Praise for Cecilia Samartin and Vigil (Atria, 2009)
Written with evocative grace and poetic beauty, Ana's story captured my heart on the first page and did not let go until long after the last heart-mending words. A story of losing one's homeland and beginning again, Samartin's storytelling is infused with tender insight into the wounded places of the human soul.
~ Patti Callahan Henry, National Bestselling author of Between the Tides
Vigil is a moving novel about the resilience of the human spirit and the triumphant power of love and forgiveness. Ana's story takes the reader into grim poverty and war in gripping reality, yet Samartin simultaneously manages to illuminate the beauty of family and connection, and the driving light that propels Ana into adulthood. Beautifully told, Vigil is a book for my keeper shelf.
~ Karen White, author of The Lost Hours, The House on Tradd Street and The Memory of Water
Praise for Cecilia Samartin and Tarnished Beauty (Atria, 2008)
[Cecilia Samartin] spins a gripping tale...
~ Kirkus Reviews
Cecilia Samartin writes with shimmering grace…
~ Janet Fitch, bestselling author of White Oleander
Samartin’s clear eye and passionate heart imbue this novel with an unforgettably tender portrayal of the human spirit…
~ Nora Pierce, author of The Insufficiency of Maps
In Tarnished Beauty, Samartin has created a splendid tale, peopled with rich characters that she fashions with a knowledgeable and deft hand. Jamilet is endearing and tough, a revelation. Samartin is certainly a writer to watch…
~ Indu Sundaresan, author of The Splendor of Silence
The greatest message in this wonderful book about believing in miracles, the power of storytelling and the relative value of beauty is this: You’re beautiful if you believe in your own beauty. Written in the vein of Isabel Allende…
~ In Magazine
Think the Scarlett Letter with a Latin twist…
~ Latina Magazine’s "Cultura/The Guide"
Praise for Broken Paradise (Atria, 2007)
At once a stunning literary achievement and
vividly stirring historical testament ... Gripping, poignant and enlightening, it is also a profound meditation
on the complexities of the human heart and the redeeming power of love...
~ Carlos Eire, National Book Award winning author of Waiting for
Snow in Havana
A nostalgic story that sieves
smoothly into the folds of our memory, transporting us to a universe
of flavors...
~ Javier Sierra, author of New York Times bestseller, The Secret
Supper
The characters are engaging, and the storylines crash into the heart as intensely as waves on the Havana seawall.
~ The Miami Herald
Her prose moves fluidly, giving the novel a poetic pulse…
~ Boston Globe
The depth and breadth of this work may be a foreshadowing of a literary torch being passed from Isabel Allende to Samartin…
~ LatinoLA.com
I dare anyone not to be moved…the
book is ultimately uplifting – a testimony to the strength of
love and the human spirit.
~ Traveler Magazine
Cecilia Samartin delivers a novel rich in
passion, heartbreak and love. An important, timely work of fiction,
it goes to the heart of what it means to be an exile. A truly American
story...
~ Victor Rivas Rivers, actor and author of A Private Family Matter
A heart wrenching story of separation, love
and redemption gently told...
This is a story I can truly identify with. It is a story that Cecilia
Samartin has told with astounding courage and grace...
~ Viviana Carballo, author of Havana Salsa, Stories and Recipes
It’s like drinking a full bottle of Cabernet all to yourself...
~ New Zealand Public Radio
A celebration of the things that all Cubans
hold dear: family, friendship and homeland.
~ Jorge Castillo, Three Guys from Miami
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