Review of The Painting
Posted: 11 Nov 2024, 15:59
[Following is a volunteer review of "The Painting" by Michael C Reid.]
Michael Reid’s novel The Painting: A Novel Based on a True Story is a fictionalized account based on the life of Roberto Ramos under Fidel Castro’s regime in Cuba and his eventual escape. The story begins in 1982, just before Roberto’s 18th birthday. He and his brother Carlos help their neighbor Julio move to an apartment. As payment, Julio gives the two brothers a painting, El Saxofonista, by a Cuban artist, Carlos Sobrino. The two brothers discover that Carlos Sobrino was a highly gifted and master Cuban artist who, like many other great artists, was forced into exile by Castro’s regime. The only information Ramos and Carlos can find is in the newspaper archives. Carlos Sobrino won the National Painting Award in 1957. As Roberto studies the geometric patterns in the painting, he experiences a growing interest in art by Cuban artists.
On his 18th birthday, Roberto enters the Cuban military for basic training, mandatory under Cuban law. Roberto has exceptional abilities in Taekwondo martial arts and has won national competitions. He is assigned to serve in the Special Forces and Secret Services. Roberto is an independent thinker and is frustrated by the strict military hierarchy. Over the next ten years, he is imprisoned more than once. Every day, he sees Cubans living increasingly impoverished and desperate lives, and he begins to dream of a future where he is free to determine his destiny. In 1992, Roberto escaped from Cuba and went to Florida.
Compelling and riveting, Michael Reid’s novel The Painting quickly became an immersive page-turner for me. I was pulled into the story, curious about the painting El Saxofonista, and intrigued by how it changed Roberto’s life. I think the novel got off to a great start with a photograph of the painting on the cover and also as a frontispiece.
I liked this character-driven novel very much. I particularly liked how the characters of Roberto Ramos and others emerge, springing to life against the richly detailed descriptions of Cuba in general and specifically of Old Havana, where the Ramos family lived.
I liked the different settings, dialogues, and actions through which I could imagine Roberto’s family life, his friends, his fishing trips with local fishermen, his times in prison, and his struggles living under Castro’s regime. I liked the sensitivity, through action and dialogues, which reveal how Roberto helps his autistic brother Carlos to handle everyday life. Carlos loves to read and quickly discovers books about the great masters of Cuban art who have fled or are no longer alive. He shares this information readily with Roberto, who begins to think seriously about how he can protect priceless Cuban paintings from further destruction by Castro’s regime.
Utterly disillusioned by Castro’s failed political ideology, Roberto’s character emerges as someone who is determined to follow his dream of freedom, and his actions in the novel show his persistence, resilience, and courage.
I also enjoyed the character development of the fishermen, who play a significant role in the novel in various ways. I think the details of the fishing boats, the sea, and the seasons added great depth to the novel and the story, at its core, Roberto's escape by sea from Cuba.
The tension and suspense remain high throughout the novel, as Roberto is constantly under surveillance by Castro’s military and police to one degree or another. The twists and turns continue to the very end.
The one aspect of the story that I found difficult to read is the graphic descriptions of the prisons and the violence shown by the military and police against prisoners and civilians in general.
I very much enjoyed reading Michael Reid’s novel The Painting. I am rating this book 5 out of 5 stars. I was profoundly moved by the novel's ending. I liked the great character development and the rich world-building that brought to life so many different aspects of Cuba, including its history, artists, and, most of all, its ordinary people who love their homeland. I highly recommend this novel to fans of historical fiction in general, and particularly to those interested in Cuba's history and its artists.
******
The Painting
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
Michael Reid’s novel The Painting: A Novel Based on a True Story is a fictionalized account based on the life of Roberto Ramos under Fidel Castro’s regime in Cuba and his eventual escape. The story begins in 1982, just before Roberto’s 18th birthday. He and his brother Carlos help their neighbor Julio move to an apartment. As payment, Julio gives the two brothers a painting, El Saxofonista, by a Cuban artist, Carlos Sobrino. The two brothers discover that Carlos Sobrino was a highly gifted and master Cuban artist who, like many other great artists, was forced into exile by Castro’s regime. The only information Ramos and Carlos can find is in the newspaper archives. Carlos Sobrino won the National Painting Award in 1957. As Roberto studies the geometric patterns in the painting, he experiences a growing interest in art by Cuban artists.
On his 18th birthday, Roberto enters the Cuban military for basic training, mandatory under Cuban law. Roberto has exceptional abilities in Taekwondo martial arts and has won national competitions. He is assigned to serve in the Special Forces and Secret Services. Roberto is an independent thinker and is frustrated by the strict military hierarchy. Over the next ten years, he is imprisoned more than once. Every day, he sees Cubans living increasingly impoverished and desperate lives, and he begins to dream of a future where he is free to determine his destiny. In 1992, Roberto escaped from Cuba and went to Florida.
Compelling and riveting, Michael Reid’s novel The Painting quickly became an immersive page-turner for me. I was pulled into the story, curious about the painting El Saxofonista, and intrigued by how it changed Roberto’s life. I think the novel got off to a great start with a photograph of the painting on the cover and also as a frontispiece.
I liked this character-driven novel very much. I particularly liked how the characters of Roberto Ramos and others emerge, springing to life against the richly detailed descriptions of Cuba in general and specifically of Old Havana, where the Ramos family lived.
I liked the different settings, dialogues, and actions through which I could imagine Roberto’s family life, his friends, his fishing trips with local fishermen, his times in prison, and his struggles living under Castro’s regime. I liked the sensitivity, through action and dialogues, which reveal how Roberto helps his autistic brother Carlos to handle everyday life. Carlos loves to read and quickly discovers books about the great masters of Cuban art who have fled or are no longer alive. He shares this information readily with Roberto, who begins to think seriously about how he can protect priceless Cuban paintings from further destruction by Castro’s regime.
Utterly disillusioned by Castro’s failed political ideology, Roberto’s character emerges as someone who is determined to follow his dream of freedom, and his actions in the novel show his persistence, resilience, and courage.
I also enjoyed the character development of the fishermen, who play a significant role in the novel in various ways. I think the details of the fishing boats, the sea, and the seasons added great depth to the novel and the story, at its core, Roberto's escape by sea from Cuba.
The tension and suspense remain high throughout the novel, as Roberto is constantly under surveillance by Castro’s military and police to one degree or another. The twists and turns continue to the very end.
The one aspect of the story that I found difficult to read is the graphic descriptions of the prisons and the violence shown by the military and police against prisoners and civilians in general.
I very much enjoyed reading Michael Reid’s novel The Painting. I am rating this book 5 out of 5 stars. I was profoundly moved by the novel's ending. I liked the great character development and the rich world-building that brought to life so many different aspects of Cuba, including its history, artists, and, most of all, its ordinary people who love their homeland. I highly recommend this novel to fans of historical fiction in general, and particularly to those interested in Cuba's history and its artists.
******
The Painting
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon