As nearly every review states, this book definitely has a lot of characters to keep track of. I think my recommendation of this book will depend on the type of pacing a reader prefers (needs to be slow), as well as their attention span (takes a lot of focus). I started listening to this book during a pretty busy time in my life, and that made it difficult for me to give the book the full focus that it neede, even though the audio was done really well, and the narrator has a very easy voice to listen to, even adding accents to certain characters who would have been speaking English as a second language. Nonetheless, I relistened to many portions because I just kept getting confused on who each character was and what their role was in the story. But I kept trying because really is well written, with tons of wonderful detail, and I didn’t want to miss anything. With the many developing stories (some that overlap and some that do not) and slow pacing, I was about 60% into the book before I fully grasped and was invested in all of the characters. After that I really kept thinking the characters were going to come together in a more climactic way, but that doesn’t happen. The ending was a bit of a let down, to have invested so much time in a story without really having anything happen. The building of the Panama Canal was such a pivotal point in history for people across many nations, with positive and negative effects, and although the story touches on many points of view during that time, it never really hones in on anything or shows conflict and/or resolution. Overall, it was a 3-star read for me, but I would still recommend it to anyone who enjoys a well-written, slow paced fictional book that gives a snapshot of a point in history. Thank you to NetGalley and Harper Audio for the audio ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Fantastic. While there are a variety of characters to focus on, the narrator gives each a distinguishing tone. Historical fiction for people who are left wanting even more nuance after reading the likes of Kristin Hannah and Chris Bohjalian. While some of the set-up takes extra time, Henriquez effectively develops characters with depth, which will resonate with readers of historical and literary fiction.

A complex, nuanced tale, and an authorial undertaking to rival its subject. Henríquez takes readers on a journey that is winding, heartbreaking, surprising, and beautiful, challenging the stereotypes and assumptions we make, especially about those closest to us. I wish publishers picked up more books like this, the ones that aren’t in a hurry, that challenge the current trends in story telling and instead succeed at something timeless and important.

This story is about one of the biggest feats of humankind. It begins by introducing multiple characters, all different, but who all share in common one thing-- the building of the Panama Canal.

I LOVE the narrator of this book, and I loved the story taking place around the building of the Panama Canal (such a neat idea)... but! I this will be a "did not finish" for me. I see that people loved it! But I couldn't get behind the story. The characters felt like tropes and I lost interest. I've got the book downloaded so I may give it another shot. Not for me BUT as a bookseller I know there are others who would love this story: I would recommend this to people who enjoy historical fiction, female leads, hardworking characters, and who might like a scene of green grass and a blue sky and a crisp picnic blanket and bugs buzzing around-- pleasant people.

Thank you NetGalley for providing this title to us.

Thank you to NetGalley for the advanced eaudio of The Great Divide by Cristina Henriquez.

Unfortunately, I did not like the narrator on this. For some reason the voice just didn't match the characters and sweeping story for me. Henriquez is a talented author and I look forward to reading this book in print to get the true beauty of the language and story.

As someone who didn't know much about the Panama Canal before listening to this audiobook, I found myself completely intrigued and mesmerized by Cristina Henriquez's storytelling. There is a large cast of characters in The Great Divide and I do think this overwhelmed me a bit. But I also understand why Henriquez wanted to include each of their stories and she does a masterful job at weaving everything together.

We all know what the Panama Canal is, but how many of us know what went into building the engineering feat it ended up being? This novel of historical fiction highlights the variety of people who lived and who came to Panama during this time. Omar is a young digger in the excavation whose father is disappointed by his decision to help build it. Ada is a young girl who comes over from the Barbados to try to earn money to help her sick sister back home. John Oswald is a scientific researcher who comes to Panama with his wife to work on the eradication of malaria. But then his wife gets malaria. Each of these characters is connected to each other in the novel and we also get stories of their families and their histories.

Ada's story was the most intriguing to me, but I truly enjoyed this beautifully written book as a whole.

I have discovered that I enjoy historical fiction books, I really enjoyed this book. I became so entranced with the history side of the story, I made various google searches. Very well researched book. The fictional narrative was tied to the history in a coherent way. Loved how all the characters story came together at the end.

5 stars

After listening to this fantastic audiobook for many enjoyable hours (nearly straight through), I am not divided at all in my opinion of this; it's gripping. Henriquez's _The Book of Unknown Americans_ made a real impact on me, and while I tried to moderate my expectations coming into this one, it wasn't necessary. While this is a different feeling book in every way, it's riveting for entirely different reasons.

Reading historical fiction that features characters, events, and locations that are new or only vaguely familiar to me is an absolute gift, and I really got that here. On top of the engaging historical setting and framing, the characters are easy to get invested in, which is important, because there are several to track. Strikingly, it's not the long-term plot lines that really makes them standout, but the small, intimate moments, thoughts, and interactions readers get to observe. There is so much humanity packed into an extremely ambitious big picture.

This is my second Henriquez book, and I continue to find her writing expansive and meaningful. I can't wait to read more of anything she produces.