This book is great. The poet uses her signature interlocking interior monologues to tell another liberating historical fiction about Cuba. This one concerns the early feminist Fredrika Bremer of Sweden and her travels on "this island of winter sun." Her visit will change the lives of Elena, the reined-in daughter of her wealthy host, and Cecilia, an African slave who acts as translator.

It's a beautiful book and, for young readers, a great gateway to poetry.

The only negative I can come up with is that it doesn't hit the high mark that Engle set with The Surrender Tree, which is a far more dynamic story with feminist and other liberation themes that emerge from it more effortlessly. I felt the same way about Tropical Secrets, her last book, an excellent read until it pales a little when you hold it up against The Surrender Tree.