Waiting for Snow in Havana

Confessions of a Cuban Boy

By: Carlos Eire

Narrated by: David Drummond

Length: 16 hrs and 6 mins

Publisher's summary

National Book Award, Nonfiction, 2003

A childhood in a privileged household in 1950s Havana was joyous and cruel, like any other - but with certain differences. The neighbor's monkey was liable to escape and run across your roof. Surfing was conducted by driving cars across the breakwater. Lizards and firecrackers made frequent contact.

Carlos Eire's childhood was a little different from most. His father was convinced he had been Louis XVI in a past life. At school, classmates with fathers in the Batista government were attended by chauffeurs and bodyguards. At a home crammed with artifacts and paintings, portraits of Jesus spoke to him in dreams and nightmares. Then, in January 1959, the world changed: Batista was suddenly gone, a cigar-smoking guerrilla took his place, and Christmas was cancelled. The echo of firing squads was everywhere. And, one by one, the author's schoolmates begin to disappear - spirited away to the United States. Carlos would end up there himself, without his parents, never to see his father again.

Narrated with the urgency of a confession, Waiting for Snow in Havana is both an ode to a paradise lost and an exorcism. More than that, it captures the terrible beauty of those times when we are certain we have died - and then are somehow, miraculously, reborn.

©2003 Carlos Eire (P)2011 Tantor

Critic reviews

"As painful as Eire's journey has been, his ability to see tragedy and suffering as a constant source of redemption is what makes this book so powerful." ( Publishers Weekly)

Rough Narration

Would you say that listening to this book was time well-spent? Why or why not?

I believe the book is good... the story is good... compelling... sad... informative... really really good actually... the narrator ruined this for me personally... His voice was just not a great match for the story, I feel...

Would you be willing to try another one of David Drummond’s performances?

...no.

Tedious Reading Distracts From Story

What did you like best about Waiting for Snow in Havana? What did you like least?

I think that the story (so far) is well written and entertaining. Drummond is driving me nuts. Every sentence has the same rhythm and emphasis, paradoxically creating a narration which is both tedious and over-dramatic. All of the humor that I know is in there is completely lost.

Would you be willing to try another one of David Drummond’s performances?

No.

What else would you have wanted to know about Carlos Eire’s life?

I haven't gotten far enough.

Waiting for a cuban voice in havana...

Would you say that listening to this book was time well-spent? Why or why not?

the reader, though skilled, was just the wrong choice for this book. I was not expecting someone to sound like I imagined Eire would sound, but he sounded like a mad men era ad man, all bluster, dripping sarcasm, no nuance. And the book is nuanced...disappointing. Might have given book more stars, but just could not separate the two.

Would you be willing to try another book from Carlos Eire? Why or why not?

he is a historian. might read one of them

How did the narrator detract from the book?

see above

If this book were a movie would you go see it?

no

Any additional comments?

no

Beautifully written, but not worth telling

What did you like best about Waiting for Snow in Havana? What did you like least?

His powers of description are amazing, and he can evoke an emotion like few others.

What else would you have wanted to know about Carlos Eire’s life?

Did he ever learn compassion for those beneath him on the social scale or did he stay the same spoiled self-absorbed snob forever?

Any additional comments?

He provides lots of insight into the tunnel vision of Cuban exiles in the 60s and 70s, and sadly still today.

A Labor of Love

What made the experience of listening to Waiting for Snow in Havana the most enjoyable?

I have read so many books that include Cuba. Mostly political, some about the revolution and pre Castro. The only information made available is in regards to conflict, politics, assignations, communism. None about the people which are swept aside as insignificant. I was so happy to find to find a book someone wrote about their family and childhood there, to bring me to some understanding about the everyday people. I was vert gratfeul to find this book. A real treasure.

What did you like best about this story?

The honesty and sincerity the author shares. That took a lot of courage in some parts. His writing in many parts is very poetic, almost like reading prose. The way he covers details that bring the images into clear focus. I too was orphaned, at a much younger age, but his situation was very real to me.

Which character – as performed by David Drummond – was your favorite?

His mother.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

The moments that bring our frail humanity into focus, the mystery of dust particles and notions such as these that he conveys. The poetic description of the supernatural and magic. Also the very witty humor he inserts into situations.

Any additional comments?

This writer is very unique and gifted. I see a lot of promise in his future. We live in a society that has slid into illiteracy on so many levels, it is a shame such rich and meaningful literature may not be showcased as it could be. This is a classic, and far superior to anything Scott Fitzgerald produced.

This book could have been good.

The story of life in Cuba as a young boy was very interesting, but the execution was awful. It went back and forth in time and place and left it to the reader to figure it out. There were long rants about subjects that became numbing. It seemed like random snippets drawn at random out of a jar. Where was the editor?

Beautiful, fun and deeply moving

A delightful and deep story about childhood, faith and unique life experiences with universal truth and relevance

Melted my heart

A fantastic read! The use of memory in this book is beyond magical and the humor surprised and delighted me. I loved it so.

Snow in Havana

Very slow moving. Some really good pars but save the time and don't get it. Could have been terrific about how the takeover affected the lives of many but it fell short.

Like Watching a Stranger's Home Videos

Any additional comments?

I have read numerous books on Cuba, the Cuban Revolution, the principle players at the time and the part America played in it. While mildly amusing at times, I found this book to be historically incorrect at times and just plain boring. After struggling to the end of the book, I was just glad it was over.