Buckle up, folks—no, I mean that quite literally. Henríquez's "The Great Divide" is so transportative that attempting to drive and listen became a feat more precarious than I could handle. After the sixth near-miss on the road, I realized this audiobook demanded my undivided attention.

Now, picture this: a fisherman's disgruntlement, a teenager from Barbados on a mission, and a scientist on a quest to eradicate malaria, all converging in the tumultuous tale of the Panama Canal.

I have a confession to make. Initially, it felt like stumbling into a maze. Characters popped up left and right, and I was more disoriented than a cat chasing a laser pointer. But lo and behold, just when I contemplated sketching family trees, Henríquez executed a narrative miracle, seamlessly bringing all threads together by the grand finale.

This audiobook is like a history class that spiked its coffee with adrenaline, delivering colonialist insights with a high literary style. Henríquez's storytelling transforms history into a night at the theater, where the unsung heroes and diverse cast of the Panama Canal take the stage.

So, dear listeners, get ready for the show. The Great Divide has not only unveiled the construction saga but has also gifted us a backstage pass to the lives that shaped history. Highly recommended for those who want history served with a side of literary brilliance and the kind of storytelling that makes you forget you're not at the theater.

Have you ever opened a wikipedia page about a celebrity - let's say Justin Bieber - then you realize he is married to Hailey Bieber and you open that page too, then you read about her whole family, somehow ends up on a page about Brazilian musician Eumir Deodato (her grandfather) and you don't even know how you made ended up there? This is how this book works! You start reading about Ada who goes to Panama to work and send money to her sister and then somehow you are reading about Marian from Kentucky who studied Botany and married a scientist. For the longest time you won't know how the different threads are connected, but at some point all characters in the novel will cross paths.

I enjoyed reading about the construction of the Panama Canal. The author presented multiple perspectives on how the Panama canal affected the lives of so many people. HOWEVER, I didn't like the multiple loose threads that, to be honest, never really connected to each other.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early digital copy is exchange for my honest review.

Add to your TBR! This one comes out March 5.
Am I the only one that didn’t know the full history of the Panama Canal or that malaria along with construction caused the death of over 20k people?
The last few years I have started to gravitate towards historical fiction books. I learn new to me details about history while diving into the author’s imagination of the setting and lives of those living out historical moments.
First off - so many characters!
I promise it’s not a bad thing at all. The characters are necessary to the story- seems hard to keep track for the first few chapters of the book then willcome together beautifully. The writing is incredible and so easy to get wrapped up in.
I received the audiobook version, narrated by Robin Miles. She has a perfect voice, and her narration of male voices blended perfectly into the story. If you’re drawing a blank she has narrated some other popular audiobooks such as, Caste, Seven Husbands Of Evelyn Hugo, Hidden Figures, and so many more.
This was a 4.6 read for me. I would love to hear your thoughts- I’m pretty sure I’m going to be thinking of these characters for awhile.

Thank you to Christina Henríquez, ECCO, and NetGalley for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

I was excited to see this book was about to be published and glad to get a chance to listen to the advance audiobook. I have not read anything else by the author, but I will be exploring her other works after this.

Set during the construction of the Panama Canal, the book follows several characters who's lives loosely or closely intersect. I feel like the author was very successful at setting the background for the book and I enjoyed learning more about the construction of the canal. I actually went and looked up more information about some of the historical facts in the book.

I enjoyed the characters in the book, but because there were so many of them, I didn't feel like there was a great depth to some of them. I think this is common in novels that jump between protagonists. I might have enjoyed a deeper dive with fewer people. She did a good job of connecting everyone and the culmination of the story wraps things up well. There is a touch of magical reality, but it wasn't the driver of the novel. While darker topics such as slavery, racism, and death all appear, overall the book is more hopeful and optimistic and it isn't a heavy read.

I'm glad I read it and would recommend it to anyone who is interested in Panama or the early 1900s.

Thanks to NetGalley and Bookouture Audio for an advanced audio book in exchange for an honest review.

Love, loss, found family, poverty, discrimination, immigration, colonialism…this fresh historical fiction set during the creation of the Panama Canal has it all. And at its heart, the interconnected plot lines highlight the interconnectedness of the human experience in a relatable, accessible way.

Great pacing, descriptive setting that doesnt distract from the plot, and excellent audio narration make this a 5⭐️ read, as easy to discuss as it is to recommend.

Thank you netgalley and the publisher for this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

The Great Divide by Cristina Henriquez explores life before, during, and after the construction of the Panama Canal while describing how the people were deeply impacted. It forces the reader to consider how connected to a place and location they are and what they will do to travel to a new land or remain where they were established. The writing is immersive and lyrical, and I enjoyed the character-driven exploration of daily life through multiple character perspectives. It is very detailed and by the end, you'll find yourself sympathizing with most, if not all, of the characters are their lives are inexplicably changed.

