A good historical novel on something I knew nothing about, the building of the Panama Canal. Overall strong writing, but characters felt a bit like tropes and the story dragged a little at times. Still glad I read it.

“The Great Divide” by Cristina Henríquez offers a captivating exploration of characters striving to build new lives in unfamiliar territory. I had already read the print book by the time I saw that this audiobook was available on Netgalley, but as a fan of Robin Miles's work, I couldn't resist. Henríquez's skillful prose and Miles's exquisite narration immerses readers in the struggles and triumphs of each character as they navigate the challenges of their new surroundings. Through multiple perspectives, the novel delves into the intricacies of human relationships and the resilience of the human spirit. Miles's narration is outstanding, as one would expect from one of the most talented narrators out there. Listening to “The Great Divide” is as compelling and thought-provoking an experience as reading the print book.

I have to admit that I knew very little about the geopolitics that led to the construction of the Panama Canal and so I was extremely excited to learn more about this period of time. This novel provided excellent socio-cultural context for what was happening in Panama during this time period with detailed descriptions and historical references interwoven into the story without feeling like an information dump. Truly, the writing in this story was captivating and it kept me wondering what would happen next...except at a certain point I really did wonder what exactly is happening in this story?

I think the focus of this story being essentially only the construction of the canal as a colonial project was a bit too broad. The story kept circling the same point of the Panama Canal was yet another colonial project of the United States that resulted in exploitation of the local people and economy...but this was blatantly told to the reader multiple times by the main characters which made it feel like okay...so what exactly is the plot of the story? Perhaps one could argue obviously the characters are the focus. However, there are a lot of characters in this story with storylines weaving back and forth in time and the narrative voice changing mid-chapter to side characters. This made it hard to keep track of all the characters and when certain events were happening in their lives. I can see the attempt at experimental narration here and I understand what was attempted with this, however, with so many main characters from the outset it made the storyline even more convoluted. Also, due to the amount of characters I found it hard to get invested into any one storyline. There were some characters who, from the outset, felt like strong female leads but ended up being kind of relegated to the sidelines with storylines revolving around sickness, motherhood, and caregiving. It was all just a bit disappointing.

Overall, I think there just needed to be a better guiding story throughout the novel. While the characters do eventually come together and their lives frequently intersect there are simply too many without a more focused storyline. The writing was lush in detail and showed the author's skill, but the substance of the story was missing. If you are considering reading this one, I would highly recommend the audiobook for the amazing narrator that was a part of what propelled me through this story!

A monumental undertaking creating a glimpse into history and the lives of those shaped by the building of the Panama Canal.
The first character we are introduced to is Ada Bunting, a feisty 16 year old, who makes a decision to leave Barbados for Panama. Ada is driven to run away and find employment to earn money for her beloved sister to have a lifesaving surgery. Through the eyes of Ada we learn what hunger, courage and uncertainty feels like.
Ms. Henriquez weaves a cast of characters around Ada, each is profoundly different yet driven to better their lives along with the lives of others. I was touched as to how little I knew of this important expedition creating the Panama Canal. Reading put in perspective the sacrifices made by so many for a modern-day convenience.
I would like to thank NetGalley & Harper Collins books for an advanced audiobook of the Great Divide.
Listening was a delightful way to wander into history.

This book has made my brain fire, not just with what happened to the people of Panama but when considering their great divides, and mine. Before I understood that great lesson, I got lost in the weeds about halfway through. I'm glad I picked it back up, though, and experienced the hardships and sacrifices that some of these characters made for their loved ones, even as I saw others taking the easy road. In the end though. all are made to pay, one way or another. I can say I am glad I picked it back up. The audio narration grew on me--so very many accents and peoples to cover. I did find it helpful to actually have the book in my hand at times.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the audio copy.

The Great Divide by Cristina Henriquez, published on 03/05/2024
In a nutshell: Human drama with various backgrounds surrounding the construction of Panama Canal beginning in 1907. The Great Divide of the land symbolizes the divisions between the father and son, wife and husband, sisters, classes, and countries.

Reasons to pick up this book:
The book cover is gorgeous
You are a fan of a big-scale historical fictions
There aren't many books focused on Panama, grossly underrated and interesting country.
We waited ten long years since the publication of Henriquez' last book, much acclaimed "The Book of Unknown Americans" in 2014.
Henriquez seems to be devoted to tell stories of ordinary citizens of the world who is affected by bigger economic powers.
Her love of the area is transparent and infectious - it will make you want to know more about Panama.
Her writing is approachable and easy to understand.

