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I Was Never the First Lady
"A lush, sensuous, and original tale of family, love, and history, set against the backdrop of the Cuban Revolution and its aftermath. Nadia Guerra's mother, Albis Torres, left when Nadia was just ten years old. Growing up, the proponents of revolution promised a better future. Now that she's an adult, Nadia finds that life in Havana hasn't quite matched its promise; instead it has stifled her rebellious and artistic desires. Each night she DJs a radio show government censors block from broadcasting. Frustrated, Nadia finds hope and a way out when she wins a scholarship to study in Russia. Leaving Cuba offers her the chance to find her long lost mother and her real father. But as she embarks on a journey east, Nadia soon begins to question everything she thought she knew and understood about her past. As Nadia discovers more about her family, her fate becomes entwined with that of Celia Sanchez, an icon of the Cuban Revolution-a resistance fighter, ingenious spy, and the rumored lover of Fidel Castro. A tale of revolutionary ideals and promise, Celia's story interweaves with Nadia's search for meaning, and eventually reveals secrets Nadia could never have dreamed"--
272 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2008
About the author
Wendy Guerra
19 books110 followersWendy Guerra (born December 1970) is a Cuban poet and novelist. Guerra contributes to different magazines, such as Encuentro, La gaceta de Cuba, and Nexos, as well as visual arts magazines.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 44 reviews
August 23, 2023
An intimate portrait of identity and love against the backdrop of the Cuban Revolution. I Was Never the First Lady offers a glimpse into the lives of three women as they find their places as artists, lovers, political symbols against the image they conjure of themselves. It is sensual and lively, though radiates with a looming sadness, the ache of loss and lives gone off course. The use of radio, of speaking to everyone and no one, is such a powerful device in this novel; it lays bare a human soul that is filled with both love and resentment, potential and fear. This novel provides insight into a fascinatingly overlooked part of history, and offers such a personal, moving view.
May 26, 2021
This was good. I did not have a lot of knowledge on Cuban history, at least I have some now. The female characters were well written and it was intriguing, but toward the end some things fell flat, and it took some polish off of the novel.
September 26, 2021
A good story about a young woman and her attempt to find her mother. The history of the Cuban revolution with Che and Fidel and important mothers, livers and daughters is chronicled along the way. Lyrical but sometimes hard to follow.
Copy provided by the publisher and NetGalley
Copy provided by the publisher and NetGalley
October 14, 2021
To be honest, I would like to give it a 1/4 star, or less. I would be incredibly mad if I spent money on this book. I only finished reading it because I feel as though I should be able to write a review of books that I win in a giveaway.
All I can say is WHAT?!?!?! I didn't have a clue what I was reading, what the heck was going on, who was writing....was it her story, her mother's story, Celia's story? What did she do, a radio host, a rebel, an artist???? There was no cognitive way to keep track of this story, where it was going, who it was about, what it was really about.
I don't enjoy trashing a book, but I have nothing good to say about this book, unfortunately, I feel like I wasted hours finishing it.
All I can say is WHAT?!?!?! I didn't have a clue what I was reading, what the heck was going on, who was writing....was it her story, her mother's story, Celia's story? What did she do, a radio host, a rebel, an artist???? There was no cognitive way to keep track of this story, where it was going, who it was about, what it was really about.
I don't enjoy trashing a book, but I have nothing good to say about this book, unfortunately, I feel like I wasted hours finishing it.
March 22, 2011
Incrivel - sobretudo para quem conhece Havanna....
August 13, 2018
Una mirada a la Cuba de la revolución, a la transición y a la post-Fidel, desde una historia particular y muy íntima.
April 10, 2024
Recomiendo este libro, pero no lo vayan a leer. No lo vayan a leer si quieren seguir creyendo en la porquería del comunismo y que no es un totalitarismo que destruye y quiebra a la gente desde adentro. Es un libro que nos muestra que tenemos que defender la cultura a capa y espada pues estas son las herramientas que nos permiten soñar, imaginar, creer en nosotros mismos. El comunismo acaba con el individuo y fractura la sociedad. Es lo que nos muestra esta historia magistralmente escrita sobre tres mujeres cubanas. Dos revolucionarias y una mujer que hoy en día trata de reconstruir y encontrarse a sí misma con los pedazos de lo que fueron. Leerlo fue un dolor muy grande.
