Great Divide, The  Entre dos aguas, Cristina Henriquez
Great Divide, The  Entre dos aguas, Cristina Henriquez
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Great Divide, The \ Entre dos aguas

Author: Cristina Henriquez

Narrator: Jane Santos

Unabridged: 12 hr 57 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 08/20/2024


Synopsis

De la aclamada autora de El libro de los americanos desconocidos, llega la extraordinaria novela épica de Cristina Henríquez sobre la construcción del canal de Panamá: un hito histórico que partió en dos la historia del continente americano, así como las vidas de quienes lo hicieron posible.Dicen que la construcción del canal será la hazaña más grande en la historia de la ingeniería. Pero ¿quién va a construirlo? Para Francisco, un pescador lugareño que no tolera que las potencias extranjeras saqueen a pedazos su país, nada es más desagradable que la decisión de su hijo, Omar, de trabajar como excavador en la zona de perforación. Pero para Omar, cuya crianza fue tranquila y solitaria, este trabajo es la oportunidad de, por fin, encontrar una conexión.Ada Bunting, una audaz joven de dieciséis años proveniente de Barbados, llega a Panamá como polizonte junto con miles de antillanos en busca de trabajo. Sola y sin recursos, está decidida a encontrar una ocupación que le permita ganar suficiente dinero para la cirugía de su hermana enferma. Cuando ve que un joven —Omar— se desmaya después de una jornada agotadora, ella es la única que corre a su auxilio.John Oswald ha dedicado su vida a la investigación científica y se ha embarcado a Panamá con un solo propósito en mente: erradicar la malaria. Pero Marian, su esposa, ha enfermado, y al ver la valentía y compasión de Ada, la contrata para que cuide de Marian. Esta decisión, que resulta funesta, desencadena una conmovedora historia de ambición, lealtad y sacrificio.Con agudeza y empatía, The Great Divide explora las vidas que se entrecruzaron en la construcción del canal. Con rigor y maestría, Henríquez exalta las vidas de a activistas, pescadores, trabajadores, periodistas, vecinos, médicos y adivinos, los verdaderos protagonistas de este hito, pero que rara vez han sido reconocidos por la historia, aunque hayan forjado su curso. 
An epic novel about the construction of the Panama Canal, casting light on the unsung people who lived, loved, and labored there, by Cristina Henríquez, acclaimed author of The Book of Unknown AmericansIt is said that the canal will be the greatest feat of engineering in history. But first, it must be built. For Francisco, a local fisherman who resents the foreign powers clamoring for a slice of his country, nothing is more upsetting than the decision of his son, Omar, to work as a digger in the excavation zone. But for Omar, whose upbringing was quiet and lonely, this job offers a chance to finally find a connection.Ada Bunting is a bold sixteen-year-old from Barbados who arrives in Panama as a stowaway alongside thousands of other West Indians seeking work. Alone and with no resources, she is determined to find a job that will earn enough money for her ailing sister’s surgery. When she sees a young man—Omar—who has collapsed after a grueling shift, she is the only one who rushes to his aid.John Oswald has dedicated his life to scientific research and has journeyed to Panama in single-minded pursuit of one goal: eliminating malaria. But now, his wife, Marian, has fallen ill herself, and when he witnesses Ada’s bravery and compassion, he hires her on the spot as a caregiver. This fateful decision sets in motion a sweeping tale of ambition, loyalty, and sacrifice. Searing and empathetic,The Great Divide explores the intersecting lives of activists, fishmongers, laborers, journalists, neighbors, doctors, and soothsayers—those rarely acknowledged by history even as they carved out its course.

About Cristina Henriquez

Cristina Henríquez is the author of The Great Divide, The Book of Unknown Americans, The World In Half, and Come Together, Fall Apart: A Novella and Stories. She has been longlisted for the Andrew Carnegie Medal for Excellence in Fiction and was a finalist for the Dayton Literary Peace Prize. Her writing has appeared in The New Yorker, The Atlantic, The New York Times Magazine, The Wall Street Journal, Real Simple, The Oxford American, The American Scholar, and elsewhere. She earned her undergraduate degree from Northwestern University and is a graduate of the Iowa Writers’ Workshop. She lives in Illinois.


Reviews

Goodreads review by Canadian Jen on April 08, 2024

I love stories that take me to foreign countries where I’m able to become immersed in different cultures.Panama is one such country. The history of the canal is fascinating. How America stormed in and offered Columbia $$ to give Panama its independence. It wasn’t a selfless gesture, however, America......more

Goodreads review by Rosh ~catching up slowly~ on April 19, 2024

In a Nutshell:A literary fiction focussed on Panama during the time of the construction of the Panama Canal. Note that this isn’t a book directly about the canal or its construction, but about the people connected to the canal in some way or the other during that period. A great book if you go in w......more

Goodreads review by Angela M on March 13, 2024

In 1907 the Panama Canal was being built offering opportunities for jobs, for adventure, for a different life . This intriguing novel provides a view of this historic event, an enormous undertaking, which changed the world in many ways. Portraits of people going there from various places for various......more

Goodreads review by Hannah on June 26, 2024

"What he saw as he stared across that vast chasm was not simply a canal, but a great divide that would sever Panama in two." The descriptive writing in this book instantly transported me to Panama in 1907: sweltering heat and pouring rain, endless mud sucking at boots, humid air thick as soup, stingi......more

Goodreads review by Chris on April 20, 2024

THE GREAT DIVIDE is a smart, moving, and wonderful novel. And while the title ostensibly refers to the Panama Canal, the real divide -- and this is the brilliance of Cristina Henriquez -- is between the Americans who want to build the canal and the people who are supposed to carve a passage through......more