Collection
Subjects
Publication
Dell (1999), 416 pages
Description
"A wild ride through Cuba during the Spanish-American War." --Miami Herald "Not only his finest novel but one that transcends the limits of its genre and is worthy of being evaluated as literary fiction." --Houston Chronicle Before Grand Master Elmore Leonard earned his well-deserved reputation as "the best writer of crime fiction alive" (Newsweek), he penned some of the finest western fiction to ever appear in print. (The classics Hombre, Valdez is Coming, and 3:10 to Yuma were just a few of his notable works.) With his extraordinary Cuba Libre, Leonard ingeniously combines all of his many talents and delivers a historical adventure/caper/western/noir like none other. The creator of U.S. Marshal Raylan Givens, star of Raylan, Pronto, Riding the Rap, and TV's Justified, spins a gloriously exciting yarn about an American horse wrangler who escapes a date with a Cuban firing squad to join forces with a powerful sugar baron's lady looking to make waves and score big in and around Spanish-American War-torn Havana in 1898. Everything you love about Leonard's fiction--and more--is evident in Cuba Libre. No wonder the New York Times Book Review enthusiastically declared him "a literary genius."… (more)
ISBN
0440225590 / 9780440225591
Pages
416
Physical description
416 p.; 4.25 x 1 inches
Language
Original language
English
Original publication date
1998
User reviews
LibraryThing member soylentgreen23
Sometimes a story works hard to get the reader to the end just for the pay-off for a twist that just has to satisfy. Othertimes, the reader is lured in by a book that is great for long enough that one becomes invested, and has to continue to the end, no matter how poorly or anticlimactic it might
Leonard is a good writer, and can tell a good tale; one would expect this to be the case, considering his popularity among Hollywood's elite (okay, Jackie Brown and Get Shorty are not exactly classics). "Cuba Libre" is effortless, gracefully moving from page to page a story of gun-runners gone good in Cuba at the turn of the nineteenth century. There are betrayals, murders, accidents, incidents; everything is place.
But then when the end finally arrives, as it must always do, it is such a damp squib of an affair, with a silly conclusion stapled on, and a worthless final line of dialogue. This last ends with an exclamation mark; ironic considering how little there is to exclaim about.
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turn out to be. "Cuba Libre" falls into the latter camp.Leonard is a good writer, and can tell a good tale; one would expect this to be the case, considering his popularity among Hollywood's elite (okay, Jackie Brown and Get Shorty are not exactly classics). "Cuba Libre" is effortless, gracefully moving from page to page a story of gun-runners gone good in Cuba at the turn of the nineteenth century. There are betrayals, murders, accidents, incidents; everything is place.
But then when the end finally arrives, as it must always do, it is such a damp squib of an affair, with a silly conclusion stapled on, and a worthless final line of dialogue. This last ends with an exclamation mark; ironic considering how little there is to exclaim about.
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LibraryThing member rosinalippi
Leonard is the master of many things, but the two that shine here above all others: dialogue, and men with ethics who end up on the wrong side of the law. I wish he would write more historical fiction -- this is set in Cuba during the Spanish American war -- because he could give McMurtry a run for
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his money. Show Less
LibraryThing member AshRyan
This was my first Elmore Leonard novel, and I have to say, I thought it was just okay. The historical setting was interesting, the protagonists (Ben and Amelia) were quite likeable, and the villains were suitably vile, and for a while there the plot looked like it was really going somewhere, albeit
I wouldn't say Cuba Libre was a waste of time to read, and I might try another Elmore Leonard novel again sometime, but if I'd had a bit more advance warning about this one I probably would have skipped it.
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slowly. However, the climactic train heist, with a good half dozen separate parties after the loot (one hell of a set-up), basically fizzled, and after that not much of interest occurred.I wouldn't say Cuba Libre was a waste of time to read, and I might try another Elmore Leonard novel again sometime, but if I'd had a bit more advance warning about this one I probably would have skipped it.