October 28, 2021
I received a free copy for my review ended up DNF this book about 40% through. I tried to pick it up again but this is a hard no for me. It was so all over the place and I just didn’t understand the plot/ purpose. I will give the author credit for a beautiful writing style…but I can’t ignore how hard the story is to follow. I
April 23, 2023
This is my second Wendy Guerra novel after Everyone Leaves. I started this one a few days after the previous book because I liked her writing style. It is fresh, personal, and engaging, showing love for Cuba yet exploring a never-ending complicated love-hate, protection-hurting with her country.
Similar to her debut novel, this is auto-fiction and presents complicated family relationships and life in Cuba under Castro. Now, it was interesting for me to discover a portrait of Celia Sanchez, an important stateswoman who led Cuba alongside Fidel.
The heart of the story is the protagonist's relationship with her mother. It is heartbreaking for Nadia to witness her old mother slowly losing her identity and memory, so she is trying to recreate her story, and through this, the story of Cuba during the '50s.
I could recognize the theme of the difficult decision that many Cubans had to take in those times: leave the country or continue to live in it, losing something important in each case.
Cuba is a country that has betrayed its citizens and has created intense emotions, and put its people to face radical choices. Families have been split, dreams have been crushed, carriers have been halted, and art has been censored. And all these overlapped and created stories that writers such as Wendy Guerra are now trying to disentangle and heal.
Similar to her debut novel, this is auto-fiction and presents complicated family relationships and life in Cuba under Castro. Now, it was interesting for me to discover a portrait of Celia Sanchez, an important stateswoman who led Cuba alongside Fidel.
The heart of the story is the protagonist's relationship with her mother. It is heartbreaking for Nadia to witness her old mother slowly losing her identity and memory, so she is trying to recreate her story, and through this, the story of Cuba during the '50s.
I could recognize the theme of the difficult decision that many Cubans had to take in those times: leave the country or continue to live in it, losing something important in each case.
Cuba is a country that has betrayed its citizens and has created intense emotions, and put its people to face radical choices. Families have been split, dreams have been crushed, carriers have been halted, and art has been censored. And all these overlapped and created stories that writers such as Wendy Guerra are now trying to disentangle and heal.
February 2, 2023
I started out reading this book and was very confused. I was expecting a "regular" historical fiction novel and this is most certainly not that. The prose is extremely poetic and perspectives shift based on time period, but I found it much harder to follow than any other historical fiction book. I did some research and this book was written by an author who is also a poet, which makes sense, and was originally published in 2008 and recently translated into English.
The prose is beautiful. I reread several sentences because they were so lovely. That is by far the best part of the book and I can't imagine how hard it was to translate. The book switches time and characters between the Cuban Revolution and modern events.
I don't know a lot about Cuban history and was frequently researching to see which characters were historical figures and which were not. The main character has the same last name as the author and I wondered whether it was a family memoir, but that doesn't seem to be the case. After reading it, I'm still not really sure of the plot or the characters. This book really made me feel like I was in a humanities class reading a book for both literary and historical significance. I was expecting a non-poetic historical fiction book and this is definitely not that.
If you are looking for beautiful writing set in an interesting era and aren't too concerned with plot or characters, this book is for you. If not, I found it very difficult to follow and ended up skimming a lot of the book. I'm looking forward to reading more books about Cuban history! Thank you to HarperVia and NetGalley for an electronic advanced reader copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!
The prose is beautiful. I reread several sentences because they were so lovely. That is by far the best part of the book and I can't imagine how hard it was to translate. The book switches time and characters between the Cuban Revolution and modern events.
I don't know a lot about Cuban history and was frequently researching to see which characters were historical figures and which were not. The main character has the same last name as the author and I wondered whether it was a family memoir, but that doesn't seem to be the case. After reading it, I'm still not really sure of the plot or the characters. This book really made me feel like I was in a humanities class reading a book for both literary and historical significance. I was expecting a non-poetic historical fiction book and this is definitely not that.
If you are looking for beautiful writing set in an interesting era and aren't too concerned with plot or characters, this book is for you. If not, I found it very difficult to follow and ended up skimming a lot of the book. I'm looking forward to reading more books about Cuban history! Thank you to HarperVia and NetGalley for an electronic advanced reader copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!
October 21, 2018
Recomendado para los amantes de la revolución, Fidel, el Che, Celia.
"En mi país todos los caminos conducen a Fidel: lo que comes, lo que usas, los apagones, los alquileres, las escuelas, los viajes, los ascensos, los ciclones, las epidemias, los carnavales, los congresos, las carreteras. Muy pocas cosas importantes se han movido sin él."
