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FIND ME IN HAVANA

Serena Burdick

A stunning new novel of historical fiction from the author of The Girls with No Names based on the true unsolved murder of Cuban-born Hollywood actress Estelita Rodriguez.
Cuba, 1936. As her family struggles to recover from the Cuban Revolution, Estelita's own world opens when she's "discovered" singing in Havana nightclubs. At fifteen, her dreams to travel to America come true with the invitation to sing at the Copacabana. There, she begins a whirlwind romance with Chu Chu Martinez, a handsome actor she later marries. But when Chu Chu forbids her from performing, Estelita takes their daughter, Nina, and escapes to Hollywood. Big Sur, 1966. Nina Rodriguez grew up enamored by her mother's beauty and glamour. She still doesn't understand how her vivacious mother could have died so quickly from influenza and suspects a more sinister plot pointing to her mother's most recent romance. When Nina finds herself repeating her mother's destructive patterns with men, she looks to the lessons of her mother's past to find a new way forward. Based on the true events of Estelita Rodriguez's sensational life and exclusive interviews with the real Nina, Find Me in Havana beautifully captures the love, sacrifice and deep understanding that can only come from a mother-daughter relationship. Serena Burdick Graduated from The American Academy of Dramatic Arts in California before moving to New York City to pursue a degree in English Literature at Brooklyn College. Author of GIRL IN THE AFTERNOON, she lives in Western Massachusetts with her husband and two sons.
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Published 2021-01-21 by Park Row Books / Harlequin

Comments

Burdick ...delivers a poignant and gripping account of the life of Cuban actress Estelita Rodriquez (19281966) through letters between Estelita and her daughter, Nina... With great skill, Burdick weaves a heartbreaking narrative of a star's rise and fall, and whose unexplained death at 37 deeply affects her daughter. Estelita's sacrifices and determination as a mother and an artist make for a deeply affecting tragedy. Read more...

In this fascinating interview with Nina Lopez, Estelita Rodriguez's daughter, Serena shares the real-life stories that formed the foundation of FIND ME IN HAVANA. Through their long friendship, Serena learned intimate details of Estelita's life and personality, making for an authentic, true-to-life read. Read more...

[A] sweeping historical account... The Hollywood glamour and the struggles of war will appeal to history fans while Nina and Estelita's relationship will draw lovers of women's fiction. The true gem in this story is learning how the author developed the tale of real-life Estelita through interviews with Nina.

FIND ME IN HAVANA is a Buzzfeed hot historical fiction book, a Bustle anticipated winter read and a GMA.com pick for "16 January Reads for the New Year."

Finally, my mother will get to be remembered. She will no longer be a forgotten star. I laughed, I cried, I cried, I laughed. I loved the book.

Q&A: We had the pleasure of chatting with Serena about her new novel, writing, book recommendations, and so much more! Read more...

Serena Burdick brings Hollywood legend Estelita Rodriguez to vivid life in Find Me in Havana. Written with beautiful prose and searing honesty, this story of mothers and daughters will stay with you long after you turn the final page.

...Always beautiful, feeling elegiac even during the first chapters... Serena Burdick did a wonderful job of capturing a time long past and telling a story that at once embraces a whole time and pinpoints one particular relationship Read more...

Startling, original, frank and powerful, it spellbinds and breaks a reader's heart. Read more...

Catch this glimpse of the real Estelita on film, as she sings to a young Ronald Reagan. Read more...