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LibraryThing member RJuniper
Typically Leonard with taut, realistic dialogue. Fun, fast paced thriller with rich mix of late 19 Century Cuban history (Spanish-American war). Perfect for a Cuban beach read.
LibraryThing member mathrocks
This is a cowboy/western book, set in historical Cuba in 1898. The protagonist, Ben Tyler, is taking horses as a cover for smuggling guns to Cuba, and arrives shortly after the sinking of the battleship Maine. He meets various bad guys (Guardia Civil) and a sugar mill plantation owner, along with
Ben Tyler is good with guns, killing, and horses, but also a former unsuccessful bank robber and overall rather dim-witted. Amelia Brown is more intelligent, but nonetheless falls in love with Tyler; she is primarily an opportunist interested in fame, excitement, and money. The Spanish plantation owner is an interesting character, but the Cuban characters are poorly developed, even though they play major roles in the book. As it turns out, all the main characters in the book are motivated primarily by money, not by idealism or patriotism.
The reading is pleasant enough. The plot starts off nicely, but definitely languishes after the initial third of the book. The character development is adequate but not great. One of the major pluses is the historical aspects. Many real places, people, and events show up. Even some of the small details are historical too, such as the boat "Vamoose", which was a real filibuster smuggling boat used to smuggle weapons into Cuba at that time.
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American newspapermen (it is the time of yellow journalism coverage of Cuba), and the mistress, Amelia Brown, of the plantation owner. Tyler quickly ends up in prison for killing someone, is rescued with the aid of Amelia, and then they are off to make their fortune in the rough-and-tumble, deadly war time effort with Cuban insurgents and Spanish soldiers and Americans soldiers all fighting each other.Ben Tyler is good with guns, killing, and horses, but also a former unsuccessful bank robber and overall rather dim-witted. Amelia Brown is more intelligent, but nonetheless falls in love with Tyler; she is primarily an opportunist interested in fame, excitement, and money. The Spanish plantation owner is an interesting character, but the Cuban characters are poorly developed, even though they play major roles in the book. As it turns out, all the main characters in the book are motivated primarily by money, not by idealism or patriotism.
The reading is pleasant enough. The plot starts off nicely, but definitely languishes after the initial third of the book. The character development is adequate but not great. One of the major pluses is the historical aspects. Many real places, people, and events show up. Even some of the small details are historical too, such as the boat "Vamoose", which was a real filibuster smuggling boat used to smuggle weapons into Cuba at that time.
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LibraryThing member Daftboy1
This book is set in 1899 as War breaks out between USA and Spain in Cuba.
Ben Tyler is trying his luck selling Horses and Guns in Cuba.
He meets a few different characters along the way. Some good some bad.
He ends up in jail a lovely young Lady called Amelia with help from her rich boyfriends
There is a big battle, Police are involved and the War has now started. Amelia and Ben get double crossed, lots of other people are after the money.
Amelia and Ben do get a little bit of money and decide they want to stay in Cuba.
This was different from the books I usually read was a bit long winded and political.
Ben Tyler is trying his luck selling Horses and Guns in Cuba.
He meets a few different characters along the way. Some good some bad.
He ends up in jail a lovely young Lady called Amelia with help from her rich boyfriends
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assistant hatch a plan to free Ben from jail and also fake her kidnapping to receive $45,000 ransom money. There is a big battle, Police are involved and the War has now started. Amelia and Ben get double crossed, lots of other people are after the money.
Amelia and Ben do get a little bit of money and decide they want to stay in Cuba.
This was different from the books I usually read was a bit long winded and political.
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LibraryThing member maryreinert
I had never read this author and picked this up from the library shelves. A cowboy from Arizona, Ben Tyler, sets off with a friend to sell horses to Cuba in the late 1800's and soon finds out the shipment also contained guns for the Cuban revolutionaries. After meeting a beautiful young woman,
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Amelia Brown, who is the mistress of a wealthy American owning a sugar plantation, Ben finds himself in prison. Then the US ship, Maine, was blown up in the harbor and war is sure to begin. There are many adventures, all readable and believable. Good fast read with a big of history thrown in. Show Less