"En mi país todos los caminos conducen a Fidel: lo que comes, lo que usas, los apagones, los alquileres, las escuelas, los viajes, los ascensos, los ciclones, las epidemias, los carnavales, los congresos, las carreteras. Muy pocas cosas importantes se han movido sin él."
September 9, 2021
Una grata y feliz sorpresa haber descubierto a Wendy Guerra. Una historia de amor, de recuerdos, de encuentros, despedidas, y cierre de ciclos. En verdad vale muchísimo la pena. Una escritura limpia, poética, ejemplar. Gracias Wendy Guerra.
August 21, 2022
Having traveled in Cuba twice, once in 1981 when the Soviets were still there, and then in 2017 not long after Fidel died, I could see in my mind the red-scarved child "Pioneers" from the time I was there in 1981, and relate to the references to relying on tourist industry to survive in later years, the food, the important parades. I liked the focus on Cuban art appreciation and artists: Servando Cabrera Moreno , Amelia Peláez , René Portocarrero , Leopoldo Romañach , the music of Pedro Luis Ferrer, Los Van Van. Mostly the great hope for a better future, and the dynamic of Fidel: the revolution betrayed. Nadia, the protagonist records a radio show nobody hears and pretty soon just says whatever she wants because she has nothing left to lose. The best part of the story for me revolves around the story of Celia Sanchez, who is described as the heart of the Revolution. "I was never the First Lady. That's not for me..." The paradox of Fidel as dictator and also well-educated and gentle person.
Nadia's mom, (who has gotten dementia --how is it that I'm getting these books with dementia characters popping in and out without my expecting them?) has grown up in the Revolution and then distanced herself from it. There's a scene in her late years where Fidel is on TV doing an interview and Mami is talking back to him over the TV. "You're everything because you and I know we wanted it that way. But now we have to pass the baton to the young, because you're not eternal. ... No one has the nerve to tell him what he needs to hear. If Celia were alive, she would've told him clearly. If he didn't lose touch with reality and the people before, it was because she kept him current on everything. Without deifying him. She talked truth to power."
I liked the 2nd half of this book more than the first, which felt like somebody's personal meanderings, but by the time I read the 2nd half I thought the first half informed it after all. The book jacket says Wendy Guerra has always lived in Havana but Wikipedia puts her in Miami's Cuban community. I wondered which is true, and wondered if maybe she has "always lived in Havana" in her heart. Clearly she has deep love for Cuba, although only one of her books have not been published there. What if, as Nadia speculates: "...the world in which Celia's, my mother's, and all the other women's contributions were erased in the name of the machismo Leninism instituted in Cuba."
Nadia's mom, (who has gotten dementia --how is it that I'm getting these books with dementia characters popping in and out without my expecting them?) has grown up in the Revolution and then distanced herself from it. There's a scene in her late years where Fidel is on TV doing an interview and Mami is talking back to him over the TV. "You're everything because you and I know we wanted it that way. But now we have to pass the baton to the young, because you're not eternal. ... No one has the nerve to tell him what he needs to hear. If Celia were alive, she would've told him clearly. If he didn't lose touch with reality and the people before, it was because she kept him current on everything. Without deifying him. She talked truth to power."
I liked the 2nd half of this book more than the first, which felt like somebody's personal meanderings, but by the time I read the 2nd half I thought the first half informed it after all. The book jacket says Wendy Guerra has always lived in Havana but Wikipedia puts her in Miami's Cuban community. I wondered which is true, and wondered if maybe she has "always lived in Havana" in her heart. Clearly she has deep love for Cuba, although only one of her books have not been published there. What if, as Nadia speculates: "...the world in which Celia's, my mother's, and all the other women's contributions were erased in the name of the machismo Leninism instituted in Cuba."
November 30, 2021
First the writing is absolutely stunning. So props to the author and translator!
I always feel like literary fiction is over my head. And I kind of feel like this with this one. It felt choppy but I think that is a form of literary fiction. I have seen that used when a book is about grief. And maybe that's what this book was doing. But I truly don't know. Overall, I think it was a good story and if literary fiction is your thing then I'd recommend this one.
