num_pages: 268
description: In this novel of life and love in Cuba, Leonardo Esteban -- the perfect model of a faithful communist bureaucrat in Fidel Castro's Havana -- suddenly panics his superiors in the Department of Foreign Trade when, at the end of an official mission to France, he abruptly announces his decision to remain in the Basque Country near the Spanish border for an indeterminate time, on personal business. This rebellious act is the lynchpin of a remarkable saga which spans four generations of Cuban history and politics, from the Cuban War of Independence with Spain to the present. An intricate and lyrical novel of exile, commitment, politics and remembrance, Song of the Errant Heart is rich in the details of life on that fascinating island. The author reveals just enough of the secrets of the lives of his protagonists at each point in the compelling story to keep readers on their toes until the next piece of the puzzle comes into focus. When Leonardo Esteban's mother takes him as a child to Havana from far off Santiago de Cuba, fails to find work as a domestic and ends up as a hostess in a bar, and probably more, we are led to some inescapable conclusions about the painful existence of the poor as Leonardo, left alone when his mother is at work, roams the streets of Old Havana and befriends the prostitutes who also work the neighborhood. When Leonardo is in turn befriended by a strange Basque printer, we wonder if the child will be corrupted by this severe looking man who buys the boy his first hot chocolate and churros but ends up as the boy's surrogate father. The story, written with the grace and delicate touch of a skilled craftsman, brings together Manet's deep understanding of the forces that move humankind, his broad knowledge of the history of the Cuban people, and his award-winning abilities as a writer. Eduardo Manet is an accomplished novelist and winner of several literary awards. His stories are spellbinding and his knowledge of the canvas on which he effortlessly paints his tale is broad and deep.
language: English
title: Song of the Errant Heart: A Novel of Love, Exile and Remembrance
titlecomplete: Song of the Errant Heart: A Novel of Love, Exile and Remembrance (The French Millennium Library)
ratings_count: 7
publisher: Robert Davies Pub