The Taste of Sugar

De: Marisel Vera

Narrado por: Kyla García

Marisel Vera emerges as a major voice of contemporary fiction with a heart-wrenching novel set in Puerto Rico on the eve of the Spanish-American War.

It is 1898, and groups of starving Puerto Ricans, los hambrientos, roam the parched countryside and dusty towns begging for food. Under the yoke of Spanish oppression, the Caribbean island is forced to prepare to wage war with the United States. Up in the mountainous coffee region of Utuado, Vicente Vega and Valentina Sanchez labor to keep their small farm from the creditors. When the Spanish-American War and the great San Ciriaco Hurricane of 1899 bring devastating upheaval, the young couple is lured, along with thousands of other puertorriqueños, to the sugar plantations of Hawaii - another US territory - where they are confronted by the hollowness of America's promises of prosperity.

Writing in the tradition of great Latin American storytelling, Marisel Vera's The Taste of Sugar is an unforgettable novel of love and endurance and a timeless portrait of the reasons we leave home.

©2020 Marisel Vera (P)2020 HighBridge, a division of Recorded Books

A Taste of the island

The way this story is told, it takes you back to Puerto Rico in the late 1800s, early 1900s and into lives of these characters. You feel the joy of the little things as well as the sadness and desperation that comes from the domino affect of life. It takes some time for the story to develop as you get to know the characters but it helps you understand who each character is.

Very Interesting Story, Heartbroken If All Is True.

I didn't know this history and I live in the Caribbean! I would have given fewer stars for the writing but the history is really important to be told.

Fascinating

I thought the story was an excellent historical account. I did not know about Puerto Ricans in Hawaii. I loved the Spanish words and phrases tucked into the narration. The narration was excellent as was the character development. The story was a little disjointed at the end.

Story was very confusing. All of a sudden it ended.

The lecturer,Terrible, Very confusing.
The explicit language, perhaps the book needs to be rated differently.

Good writing & narration but very depressing story

A great read overall, I love the characters and narration is awesome. I got most of the way through but couldn't finish it because things kept going from bad to worse and then still worse. But, it's historical fiction and those were the facts of what happened in that time and those places. Maybe the ending takes a brighter turn for the characters somehow.

Unexpected and Grateful

This was an enjoyable read! The author did a wonderful job, and I learned more about my culture during this time period; it felt relatable.

Loved it!

Great story. Very well written and it brings the experiences of the Puerto Rican people to life in the way a history book could never do. I loved the way the Spanish language is used in the book. The language is itself a character in the story.

Displaced Puerto Ricans

Sweeping story of hardships before and after the Spanish American War. The terrible loss of farm land and coffee plantations from San Ciriaco hurricane odds 1899, which destroyed the island. Vincente and Valentina try to survive. Lured to Hawaii by a promise of a better life, they are in worst circumstances. A great novel.

Hoping for more…

I enjoyed the book for the most part. I think you could definitely feel the influence of it being written around the time of Maria. I didn’t like the way it ended I felt like there were a lot of loose ends left.

Couldn’t Finish the Book

I couldn’t even finish the book as didn’t understand it as the narrator was flourishing it all with her hard to understand accent so I wasn’t able to comprehend what she was saying and I did not continue the book as completely lost.