Goodreads synopsis:
"A lush, sensuous, and original tale of family, love, and history, set against the backdrop of the Cuban Revolution and its aftermath. Nadia Guerra's mother, Albis Torres, left when Nadia was just ten years old. Growing up, the proponents of revolution promised a better future. Now that she's an adult, Nadia finds that life in Havana hasn't quite matched its promise; instead it has stifled her rebellious and artistic desires. Each night she DJs a radio show government censors block from broadcasting. Frustrated, Nadia finds hope and a way out when she wins a scholarship to study in Russia. Leaving Cuba offers her the chance to find her long lost mother and her real father. But as she embarks on a journey east, Nadia soon begins to question everything she thought she knew and understood about her past. As Nadia discovers more about her family, her fate becomes entwined with that of Celia Sanchez, an icon of the Cuban Revolution-a resistance fighter, ingenious spy, and the rumored lover of Fidel Castro. A tale of revolutionary ideals and promise, Celia's story interweaves with Nadia's search for meaning, and eventually reveals secrets Nadia could never have dreamed"--
I always feel like literary fiction is over my head. And I kind of feel like this with this one. It felt choppy but I think that is a form of literary fiction. I have seen that used when a book is about grief. And maybe that's what this book was doing. But I truly don't know. Overall, I think it was a good story and if literary fiction is your thing then I'd recommend this one.
Goodreads synopsis:
"A lush, sensuous, and original tale of family, love, and history, set against the backdrop of the Cuban Revolution and its aftermath. Nadia Guerra's mother, Albis Torres, left when Nadia was just ten years old. Growing up, the proponents of revolution promised a better future. Now that she's an adult, Nadia finds that life in Havana hasn't quite matched its promise; instead it has stifled her rebellious and artistic desires. Each night she DJs a radio show government censors block from broadcasting. Frustrated, Nadia finds hope and a way out when she wins a scholarship to study in Russia. Leaving Cuba offers her the chance to find her long lost mother and her real father. But as she embarks on a journey east, Nadia soon begins to question everything she thought she knew and understood about her past. As Nadia discovers more about her family, her fate becomes entwined with that of Celia Sanchez, an icon of the Cuban Revolution-a resistance fighter, ingenious spy, and the rumored lover of Fidel Castro. A tale of revolutionary ideals and promise, Celia's story interweaves with Nadia's search for meaning, and eventually reveals secrets Nadia could never have dreamed"--
August 26, 2021
I Was Never the First Lady by Wendy Guerra is a fascinating, complex, and multi-layered novel that takes the reader back into the Cuban Revolution and presents history into a new and unique format.
This book is quite unique and interesting and definitely caught me off guard (in a good way). One thinks that they will be reading a dual timeline historical fiction involving the Cuban Revolution, and that is here, however the narrative is presented in almost a poetic and flowery sort of way.
The author takes Cecilia and Nadia’s stories and interweaves them in snippets, vignettes, and using different literary techniques…presents the narrative composed of fascinating and complex women both living in pivotal points of their own.
This book can be digested quickly, or it can be savored, each way bringing something different to the table.
This book has been translated for our reading pleasure and reveals another layer of history that can be appreciated by all.
4/5 stars
Thank you NG and HarperVia for this wonderful arc and in return I am submitting my unbiased and voluntary review and opinion.
I am posting this review to my GR and Bookbub accounts immediately and will post it to my Amazon, Instagram, and B&N accounts upon publication.
This book is quite unique and interesting and definitely caught me off guard (in a good way). One thinks that they will be reading a dual timeline historical fiction involving the Cuban Revolution, and that is here, however the narrative is presented in almost a poetic and flowery sort of way.
The author takes Cecilia and Nadia’s stories and interweaves them in snippets, vignettes, and using different literary techniques…presents the narrative composed of fascinating and complex women both living in pivotal points of their own.
This book can be digested quickly, or it can be savored, each way bringing something different to the table.
This book has been translated for our reading pleasure and reveals another layer of history that can be appreciated by all.
4/5 stars
Thank you NG and HarperVia for this wonderful arc and in return I am submitting my unbiased and voluntary review and opinion.
I am posting this review to my GR and Bookbub accounts immediately and will post it to my Amazon, Instagram, and B&N accounts upon publication.
November 9, 2021
I tried to get through this book but gave up about halfway through. There is no coherent storyline and it’s impossible to follow. The writing itself is very nice if I take it sentence by sentence. I was looking for a story, something to make me yearn for reading time to come so I could see what happened next. This book didn’t do that, in fact, I wasted time scrolling through TikTok just to avoid reading this book. So I decided to abandon it and move on. I think if it was ever rewritten to have a story line that I could follow it would be a good book. Maybe something was lost in the translation.
