HAVANA DREAMS

Certainly no revolution in our century has kept its promise, and Castro’s Cuba is no exception. Returning in 1991 to the Cuba she left as a girl, Wendy Gimbel discovers Naty Revuelta, whose life and family mirror the struggles of Cuba and its revolution. Anna Fields’s warm voice and vigorous delivery are a good match for Gimbel’s perceptive account of Naty’s betrayal. Falling in love with Fidel in 1953, she bore him a girl, was quickly abandoned in his heady ascent to power, and left finally without marriage, happiness, or family--sacrificed (like Cuba) on the altar of Fidel’s ambitions. A caustic edge to Fields’s voice drives the anger in Gimbel’s account and leaves us with no affection for Castro, but a better understanding of Cuba’s history and people. P.E.F. © AudioFile 2000, Portland, Maine [Published: APR/MAY 00]