[ELX]∎ Download Gratis Havana Bay Martin Cruz Smith 9780330340021 Books

Havana Bay Martin Cruz Smith 9780330340021 Books

Download As PDF : Havana Bay Martin Cruz Smith 9780330340021 Books

Havana Bay Martin Cruz Smith 9780330340021 Books

After watching the movie Gorky Park, I decided to read the book. I am so glad I did! It introduced me to the dark and deep character of Arkady Renko. I then read the next two Arkady Renko novels - Polar Star and Red Square. Of these two, I think Polar Star is the better, mainly because it takes you into the bowels of a Russian fishing boat and creates a wonderful world of action and intrigue there. Red Square, set in Moscow and Germany, is very good, but Gorky Park and Polar Star were tough acts to follow.
I was a little reluctant to start book four (of eight) in the Arkady Renko series. I think its setting in Havana rather than Russia was a little of a put off for me. I travel to Russia regularly (since 1994) and love the accurate depictions of Russian culture and life that I found in the Martin Cruz Smith novels. However, I am so glad I didn't skip this book in the series, as I was tempted to do. While it reveals nothing radically new about the character of Renko, Smith once again writes in a way that is both picturesque and engaging. And the ending caught me more by surprise than any of the others I had read in the series. A lot of loose threads were brought together at the end which I didn't even realize were loose threads through the novel.
True to Smith's style, Arkady is a Russian soul adrift in a changing world (and a changing Russia). At the end of the novel he ends up back in the Russia he left when he went to Havana to investigate (at his own expense) the death of a long time friend. But Russia is changing so rapidly in the early 90's that the Russia he returns to is not the same Russia he left... setting up the next Renko saga, Wolves Eat Dogs. Can't wait to see what's next as Arkady heads for Chernobyl.


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Havana Bay Martin Cruz Smith 9780330340021 Books Reviews

This book is a great read for all the reasons already posted here well written, etc. I could write a long review along those lines, however this book was all of that to me and then some.

I was born in La Habana ("Havana"), Cuba and haven't been there since I left it as a teenager many moons ago but I remember it vividly. I used to walk alongside Havana Bay (including Malecon etc) and I often wonder what is like now. This book magically tele-transported me there in a way no other book has taken me anywhere else (and I have a vivid imagination). Words can not describe the realistic, almost voyeuristic experience. What made it so real was the uncannily realistic backdrop (locales, landmarks etc) as well as the way Cruz captured the personality of its local players and their political and social mindset. The know-how and feelings about the regime were incredibly accurate and insightful without preaching or getting political. In essence Cruz recreated the way that people feel about the place and their lives in a matter-of-fact "this is my life" kind of way. I'd like to interview Cruz or otherwise know more about his research for the book. A lot of the things described take place daily but are only experienced by folks still living there. Visitors get a different experience altogether and are not allowed to see things as they are, behind the public scene.
This was my first Cruz / Renko novel, I've since read others and have also transported me to their locales (fishing factory ships, Siberia and the like) in what I imagine is a high degree of realism. Lacking the first hand experience in the locations for those books they didn't evoke the vivid realism that Havana Bay did. I wonder if other folks familiar with those locales and time periods feel the same as I did reading Havana Bay.

When I was reading the book, as I came near the end I slowed down my pace to a handful of pages a day so that I could totally enjoy the experience. I savored each and every page like a delicious Cuban meal.

I wonder if there are any readers with similar experiences about this particular book or other Cruz books. People of all walks of life have enjoyed this excellent book, but for me it was something really special that I will never forget.

Kudos Mr Cruz.
Shortly after returning from a photography shoot in Cuba, I was told of this book and author. Only a few pages into the book, i realized I was reliving each step of mu jaunt. The descriptions of the situations and locales are right on. The story is not something I can speak of in the same way, as I was not aware of all that was going on at the time of the Russian's support and sudden leaving of Cuba. I only have a general knowledge. I would suppose, Martin Cruz Smith is fully immersed, just from his depiction of Cuba itself.
If you cannot visit Cuba, take the time to read this book and take in what is still in place, just as it was at the time depicted in the novel.
Quite amazed, and happy I followed my friends advice and bought the book.
Arkady comes off as a depressive personality. He is an honest Russian Cop who is insistent in getting all the information. In this story, someone sends him a message of a fellow cop in Cuba who might be in trouble. He falls into a case because this fellow cop Sergie is the closest he had as a friend. Arkady's wife was killed accidentally before he left for Cuba. He is grieving and suicidal from this. A woman detective on the Cuban force picks up on his pain. Russians are not viewed kindly in Cuba, but what Arkady is going through opens the door for them to work on this case together.
I don't think I have ever loved an investigator as much as I love Arkady Renko - and I've loved many. Havana Bay is the 4th, and the last of the really great Renko novels. Some think Havana Bay begins the decline of the Renko novels, possibly because Renko himself is so incredibly depressed throughout. But this novel contains some of Renko's most profound reflections on the nature of love and death, and some of Smith's most beautiful prose. And, of course, it's set in a decaying, corrupt environment which brings out the best in Arkady Renko, and in Smith who has the remarkable ability to convince you you're interested in these places. The last paragraph of Havana Bay is one of the most poignant passages I have ever read in a novel, and it's only one of many noteworthy passages. I absolutely loved this book and the three books leading up to it. Read them in order for the full effect.
After watching the movie Gorky Park, I decided to read the book. I am so glad I did! It introduced me to the dark and deep character of Arkady Renko. I then read the next two Arkady Renko novels - Polar Star and Red Square. Of these two, I think Polar Star is the better, mainly because it takes you into the bowels of a Russian fishing boat and creates a wonderful world of action and intrigue there. Red Square, set in Moscow and Germany, is very good, but Gorky Park and Polar Star were tough acts to follow.
I was a little reluctant to start book four (of eight) in the Arkady Renko series. I think its setting in Havana rather than Russia was a little of a put off for me. I travel to Russia regularly (since 1994) and love the accurate depictions of Russian culture and life that I found in the Martin Cruz Smith novels. However, I am so glad I didn't skip this book in the series, as I was tempted to do. While it reveals nothing radically new about the character of Renko, Smith once again writes in a way that is both picturesque and engaging. And the ending caught me more by surprise than any of the others I had read in the series. A lot of loose threads were brought together at the end which I didn't even realize were loose threads through the novel.
True to Smith's style, Arkady is a Russian soul adrift in a changing world (and a changing Russia). At the end of the novel he ends up back in the Russia he left when he went to Havana to investigate (at his own expense) the death of a long time friend. But Russia is changing so rapidly in the early 90's that the Russia he returns to is not the same Russia he left... setting up the next Renko saga, Wolves Eat Dogs. Can't wait to see what's next as Arkady heads for Chernobyl.