The Mambo Kings Play Songs of Love (Masterplots, Revised Second Edition)
At a glance:
- Author: Oscar Hijuelos
- First Published: 1989
- Type of Work: Novel
- Type of Plot: Social realism
- Time of Work: 1930’s-1980’s
- Setting: Cuba and the United States
- Principal Characters: Cesar Castillo, Nestor Castillo, Delores Castillo, Eugenio
- Genres: Long fiction, Historical fiction, Family literature
- Subjects: 1950’s, 1960’s, 1970’s, New York, North America or North Americans, Northeast, U.S., United States or Americans, Music or musicians, New York City, American Dream, 1980’s, Child abuse, Immigration or emigration, Multiculturalism, Cuba or Cubans, Television or television broadcasting, Bilingualism, Latinos, Latin America or Latin Americans
- Locales: New York, NY, Hollywood, CA, Havana, Cuba
The Story:
Cesar, Nestor, and their three brothers grew up in the sugar-mill town of Las Piñas, in Oriente Province, Cuba. The family moved from the mill to a livestock farm where the father, Pedro Castillo, slaughtered animals; he was proud of his physical strength and demanded respect from his frightened sons with cruel beatings. The powerless mother, Maria, attributed his violent behavior to the fact that he had had a hard life since childhood.
As a child, listening to a music box, Cesar learned to dance, and he enjoyed orchestra performances. When he heard Eusebio...
[The entire page is 1992 words long]
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