Why a Booktrail?
2003: The passion and humidity of Cuba shines through
Havana Fever
What you need to know before your trail
Mario Conde has been retired from the police force for the past 14 years and is working in the antique book buying/selling business to survive. He spends his time going through the city looking for books and one day stumbles upon a library of Cuban literary gold.
As well as the the library, he finds out about the people who owned it and the history of the place where it was found. At the middle of the mystery is a 1950’s bolero singer (Violeta del Rio), who may have known Conde’s father.
Travel Guide
Cuba 2003
It’s more than 10 years since the world witnessed the collapse of the Soviet Union, and more importantly here, that Cuba lost its Russian money.
The money has led to many Cubans becoming poor and Mario knows this but still wants to follow his dream of working with books. Many people are selling their family collections in order to make money and Mario feels sorry for them but feels he can ensure that their valuable collections remain protected.
Imagine going to an old house in Havana and finding a treasury of books. Then opening one of the books and finding a hidden secret inside, one which starts an obsession with the Battista era and the bolero singer Violeta del Rio. Violeta apparently killed herself in the 1950s but did she? And how is she connected to the family who know own the books? could she even be linked to Conde himself?
Booktrail Boarding Pass Information: Havana Fever
Author/Guide: Leonardo Padura Destination: Cuba Departure Time: 2003
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