The narrator was phenomenal, and I found myself being drawn back to the story time and again, even though character-driven books are not usually at the top of my list. This is a must check out for lovers of historical fiction, own voices books, and books reflecting a multiracial society and community.

I enjoyed this book but it was a little too long. The narration was great. She made me feel comfortable and you could tell that she cared about the story.

Thank you NetGalley and Harper Audio for sending this book for review consideration. All opinions are my own.

In 1904, the United States signed a treaty with Panama for access to build and maintain a canal across the isthmus. For the next decade, American civil engineers designed and managed the construction of a massive system of locks and lakes spanning 51 miles connecting the Atlantic and Pacific oceans. The project required a workforce larger than the capabilities of the local economy and Panama saw an influx of both American and Caribbean workers who also brough their cultures and their prejudices. The project was meant to bring people and economies together, but the resulting caste-like system and Americans’ indifference to the plight of people displaced by the project created The Great Divide.

Christina Henriquez is best known for her 2014 release The Book of the Unknown Americans – she has a unique way of telling the stories of Central Americans who are typically overlooked in traditional American literature. Her latest release The Great Divide continues this tradition. The historical fiction novel follows the stories of native Panamanians and Caribbean transplants working for the Americans in the canal construction zone. Henriquez details the prejudice experienced by these workers and their families in a way that connects readers to their stories and brings this seldom-told history to life. This is a story about the bravery of the people who traveled to new countries with little to their names and the people who fought back when the government sold their land out from under them.

I give The Great Divide 4 out of 5 stars. This book taught me details about the canal construction not included in the history books. Henriquez writes with a style that educates and entertains at the same time. With that said, I felt that a few characters could have been better developed. Having several central and interconnected characters allowed the multiple histories and storylines to be told, but I had a hard time following some sections of the audiobook because quick shifts from one character to another. I appreciate that this novel ignores the typical white washing of 19th and 20th century events in American history.

This is a great book for historical fiction lovers and anyone looking to learn more about the history of the Panama Canal project. I would also recommend this book for readers interested in Central American culture. With the inclusion of light violence, death, and references to sexual relationships, I would direct this towards more mature audiences over 13. This would be a great accompaniment to a high school or college history course on the area or this timeframe – it would provide additional context not usually found in textbooks.

When I was offered the opportunity to review this book through NetGalley, I was immediately interested in this book. The beautiful cover art draws from indigenous cultures and provides a eye-drawing pop of color. In 2023, I became interested in Central American culture after attending a Latin American cookbook signing and reading another ARC from a Latina author. I realized I have a gap in knowledge of this geographic area and its culture. This book was a great way to learn more about the forces behind current cultural and political environments in the region!

The narration of this audio version of The Great Divide is wonderful. I thought the narrator did a great job capturing the unique dialects of each of the many characters in the novel. The story itself was also great. I loved the multiple perspectives of Panama during the building of the canal. I got truly invested in all of their stories and loved it when I saw overlap of the different narratives.

The narration of this audio book was incredible.

This was a heart-wrenching story told through multiple people all connected by the construction of the Panama Canal. I am aware of the Panama Canal but don't know much about the actual history, so-while this is fiction-this definitely made me think about how the people who lived there were affected by this. That is one major aspect of this book I really enjoyed, but its only a piece of the puzzle.

The characters in this book were all so powerful. They dealt with racism, loss, difficult family relationships... There is a really heartbreaking father son relationship here that I felt very emotionally connected to. There is also a very strong convergence of different peoples all in this same place, creating major tensions, but also forging friendships and alliances.

I thought this was wonderful and would absolutely recommend it!

I opted to read this book when I found out that it took place during the construction of the Panama Canal, a crossing I experienced on a recent cruise. The writing was well done, the characters were interesting...but there was no cohesive plot really. Everyone seemed to have their own storyline ( and there were lots of them!), but their relation to one another was irrelevant. Had they all been woven together, this book would have been more enjoyable to me. The narrator of the audiobook did a great job with all the varied characters and their accents. Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

I learned a lot about the building of the Panama Canal while I was listening to this book. It references the area so much that I found myself looking at a map a lot. I really enjoy when historical fiction has a great connection to real events. The influx of workers from different countries to help build the canal created some diverse stories to intermingle in this book. It also included local stories of the Panamanians who were displaced because of the canal. All different backgrounds and socioeconomic status' were included with attention to the details of what their lives could have been.

There were a few stories that fell flat in the end, I felt like maybe their stories could have had a better conclusion. Not that everything needs to be all tied up in a perfect bow at the end, but some of the characters could have had a much stronger conclusion to their story.

Overall I liked the book and would recommend it. I received an advanced audio book copy from NetGalley.

