Hijuelos, Oscar

Highly recommended for fans of literary fiction, popular history, romantic historical fiction, and adventure. ["Succeeds in conjuring a bygone era from rural 19th-century Cuba to upper-class London society": LJ 10/15/15 starred review of the Grand Central hc.]

The novel, which contains letters, speeches, fragments of Stanley's autobiography, diary entries, and dialog, all of which Hijuelos evidently created, succeeds in conjuring a bygone era from rural 19th-century Cuba to upper-class London society. Well written and engaging, this novel may lack some of the fire of the author's best-known work, but it is a intriguing entry in his output and will appeal to his fans and those who enjoy historical fiction. [See Prepub Alert, 5/11/15.]

Readers who enjoyed Hijuelos's novels will enjoy his memoir, a revelation of the personal sources of most of his fiction.—Nedra Crowe-Evers, Sonoma Cty. Lib., Santa Rosa, CA