The book follows many characters from various backgrounds surrounding the construction of Panama Canal, which was a big upheaval.
It includes a local fisherman Francisco and his son Omar, whose personality differences drift them apart. When Omar hears about the canal construction, he decides to work for the construction even when Francisco strongly opposes it.
Ada Bunting is a sixteen-year-old girl from Barbados who dreams of making money in Panama. Her sister, Millicent, back home is ill and need surgery, and Ada hopes to make enough money for her surgery.
Marian is a bright American who marries a science researcher John Oswald. John dreams of finding cure of Malaria. In his strong focus and ambition, he pays little attention to his attentive and smart wife.

As the story moves along, there are even more characters introduced. While character description is clear and interesting, their introductions are little choppy for me. It introduces one or two characters, then move on to other sets of characters in another country/situation, then yet another. This might be better with a physical book in which one can flip back to other sections easily, but on the audiobook it can be a little challenging. By the time I get interested in character development, it suddenly moves to other sets of characters. Also the audiobook narrator is excellent; however she has to portray such a wide range of characters including a young boy and girl, and people with different backgrounds. At times I felt her voice didn't align with characters.

My biggest gripe of the book is it being too ambitious and too long. I could tell the book is well researched and close to the author's heart, so I can understand the temptation to want to include as much as possible. I felt that if the subject was focused on to less characters and dug deeper to those fewer characters, it would have made more impact.
Having said that, I love Panama and so glad to be introduced to a book that centers around this beautiful country. Her writing was also very good and I would like to read more books by her again.

An advanced copy of this audiobook was provided courtesy of NetGalley and Harper Audio in exchange for an honest review. Thank you!

I wanted to thank NetGalley for the opportunity to listen to the audio book and I thoroughly appreciated the voices the reader gave to each unique character. I enjoyed learning about this event in history and what I appreciated the most was hearing from such varying perspectives on the construction of the Panama Canal and more.

I only wished that the characters would have been developed even further. I would have loved to know more about Lucille’s relationship with her children’s father, for example. The author created such wonderful characters, but I was left wanting for more.

I received the audio book version and would rate it 3.5 ⭐️, however, I'm rounding up to 4 ⭐️ for the book overall. Initially I preferred the audio because I wanted to hear the pronunciation of the Spanish words but the narrator's voice was too monotonous and slow; increasing the speed did not improve it.
Luckily I had a copy of the book as well and read the last quarter.
I had expected the book to revolve around the building of the Panama Canal, however, it revolved around numerous characters and bounced back and forth to provide their backstories.
The book slowly pulled the characters together and provided a satisfying closure.
Thank you #NetGalley for providing the audio book in exchange for my honest review.

The writing is lovely; however, this was really hard to follow in audio format only, Readers should be aware of multiple storylines and characters and consider whether they have the capacity for this in audio. I am sure some do! I quite enjoy historical fiction so I would try this again with a physical copy or e-book.

It was good to look at the construction of the Panama Canal in a different way than what I've heard in History classes. However, this book got bogged down by the immense amount of characters. They were especially hard to keep track of in an audio book format. I would recommend this book for those who enjoy historical fiction, particularly those with an interest in the people affected by the building of the Panama Canal.

The Great Divide
by Christina Henriquez
Pub Date March 05, 2024

This book was a very beautifully written and cover is gorgeous. The Panama Canal was built in 1907 which opened up many new things for the world. New jobs, adventures and opportunities for a new life. This historical fiction gives us a peek into what a huge project and how much of an impact it had on people not only in Panama but throughout the world. I learned a lot about how this adventure changed Panama and some of it not for the good.

I think this book gives a fair report of how progress can be good in the end but that many people are impacted by change. I really loved meeting the characters and following their stories. It touched the way families were divided and how groups had to work together to get to the common good.

The Great Divide is a wonderful view of how the resilience & determination of our spirit, and an amazing reminder that what we can be done on our own is nothing compared to what we can do together as a group of people. We should learn from our history so that we can not repeat the same problems over and over again.

Thank you to Christina Henríquez, ECCO, Harper Audio and NetGalley for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.
Go find your next adventure in black and white.