3 1/2 stars, rounded up for the sweeping nature and ambition of the novel. This historical novel is set during the construction of the Panama Canal, in the early years of the 20th century. It's told through a good number (8? 10?) of interlocking storylines among people connected to the project in one way or another: a construction worker, a family who will be displaced, a young woman who comes from Barbados seeking work, an American doctor who has come seeking a cure for malaria, and others. With such a broad array of characters, none is fully fleshed out, and scenes that should have been emotional fell kind of flat to me. The place and time were fascinating, though the book took quite a number of clunky pauses in the story to tell some of the history.

Thank you to NetGalley for the advance copy of the audiobook, which was narrated by Robin Miles. Over about 18 months, I listened to so many books she narrated that I got tired of her and I kind of rolled my eyes when I heard it was her, but she did a great job with the different voices and accents.

Thank you to Net Galley and Harper Collins Publishing for an early copy of The Great Divide by Christina Henriquez

The Great Divide is set in Panama at the time of the building of the Panama Canal. The novel is much more of detailed character studies than a plot-driven chronicle of the United States vs. Panama. Conflicts abound including husband/wife, father/son and parted lovers.

Henriquez does include the actions of the local Panamanians in Gutan who must give up their homes in order for the Gutan Dam to be built for the Canal. It is at the time that the indigenous people must face this crisis that the story comes most alive. This also led to a Google search for pictures of the Gutan of long ago. Historical fiction at its best!

The author engages in a writing style that matches the emotions of the characters with the beauty but uncertainty of the setting.

I liked this so well, I read in two formats. . .and am putting this on my re-read list, because I think there is more here than one can get in initial readings. A good ponder needs to be put on it, like warmth and a good quilt benefits that which it covers (which brings to mind Millicent and her wonderful snapping quilt in this book).

Building the Panama Canal involved 2 continents, a number of nations, centuries, unnumbered ideas, and then all the bodies that lived, bred, died, experienced that joy of life we all claim as humans - all those who had the unfortunate address before, that would become the parts and pieces of what was the Panama Canal after: a very BIG topic to take on. It is to our advantage that Ms. Henríquez took her pen to it, and the result is a bustling, well-researched, deftly-told tale. While arching narratives were necessary (after all, it is a canal being built over land and communities already long established, and cures for malaria being sought!) and took up pages to cover and educate a reader, she always comes back to her people, her characters and provides each a satisfactory way out or parting from their engaged readers.

This read is educative, wide-horizoned and broad-shouldered - you'll want to go see this earth-changing project, maybe get a Panama hat of your own (remember they come from Ecuador!), or at least pull up a map or two.

*A sincere thank you to Cristina Henriquez, Ecco, Harper Audio and NetGalley for an ARC to read and independently review.* #TheGreatDivide #NetGalley

The Great Divide is a beautiful novel centered around the building of the Panama Canal. The story tells about the lives of several individuals whose lives are profoundly affected, both positively and negatively, by the pursuit of the construction of the canal—whether it be land, other people, or disease. Throughout the entire book, I loved how Cristina Henriquez would end each chapter with the introduction of a new character and how that person connected with the previous. It was a beautifully written story and one I won't soon forget. I can't wait to recommend this to everyone I come in contact with.

Thank you to #netgalley and #harpercollins for the ARC

What a beautifully written historical fiction novel! The characters were layered and well-written. I loved the various points of view from different backgrounds and life experiences. So much emotion and well-written with empathy and respect.

My thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this book.

The Great Divide is a series of interconnected stories that, put together, paint quite a picture of what life was like for the many affected by the construction of the Panama Canal. A work of historical fiction, it was able to bring me a closer view into this period I’m history than I’ve ever had, and provided a stark reminder of the many peoples throughout history who’ve been adversely affected by colonialism and “progress.”

So much of the history that we’re taught focuses on great human achievement, with little to no mention of the even greater costs. I appreciate stories like these that bring us closer and pull up the rug to show us all that’s been swept under it.

Robin Miles did an excellent job narrating the audiobook.

Thank you Cristina Henriquez, Harper Audio, and NetGalley for providing this ARC for review consideration. All opinions expressed are my own.

A slow and steady listen as you dive into the lives of several people whose lives have been intertwined with intensity. I love the essence of all the characters of how the culture of the Panama and their lives there are constantly changing and seeing lives through other eyes. Definitely more of a slow read but worth the time, a solid book club book.

This sweeping historical novel set against the backdrop of the building of the monumental Panama Canal was such a great read!

I loved how many characters there were- and how we got to hear their very different points of view. I enjoyed seeing how all their different backgrounds nationality, gender, class, race and age informed their lives and fates.

There were so many heart-rending scenes but Henriquez wrote them all with a deep empathy and respect for the characters and the larger story.

This is historical fiction at it's best- using the backdrop of real life events to remind people of the humanity (and many times inhumanity) of those who lived it.

The narration was wonderfully executed, with Robin Miles doing an excellent job of voicing the cast of characters.

The breadth and depth of the storylines would makes this a perfect pick for a bookclub.