The Most Beautiful Girl in Cuba (Cuba Saga)
This is a well-written historical novel with strong female characters linked by Cuba’s fight for freedom in the late 19th century. It was inspired by the true story of one of Cuba’s most famous revolutionaries, Evangelina Cisneros. It also draws on the bitter, real-life rivalry between two powerful newspaper tycoons, William Randolph Hearst and Joseph Pulitzer. Both men vie to exploit a fictionalised character, Grace Harrington (based on Nellie Bly), who is determined to establish herself as a journalist in a very male world. Her opportunity for a big break comes when Hearst declares Evangelina to be ‘The Most Beautiful Girl in Cuba’ and assigns Grace to cover her story. The two are assisted by the fictional laundress Marina Perez, who is also a courier for the Cuban revolutionaries in Havana.
Cleeton provides vivid descriptions of the reconcentration camps set up by the Spanish General Weyler, the prison where Evangelina spends a while before being rescued, and the real-life events which prompted American intervention. Evangelina’s unease at being catapulted into the role of media star in the United States and well-founded cynicism about American motives for assisting the revolutionaries are well depicted.
The romantic angle is less well handled in parts. Evangelina’s love story is based on real life, and Marina’s struggles after marriage to a poor man are moving. However, Grace’s relationship feels a bit clichéd (beautiful/spirited women eventually linking with handsome, wealthy, worldlier men), and the scenes of intimacy are sometimes clunky.
The author’s note at the end is useful, as it details the research behind this historical novel, including which characters were based on real people and what she drew on to create other characters.
