Havana Nocturne: How the Mob Owned Cuba and Then Lost It to the Revolution
by T. J. English
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Book Summary Information
Author: T. J. EnglishEdition: Hardcover
Published: 2008-06-01
ISBN: 0061147710
Number of pages: 416
Publisher: William Morrow
Book Reviews of Havana Nocturne: How the Mob Owned Cuba and Then Lost It to the Revolution
Book Review: A fascinating read and a taste of Cuba long gone
Summary: 4 Stars
I first visited Havana in 1988 and was lucky enough to live their for most of the 1990's and the spirit of the 1950's was everywhere. Due to the lack of modern consumer goods during that time household items, furniture, cars, and many other things from before the revolution were still in use. Older Cubans told me stories of the casinos, movie stars, gangsters and the pleasures and horrors of life under the dictator Batista. I remember attending a party once in Frank Sinatra's former house in Miramar, seeing a storeroom where hundreds of old slot machines were held, reading old copies of the Havana Post... I lived in the Vedado district very close to the hotels which housed the casinos which were the focal point of the gambling industry. Nearly all of Havana's older hotels - Nacional, Riviera, Capri, Havana Libre - feature heavily in this book. These are the places where the gangsters lived and conducted their business and are still popular today with tourists.
So I have always had a great interest in this period of Cuban history and was very keen to read this book. I was not to be disappointed as the book is well researched and very readable marred only by a few out of place turns of phrase (why use profanity in serious work of non fiction?) and some evidence of padding. The account of the events of January 1st 1959, when Batista fled the island, are particularly compelling.
If you have an interest in the American gangsters, Cuba, or have lived in Havana, or stayed in the hotels featured then I can heartily recommend this book. When it comes out in paperback this would be a great read for the flight to your next Cuban holiday!
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