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96th out of 196 books
—
133 voters
Havana Blue (Mario Conde #1)
Lieutenant Mario Conde is suffering from a terrible New Year's Eve hangover. Though it's the middle of a weekend, he is asked to urgently investigate the mysterious disappearance of Rafael Morin, a high-level business manager in the Cuban nomenklatura. Conde remembered Morin from their student days: good-looking, brilliant, a 'reliable comrade' who always got what he wante...more
Paperback, 244 pages
Published
June 1st 2007
by Bitter Lemon Press
(first published 1991)
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I love the four books in this series. There is one more, Adios Hemingway, that I am allowing to marinate on my book shelf before I finally finish the Mario Conde saga. Unlike many mystery/cop books, these are not page turners, but much more thoughtful, evenly paced, engaging reads. I have come to like Mario Conde very much, as well as Skinny Carlos, who is not skinny at all, and the blue and gold Havana that Padura writes of, his descriptions of the porridge made from the meager bread and soup l...more
This was another in my selection of forgotten literature found in the $2 section of my shop, which is yet again an absolute shame. This one especially should have a wide appeal. It's a Cuban literary noir novel, what's not appealing about that?
As has already been noted here on Goodreads, this is more of a study of time and place than a straight forward detective story. And Padura really manages to draw a strong image of what life was like in 1990 Havana.
I have never studied the country but ther...more
As has already been noted here on Goodreads, this is more of a study of time and place than a straight forward detective story. And Padura really manages to draw a strong image of what life was like in 1990 Havana.
I have never studied the country but ther...more
Made it through 50 pages, but barely. A quick skim through several pages led me to think I'd really like this because of the writing, but once I gave it my more focused attention, it came across as overwritten and sometimes awkward. The switches from third to first person are especially clumsy, although I am starting to get used to them. The mystery is just barely starting to cook after 50 pages (almost 1/4 of the book), and the characters--a world-weary detective and the femme fatale he loved--...more
I'm not much into Crime suspense or murder mysteries or whatever the genre is called these days. As always they are always the same in style and the mystery is invariably the same. So why did I get this book if I don't like this type of book? Well there isn't too many Cuban writers I'm familiar with and I did think maybe this book would be a little different from what's been done before. I don't know if it is the point of Leonardo Padura for you not to care about any of the characters or what ex...more
Although in most respects this is a crime novel, the search for the missing government minister (former classmate and rival for the affections of a woman) is more an opportunity to riff on things Cuban. . .women, food, cigars, daily life in Havana. Although some of the dialogue seems to come off slightly odd, possibly due to translation perhaps, overall this is a good read, and I expect I will try the sequels. The Count and his sidekick, as well as his friend Skinny (a former baseball player who...more
Comencé a leer este libro con una expectativa muy alta, luego de disfrutar inmensamente "El hombre que amaba a los perros", pero ... es otra novela negra latinoamericana, eso sí, muy bien escrita.
Es mi impresión, por algunos libros que he leído recientemente del género, que la novela negra latinoamericana se adentra más en las vivencias de su detective, que tiene su familia y círculo de amigos, aún cuando su vida pueda ser triste y solitaria (abandonado por la esposa, incapaz de encontrar un nue...more
Es mi impresión, por algunos libros que he leído recientemente del género, que la novela negra latinoamericana se adentra más en las vivencias de su detective, que tiene su familia y círculo de amigos, aún cuando su vida pueda ser triste y solitaria (abandonado por la esposa, incapaz de encontrar un nue...more
My introduction to Padura was Just Okay here. He's got a pretty good noir set-up with a main character who thinks hard enough for me to stay interested, but I hated the first-person flashback structure and wasn't quite convinced by the way the ending happened. Conde's musings on Cuban police and the 3-page soliloquy on cigars were great.
Apr 03, 2013
Michelle Pinto
rated it
4 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
mandatory-books-read-in-school
The plot is interesting. To see the socialist/communist lifestyle that is portrayed in the characters is interesting. Unlike other detective novels that I read so far, to see the police as the investigator instead of a private detective was strange because the police is seen as corruptive in American society. However, there are some curse words and some hints of a sex scene so if you are sensitive to these things, don't read this.
I read it in English. The title of the original is Pasado Perfecto.
Cuban mystery, hard boiled--follows the formula but seems to be more about Cuban life than who killed whom and why etc.
Cuban mystery, hard boiled--follows the formula but seems to be more about Cuban life than who killed whom and why etc.
excellent book - part Chandler, part Bolaño, part Jean Shepherd (yep...), with an edge. Will not start on #2 with the hope and expectation that that the author will find his stride and excell...
Uno de los primeros libros que leí de Leonardo Padura cuando vivía en Cuba y me encanto. Un policiaco que describe muy bien al cubano y su cultura.
Through The slums and cigar smoke we''re once again following The count.
Jan 19, 2013
Jean Claude Fonder
rated it
4 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
sugerencias,
los-medios
Exuberante, esta novela policíaca que más que la intriga nos describe Cuba y los cubanos en su lengua coloreada
Not for me. Uhmmm...maybe I had been forewarned and didn't 'listen' [process what I was reading]...it was a little too blue.
Oh, damn it.
I wanted to give this book only four stars because 'it's a crime story'.
But what crime story reads so well?
What crime story uses different narrative forms?
What crime story makes you want to jump into a plane and head for the country it describes?
Now, where's the nearest bookshop/library/friend's place where I can find the sequel?...
I wanted to give this book only four stars because 'it's a crime story'.
But what crime story reads so well?
What crime story uses different narrative forms?
What crime story makes you want to jump into a plane and head for the country it describes?
Now, where's the nearest bookshop/library/friend's place where I can find the sequel?...
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The translation wasn't very good but in spite of that I enjoyed basking in the atmosphere of the book. The discussion about Cuba was also interesting. I would read another of his books despite the poor translations.
Cuba, introduction littéraire dans cette ile que j'espère explorer bientôt. Premier livre de ma future bibliothèque... Merci Claire
A touch of vindication for Conde as an old school friend gets into deep water.
Although published in English as the 3rd novel of the Mario Conde quartet, it is in fact the 1st of the series.
Padura is a gifted writer of prose that is both sensual and visceral. The story is a tense Cuban mystery starring a likable, dedicated detective investigating a "maybe" crime in a restrictive society.
There are several incidents in the book that are not easily understood if you are not familiar with Cuba and/or Cubans and the translator did not provide footnotes to explain them. Also, I...more
Padura is a gifted writer of prose that is both sensual and visceral. The story is a tense Cuban mystery starring a likable, dedicated detective investigating a "maybe" crime in a restrictive society.
There are several incidents in the book that are not easily understood if you are not familiar with Cuba and/or Cubans and the translator did not provide footnotes to explain them. Also, I...more
May 20, 2013
Lena
added it
May 16, 2013
Nieves Batista
rated it
3 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
misterio-y-policiales
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Leonardo Padura Fuentes (born 1955) is a Cuban novelist and journalist. As of 2007, he is one of Cuba's best known writers internationally. In English and some other languages, he is often referred to by the shorter form of his name, Leonardo Padura. He has written movie scripts, two books of short stories and a series of detective novels translated into 10 languages. In 2012, Fuentes was awarded...more
More about Leonardo Padura Fuentes...
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