A Simple Habana Melody: A Novel

From Pulitzer Prize-winning author Oscar Hijuelos comes a "massively engaging...masterpiece of history, music, wonder, and sorrow" about a composer returning to his beloved homeland after WWII (Kirkus, starred review). The year is 1947. Israel Levis, a Cuban composer whose life once revolved around music and love, is finally returning home. En route to Habana, Cuba from Spain, he is a shadow of his former self, disillusioned after he was mistakenly sent to a camp during the Nazi occupation of France. In Habana, he escapes his anguish by reminiscing about his happiest moments before the war, when he lived a life of pleasure and excitement-and had a loving, if unrequited romance with Rita Valladares, the alluring singer who inspired Levis' most famous composition, "Rosas Puras." A tender homage to music, art, and a vibrant country at the edge of modernity, A Simple Habana Melody is a melodic, virtuoso performance from one of America's most talented writers. Includes a reading group guide.