The lost story of Eva Fuentes

Chanel Cleeton

Book - 2025

"A mysterious book with a legacy spanning from the beginning of the twentieth century to the present day unites three women in this unforgettable novel. London, 2024: When American expat Margo Reynolds is hired to source a book that's more than one hundred and twenty years old, she thinks her greatest challenge is going to be that there's only one copy in existence. However, it quickly becomes clear that her client isn't the only person determined to procure the book at any cost. Thrust into a deadly quest, Margo teams up with an unlikely ally-the man she loved and lost-and is forced to confront the ghosts of her own past as the lingering feelings that simmer between them ignite. Havana, 1966: Pilar Castillo's days ...are spent working as a librarian in Havana, her nights spent hoping for her husband's freedom after his unjust imprisonment. But Pilar has a secret that could jeopardize her life. She's fighting Fidel's regime in her own way, and when she comes into possession of a book that was published more than sixty years earlier, she must decide how much she's willing to risk to protect the literary works entrusted to her care. Boston, 1900: For Cuban teacher Eva Fuentes, traveling from Havana to Harvard to participate in the largest cultural exchange between Cuba and the United States is not only a chance to represent her country at a critical time in its bid for independence, but also an opportunity to work on the book she's writing. When a moonlit encounter with an enigmatic stranger alters the course of Eva's summer at Harvard, and as secrets, lies, and forbidden love rise to the surface, Eva's life-and legacy-is irrevocably changed"--

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Review by Library Journal Review

Three women are connected by one unique book in the latest by Cleeton (The House on Biscayne Bay). Young teacher Eva Fuentes was inspired to write a novel after a cultural exchange with the United States at the beginning of the 20th century. Pilar, a courageous librarian, dared to hide the novel from Castro's regime in the 1960s, along with other subversive books. Eva's book remains dangerous today, however, as Margo quickly learns when she's hired in 2024 to track down the only existing copy. A murder early in the story significantly raises the stakes of Margo's globetrotting investigation. Ultimately, however, Cleeton's novel is more a love letter to the life-changing power of books than a work of suspense. She weaves together three timelines in a way that mostly works, but Eva remains underdeveloped as a character, and the narrative momentum is somewhat lessened by the amount of time spent exploring Margo's complicated feelings for her ex-husband. Margo is a likable main character, however, whom readers will be drawn to. VERDICT Those seeking emotional historical fiction with a hint of danger and romance will find much to like in Cleeton's enjoyable new book.--Mara Bandy Fass

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