If you like historical fiction, I would highly recommend this book. Multiple perspectives tell the story of the time period in Panama when the canal was being built. This book chronicles the story of a variety of characters which allows you to feel immersed in the culture and time period. The struggles, heartbreak, bravery and compassion of the characters was inspiring. Thank you to Netgalley for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Set against the monumental backdrop of the Panama Canal construction in 1907, this novel offers a vivid glimpse into a transformative historical event. The narrative follows diverse characters drawn to Panama for various reasons: a brave teenage girl from Barbados seeking to earn money for her sister’s surgery, a determined American man and his wife on a mission to eradicate malaria, and a lonely Panamanian boy yearning for connection. The story masterfully intertwines their journeys, illustrating how their lives intersect and transform amidst the grand endeavor.

Cristina Henriquez excels in crafting relatable and compelling character studies, making the historical setting come alive through their personal stories. This focus on individual experiences enriches the novel, making it not only a captivating piece of historical fiction but also a profound exploration of human resilience and connection. This novel is a must-read for fans of character-driven historical fiction.
I am grateful to Netgalley and the publisher for the audio ARC which I listened to as I was reading(!) in exchange for my honest review.
Full disclosure: I read the ARC which was also provided by netgalley and the publisher and shared this exact same review.

Solid historical fiction. Perfect for summer reading, or for book clubs! Tons of great characters, great setting, and a full story.

Enjoyed it! This story is set in the early 1900s during the construction of the Panama Canal. It follows several characters with different backgrounds and their experiences during the construction. I have never been to Panama but the descriptive writing is immersive and beautiful. This feels like a collection of stories, weaving together at times, about how one historical moment can affect groups of people differently. There are no big twists or cliffhangers. The stories shine on their own. I will be definitely be reading more books by this author.

I listened to the audiobook version and found the narration okay.

Thanks to NetGalley for this copy!

Highly recommend the audiobook version of this book! The readers voice is soothing and sets the tone for this long saga of a story that intertwines with lives that revolve around the Panama Canal. It's historical fiction but really brings to life what life could have been like when they were building the Panama Canal.

Thank you to NetGalley and Harper Publishing for an Advanced Copy of The Great Divide. I was excited to read this story as I found the subject matter, the construction of the Panama Canal and the stories of those that surrounded the historic event, very interesting. The story is well written, but for me, there were WAY too many characters to keep track of. The story doesn't seem to develop and each chapter does not move the story forward. I made it about 60% of the way through the story before I couldn't muster the interest to keep going.

I absolutely loved this story. It is the story of many people whom the author has seamlessly tied together during the building of the Panama Canal. The unifying element is the divide between families, rich and poor, pride and ambition. Though many characters are introduced, they are all important in creating a rich story (even though I could not remember the names of those who only appear briefly). I highly recommend this book.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the advanced audio book

The history of the building of the Panama Canal has been widely explored from many perspectives. The Great Divide delves into this history from the very personal perspectives of individuals involved both in building the canal once the United States took "possession" essentially of the canal project and the country itself, and those Panamanian citizens and immigrants to Panama seeking the economic opportunity working on the canal offered. In presenting these varied perspectives Henriquez highlights a variety of themes; racism, colonialism, social stratification, women fighting for their independence from traditional roles, and the impact on populations experiencing social, cultural and economic upheaval all brought about by political decisions far out of their control. While these topics are disturbing, they are critical to understanding these impacts which though presented in an historical context in this book, one might argue, are all too prevalent in today's headlines.
I found The Great Divide historically informative, as well as engaging in that Henriquez's characters are full blown individuals with whom we can sympathize, cheer on in the hopes they will achieve their goals, and mourn when some die in the attempt.

The narrator did a wonderful job of characterization so that each individual essentially told their own story in a very personal way.

I would strongly recommend this title for purchase by public libraries with a strong historical fiction collection as this is subject matter not often addressed in such a readable/listenable way.

This book was overall solid, but a slight disappointment for me--I learned a bit, but it didn't sparkle. I felt disconnected from the characters and there wasn't a lot of emotion. The plot tensions seemed rapidly resolved at the end, and I wasn't sure what role some of the characters actually served. It certainly did teach me about several walks of life in Panamanian society during this time period and taught me a little about the country's history. I especially appreciated the storyline about protesting a town's displacement due to the building of the canal.

I feel like this book was mostly a story retelling, with little focus on the emotional aspect. The characters could have been more developed, and I would have liked some more building of the setting/descriptive language so I could see the story more in my mind. Not a bad read, but I feel slightly misled by some of the early acclaim and I would probably spend my time elsewhere if I knew more about what the book was actually like.

This book was phenomenal. The way it wove the stories of several characters who were interrelated but not quite connected was fantastic. And I so much enjoyed learning a little bit about the history of the Panama Canal. I went to the internet so many times to read more about the facts portrayed in the book.

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.