The Great Divide by Cristina Henriquez was a very engaging book about both the construction of The Panama Canal and the effect it had on the Panamanian people and those that came from far and near to help build it. The people of Panama were divided about how they felt about the construction of the canal. For some it was an opportunity to find employment and earn some income. A great many saw the canal as an infringement of their rights and a way for the Americans to take advantage of their country’s future. Those who chose to work to build the canal were subjected to long and grueling hours of hard manual labor. Some of the American supervisors were unrelenting and demanded unrealistic expectations of the workers. Other supervisors were verbally abusive and cruel to the men who worked for them. Mosquitoes also posed a serious threat to spreading disease among the workers, especially malaria. Many local people living in Panama were ordered to move their homes to make way for the canal. This was a hardship for a great many of the people who were being forced to comply with the directive. Some of these people banned together and refused to move but ultimately they were forced to move anyway. Cristina Henríquez vividly portrayed the conflict, consequences, dangers and opportunities that the construction of the Panama Canal brought to the people of Panama and beyond through the lives of several different characters. She masterfully wove the lives of these characters together to create a truly unique glimpse into how the construction of the Panama Canal changed and altered the lives of the people that both helped build it and were living there at the time it was being built.

The Great Divide was beautifully written with much compassion and insight. I enjoyed the main characters and their stories and how they were flawlessly connected by the end. There were a lot of characters, though, and I did find that I got confused at times. Cristina Henriquez‘s impeccable research was extensive and well done. I listened to the audiobook of The Great Divide that was beautifully narrated by Robin Miles. Of all the characters in The Great Divide, Ada Bunting and Omar were my favorite characters. There was something about their innocence and yet insightful thoughts and actions that moved me. I enjoyed listening to the audiobook of The Great Divide by Cristina Henriquez and highly recommend it if you enjoy historical fiction.

Thank you to Harper Audio for allowing me to listen to the audiobook of The Great Divide by Christina Henriquez through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

This book was worth the wait! Henriquez weaves so many plots and characters together in a way that is powerful and distinct while achieving seamless fluidity. The writing was beautiful, and the eye opening narrative was haunting. I can't stop thinking about this book.

I really enjoyed listening to "The Great Divide". The narrator did a very good job of voicing all the different characters. The story was interesting as I knew little about the building of the Panama Canal for the people's perspectives.

The Great Divide puts to rest the notion that colonialism is good for anyone, but ESPECIALLY for the indigenous people of the land that is being colonized. Told through the construction of the Panama Canal and all the PROGRESS! promissed, The Great Divide slowly but surely deconstructs anything good that could happen to the people of Panama from this literal invading force that removes them from their lands and families. This was an amazing multiple point of view story that gels incredibly at the end.

The Great Divide is a wonderful read for lovers of historic fiction that enjoy the genre, at least in part, because of what they can learn about history and other cultures. This book follows several different characters with a variety of connections to Panama and the canal. Each character is so realistic and well developed that most readers will find someone they connect with.

I listened to an audio version of this book and the narrator did an excellent job. Thank you to #netgalley for providing me with an advanced copy of the audio in exchange for an honest review.

#netgalley #historicfiction #panama

I listened to this one as an audiobook, and that may have skewed my thinking on at least one aspect of it. While this was not too long – 13 hours – it still seemed to be kind of “sprawling.” We met one character at a time, and didn’t start looping back on any of them for at least two hours… then, it was even later that they all started intersecting with one another!

I could spend a whole review trying to disentangle all the individual stories, but instead I’ll focus on a group of them that were the most interesting to me.

Ada is the first character we meet of her family, and she comes to Panama as a stowaway on a ship from Barbados. We see, with her and other characters, that many of the people in the story are not from the area at all, but just came to make some money. And not all of them are working directly on building the canal… but there is much work to be had because of the sudden uptick in population. People come to be doctors or housekeepers, run fruit stands, and do anything a growing population might need.

But, back to Ada. She comes because her younger sister is sick, and needs surgery. She is not afraid of work, but doesn’t have a specific goal in mind. In later chapters, we meet her mother and sister, find out more about the illness in question, and learn how her mother came to be raising two girls by herself. What stood out about this troupe was that all of them were strong characters, and were willing to endure racism and other indignities to get what they needed.

Ada herself, while she is in Panama, helps rescue another character when he falls ill. While she ultimately finds herself on the wrong side of a local doctor there – who is busy protecting himself and his own reputation – she later starts learning medicine from another doctor after she returns to Barbados.

Another set of characters – John and Marian – come down from East Tennessee. I include that fact for my fellow Tennesseans who may be reading this review.

