody’. But when she begins to ask her grandmother Josefina about the past, she embarks on an emotional journey that will shatter her sense of who she really is.

Josefina’s memories reveal the glamour of 1950s Havana and her first meeting with her husband, the dapper Rogelio, wooing women with his ‘puppy-dog eyes’. Here also is the seductive and superstitious housemaid Consuelo, a devout believer in the magic powers of the santeros. But what is the true nature of the family’s relationship with the charismatic Ruben Castro, brother of Fidel, and ‘architect of the revolution’?

Set against the ferment of Castros’ 1959 revolution and riots in 1980s Miami, LORY MANRIQUE-HYLAND’s stunning debut is a thrilling evocation of time, place and people. Through its interlocking narratives, it probes deep into the ways in which migration and diaspora can tear apart the very fabric of life.

‘An inspirational novel that moves your heart, makes you smile and reminds you of how important, and how much impact, some people can have in your life as you grow up.’Customer review

‘Lory Manrique-Hyland makes an exciting literary debut in this utterly entertaining coming of age story.’ Customer review

‘Warm, rich in history and culture, and full of compassion about its characters, this is an easy, yet not a facile read.’ Customer review

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

LORY MANRIQUE-HYLAND has a BFA in Dramatic Writing from New York University. Revolutions was her first novel.

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3 reviews for Revolutions

  1. Lilliput Press

    “Lory Manrique-Hyland makes an exciting literary debut in this utterly entertaining coming of age story. She pulls on her multi-cultural background — part Cuban, part New York European Jewish heritage — to tell of a young woman who’s set out to find the truth about her heritage and about herself. Along the way, she provides colorful stories of Cuba in the days of the Castro brothers, a perspective we, as Americans, rarely get to see simply as story, without political or editorial context. While the ending does not come as a surprise, it is nonetheless an apt one, and quite affecting. I look forward to seeing what she gives us next.” PICKFORD

  2. Lilliput Press

    “I truly enjoyed Lory’s coming of age story. It starts with a bang — a spontaneous abortion at the sight of a goat! It’s a story that, fascinating as it is in its own right, also sets the perfect tone for the young narrator’s journey through her complex, multicultural past as she is about to head into her promising future. Warm, rich in history and culture, and full of compassion about its characters, this is an easy, yet not a facile read. I can’t wait for her next novel — which, I understand, is being written right now.

    Lory, who lives in Ireland with her husband and two young sons, also has a blog now about being a mom. If this at all appeals to you, you should check it out. It’s entertaining and full of love!”

  3. Lilliput Press

    “”Revolutions” is an inspirational novel that moves your heart, makes you smile and reminds you of how important, and how much impact, some people can have in your life as you grow up. Although this is Lory Manrique-Hyland’s first novel, her ability to describe the various characters within this family, their interaction and sometimes complex relationships, remind you of more seasoned writers like Isabel Allende and Gabriel Garcia Marquez. “Revolutions” can be seen as an anecdote about how life, affected by historical moments, traditions, and every day circumstances, can evolve and revolve, until a true identity is found.” VIVIANA TORO

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ISBN
9781903305133
Weight 0.5 kg
Publication Date

October 2004

Format

Paperback, 224pp