Explosion in a Cathedral

I just finished reading this amazing book, set in the time of the French Revolution and its aftermath, covering a period from the early 1790s until well into the first decade of the 19th century. Its settings move from Cuba to what is now the Dominican Republic, Haiti, France, Guadalupe, Cuba again, Venezuela, Barbados, French Guiana, Suriname, and finally Spain. It provides a panoramic view of the history of the Caribbean during this time period, and in this respect it is as informative as a history book. The book revolves around three central characters: two wealthy orphaned cousins, Sofia and Esteban, and a roguish soldier of fortune, Victor Hugues, who was an actual historical figure. When we first meet Esteban and Sofia they are just emerging from adolescence, and they age and mature through a variety of experiences until they are well into adulthood. Victor Hugues is portrayed as a totally unscrupulous opportunist who will change his "principles" in a heartbeat, depending on who he may be working for. There are numerous plots twists, making it a moving human drama as well as a fascinating historic chronicle. In this respect the book reminded me of "War and Peace," although in was nowhere near as comprehensive. So why not 5 Stars? Simply because the book was, at least to me, somewhat difficult to read. I don't know whether the responsibility for this falls on the author or the translator, but I often found the prose dense, especially when the author was involved in descriptions, whether of houses, jungles, or the action of the sea; some of these descriptions went on for pages and pages. Although dense, however, the prose never reaches the level of impenetrability. What I found especially irritating, however, is that throughout the novel there are passages of untranslated French and Spanish, which I had to go to the trouble of translating for myself as best I could. This translation, by the way, is a translation of the French edition which was translated from the original Spanish. Why not commission someone to translate directly from the original Spanish? Go figure. All that aside, this book is an excellent read that I highly recommend.

Fascinating....there is a ton of history in this, mostly about the repercussions of the French Revolution in the Caribbean (something which I'd never really thought about prior to reading this). It centers around the fictional characters of Esteban and Sofia, cousins who are, each in their own way, pulled in to the Revolution and its aftermath. However, both of their storylines revolve around the historical figure of Victor Hugues, a man brought to power in the Caribbean through the tumult of the Revolution. A must read for those interested in the French Revolution, and especially for those who want to understand the Revolution from a different perspective.

This thrilling, spellbinding novel is the single most important book about Cuba ever written. The editorial reviews have completely misssed the point. It's a prophetic account of the Communist takeover, set at the time of the French revolution. It describes in harrowing detail the role of the Masons in the fomentation of social destruction that became the reign of terror that has extended into Cuba today. No one who has not read this book has the authority to opine about Cuba.