January 25, 2023
If I had known more Cuban history, perhaps this would have been an easier book to read. I found the lyrical poetry of the prose to be absolutely stunning, but the storyline to be a challenge. It was fragmented and confusing. Perhaps that was part of the point--because Cuba is fragmented and challenging. I am an American trying to understand this very foreign place. But reading this book has left me wanting to understand more, and I think that's part of the purpose of writing and reading about places you have never been.
March 9, 2023
Predigested prose, some of the formal turns were interesting. Certain Cuban artists seem only to be able to write about the travails of La Revolucion (always capitalized) as an allegorical mother who's gone wrong. The film Life is to Whistle does this in more interesting ways — not a whiff of autofiction there — and the writer of the present book is now an employee of CNN Español, which is its own condemnation. But really, the book does too little and its formal whirligigs aren't enough to prop the structure up.
February 17, 2022
Despite never hearing of this book prior to picking up in the library, I'm glad that I read it. I fell in love with the main protagonist and can relate to some of her struggles. It's not easy living under an oppressive regime and feeling torn about leaving your motherland for a new country that you may not be too excited about. I learned more about Cuban culture and life in Havana, which is something I don't usually read or hear about in my everyday life.
Read
November 24, 2021I couldn't get through 50 pages of this book. It's disjointed, hard to follow and strangely translated. For example: "Wherever we are in the world, we're assailed by the mournful voice of the speaker in a kind of neuro-vaginal tone as we doze." "Neuro-vaginal"? Seriously?! There are so many other books to read. I'm done.
December 27, 2021
A good book, sadly banned in Cuba. Captures the complexity of the Revolution and the impact it has on various generations lives. The writer is a poet, which shows in her writing that oscillates between the stunning and unnecessary ornamental. Still, a solid novel focusing particularly on women navigating the revolution.
January 30, 2022
First DNF of 2022 after giving it a 37% chance (110/264 pages). The writing style was very difficult for me to follow switching between writing for a novel, prose and even some poetry. I found the characters, style and sorry hard to get into and after starting and stopping a few times I had to give this a DNF.
March 17, 2023
3.5/5.0
Un libro que retrata parte de la historia de Cuba, a través de la historia familiar de Nadia. Fue interesante descubrir la historia de Celia Sánchez, guerrillera de la revolución cubana, que además fue cercana a Fidel. Sin embargo, me parece que es un libro que quiere abarcar todo y al final no abarca nada de forma completa, tal vez su estilo narrativo no me convenció.
Un libro que retrata parte de la historia de Cuba, a través de la historia familiar de Nadia. Fue interesante descubrir la historia de Celia Sánchez, guerrillera de la revolución cubana, que además fue cercana a Fidel. Sin embargo, me parece que es un libro que quiere abarcar todo y al final no abarca nada de forma completa, tal vez su estilo narrativo no me convenció.
November 29, 2023
A mi me costo mucho terminar este libro. Me perdía constantemente. No sabía de que estaba hablando. Para decir algo positivo, a veces me gustaría la forma en la que decía las cosas la autora. Muy poética. Pero la trama para mi fue completamente imposible seguir. Lo termine porque soy incapaz de no terminar un libro, pero muchas veces quise dejarlo.
January 15, 2024
The narrator has a dizzying voice and style that leaves the audience continuously disoriented, which feels very purposeful. Nadia seems to be jumping through life, unable to fully pinpoint anything about herself, her family, and her country. I wish Guerra would have taken a more mixed-media approach; it would have made for a more consistent and compelling experience.
March 4, 2021
A la fois, histoire de retrouvailles entre une fille et sa mère et récit de la révolution cubaine, "Mère Cuba" est à recommander à tous ceux qui veulent connaître cette île.
J'ai particulièrement apprécié découvrir la révolutionnaire Célia Sanchez, confidence de Fidel Castro
J'ai particulièrement apprécié découvrir la révolutionnaire Célia Sanchez, confidence de Fidel Castro
May 31, 2022
The middle section of this book was amazing, but I got lost in the language during the beginning and end. I love the idea of empowering female characters and exploring their contributions to Cuban history but there was no clear storyline and the writing seemed fragmented at times.
August 10, 2018
Una historia interesante pero no me atrapó lo suficiente le faltó emoción. Pero es muy buena para conocer un poco sobre Cuba.
October 22, 2018
Me encanto el libro, excelente narrativa , te hace sentir que vives la vida del personaje en La Habana
January 17, 2020
Cuba sin Fidel. Wendy Guerra describe la nostalgia y le otorga ese valor que casi todos le arrebatan.
Un libro descrito en una frase: Machismo Leninismo.
Un libro descrito en una frase: Machismo Leninismo.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 44 reviews