And we do meet some locals. Most oppose the canal, and one community even rallies together to try to fight the encroachment onto land they’ve lived on for generations. But some also see it as an opportunity to find work, or meet people from other places. No group of people is a uniform entity, of course.

So, overall, I found a lot of interesting bits in these stories. I’d get into something that was going on… and then we’d change to a different character. Especially during the beginning, when the stories weren’t connecting yet, this felt arduous. But, this is where I think that maybe listening was harder than reading? Like, could I have bookmarked where certain stories left off for when I inevitably returned to them later? (Would I have taken the time to do so, though, really?) Things to ponder.

If you’re interested in multi-perspective historical fiction with an epic scope, this is one you may be interested in. It was not a portion of history I’d ever read a fiction piece about, at least, and that was what drew me to this one.

The Great Divide by Cristina Henriquez is a sweeping novel of historical fiction set during the building of the Panama Canal in the early 1900s. I received a digital advanced audio copy of this title, and was looking forward to reading the different perspectives of those lives impacted. From residents forced to move away from their lifelong homes to those migrating to the area looking for work to activists opposing the creation of the Canal, the novel follows several characters in different positions that bring life to the building of the Canal that the average person may not think about.

For the audio version, I loved the narration - clear, energetic, and easy to understand, Robin Miles is a narrator I have listened to before and enjoyed, so I was glad to hear her again for this title I had been waiting to come out. I love listening to historical fiction books in audio because it breathes life into the stories, and this one was exactly what I had hoped.

Hearing all of the character stories wind together, bringing ordinary people's stories to the forefront of this massive project that would become the Panama Canal, it was the perfect blend of story and history. Thank you to Harper Audio and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read and review The Great Divide!

I never imagined a novel about the construction of the Panama Canal could be so lovely!

The Great Divide tells the stories of people who lived and worked in Panama and how the construction shaped their lives. Marian is the botanist wife of a doctor trying to eradicate tropical disease. Ada is an intelligent teenager from Barbados who travels to Panama to work and send money home for her ill sister’s surgery. Omar knows he can’t follow in his father’s footsteps as a fisherman and so he joins the construction crew for purpose and companionship. My favorites are Joaquin and Valentina, an empty nester couple who unexpectedly become activists.

What I Loved:
- The setting! Panama was described so beautifully and descriptively that this book has me wanting to explore Panama.
- The characters! They were each so unique and I loved getting to know their personalities. I listened and the narration was excellent!
- The criss-crossing plots! Each character has their own story, but they often crossed paths in beautiful ways.

Didn’t Love:
- With *so many* characters, it took me about 1/3 of the way in before I was invested in anyone’s story.

Thank you NetGalley and HarperAudio for an ARC which I received to provide an honest review. This review reflects my opinion and experience.

A poignant, sweeping saga spun around the greatest human feat of engineering!

Thanks libro.fm, Harper Audio and NetGalley for the ALC!. Robin Milwa did an excellent job narrating this audiobook - her rendition instilled life into it like a motion picture!

Kudos to the author for the immense research and efforts she has put into presenting this stunning historical fiction. This was a great eye-opener that led me into the google rabbit hole, as I tried to learn about the construction of the Panama Canal in the early 1900s.

The narrative alternates between various protagonists who will directly or indirectly be affected by the ongoing work of the canal. What a clever way of crafting the tale around the isthmus of Panama, as it brings in the perspectives of people in various professions of this time, the Panamanian zeitgeist, the increasing foothold and influence of foreign powers, which are leading to unprecedented changes to the way of life in Panama.

We follow the fisherman Francisco who abhors the American powers establishing in Panama and is upset by his son Omar’s decision to become a digger.

Ada Bunting, the 16 year old who comes to Panama from Barbados to find work and help send money for her sister’s surgery.

John Oswald, the scientist in the pursuit of eradicating malaria in the tropics, who hires Ada, as a caregiver to his sick wife Marian, a botanist.

Wakim, the fish seller and his wife Valentina, who is on a mission to save her hometown of Gatun.

Ada’s character especially stood out, as I was in awe of this teenager’s bravery, presence of mind, ability to sacrifice and determination. Her mother Lucille, back in Barbados also amazed me with her strong independent, resourceful and hard-working personality.

Watching the lives and circumstances of all these folks intersect and revolve around the canal construction was fascinating. Grueling physical labor, the yearning for a better, brighter life while battling disease and death, the patriotism and fight for survival were all pictured realistically in this character driven novel.

Highly recommend!