Neruda on the Park

A Novel

By: Cleyvis Natera

Narrated by: Imani Russell, Annette Amelia Oliveira, Alma Cuervo

Length: 13 hrs and 33 mins

Publisher's summary

NEW YORK TIMES EDITORS’ CHOICE

An exhilarating debut novel following members of a Dominican family in New York City who take radically different paths when faced with encroaching gentrification.

“Strikes all the right notes—captivating characters, lyrical language, and a storyline that captures your imagination and refuses to let go . . . an unforgettable debut!”—Tayari Jones, New York Times bestselling author of An American Marriage

ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR: PopSugar

The Guerreros have lived in Nothar Park, a predominantly Dominican part of New York City, for twenty years. When demolition begins on a neighboring tenement, Eusebia, an elder of the community, takes matters into her own hands by devising an increasingly dangerous series of schemes to stop construction of the luxury condos. Meanwhile, Eusebia’s daughter, Luz, a rising associate at a top Manhattan law firm who strives to live the bougie lifestyle her parents worked hard to give her, becomes distracted by a sweltering romance with the handsome white developer at the company her mother so vehemently opposes.

As Luz’s father, Vladimir, secretly designs their retirement home in the Dominican Republic, mother and daughter collide, ramping up tensions in Nothar Park, racing toward a near-fatal climax.

A beautifully layered portrait of family, friendship, and ambition, Neruda on the Park weaves a rich and vivid tapestry of community as well as the sacrifices we make to protect what we love most, announcing Cleyvis Natera as an electrifying new voice.

©2022 Cleyvis Natera (P)2022 Random House Audio

Critic reviews

“Cleyvis Natera had me in her thrall from beginning to end. Neruda on the Park speaks to so many of our current challenges with moral imagination, grace, and wickedly good, page-turning storytelling.”—Julia Alvarez, bestselling author of Afterlife and How the García Girls Lost Their Accents

“A lush, beautifully layered look at class, culture, and change. . . . Natera’s prose is intricate, tender, and perfectly calibrated. This is a tremendous debut novel from a profoundly gifted writer.”—Kimberly King Parsons, National Book Award-longlisted author of Black Light

“Neruda on the Park is a book so honest, so implicating, so liberating that it is at once beautiful and terrifying. . . . A loud triumph that caresses like a whisper.”—Robert Jones, Jr., New York Times bestselling author of The Prophets

Great story about womanhood, heritage, and liberty in choosing self-love

The story illustrates the complexities of a young woman’s relationships, including boss-employee, a new romance, her father-daughter and mother-daughter relationships.

Loved it!

The story kept me engaged and I found myself staying up late to hear more. I loved the mother/daughter relationship and found the tension between them due to not only generational differences but also immigrant vs US born really added a perspective that was new to me. Highly recommend!

Engaging story

In a complex and captivating narrative, this story captures the essence of so many versions of immigrant life, which is so important because there isn’t just one story. Some struggle to see their adopted home as truly home while others fully assimilate and will protect their decision to stay at all costs. Some struggle to find their place in the immigrant communities in which they live. This story encapsulates the struggles that ensue when all of these different perspectives collide, all within a compelling story of love, hope, and community.

So enjoyed the journey

The writing captured me. I listen to my books in the car. Whenever I reached my destination, I wanted to stay in the car to keep listening. Most enjoyable.

Gripping story with fascinating characters, and a great portrait of New York City

It was hard to stop reading or listening or accurately to this book the depth of character development of the two main characters kept me thinking when I wasn’t hearing the novel what would become of them. What would they decide to do next? I appreciated the riddle and paradox of gentrification and displacement of neighborhoods, especially low income neighborhoods of color as a backdrop, an anchor really for the story. A great read it will have you thinking about the story and stories, even after you finished the novel.

I don’t take book reviews lightly.

I wanted to be excited about this book. The story was very relevant but the overall book just didn’t hold my attention.

Wonderful experience

I loved everything- the story and the culture it introduced me to, the narration, and the character development.

Gripping and vivid

Engaging from the first page. I did not want it to end. The characters are vivid, the story is well crafted.

Best listen this year!

Wonderful layered story. Beautifuly written and voice actors bring the audio book version to life!

Predictable

The story was a bit predicable. But not a bad read (listen). The audio was way to slow and some of the accents were too exaggerated. They should have just hired real actors with accents. I sped up the audio to 1.2 to get through it. Luz’s character could have had more energy, she sounded to robotic.