Loved this novel! What a great work of art and will definitely recommend to everyone I know. This is a multigenerational saga about love, rebellion, socioeconomic class and redemption. It is expansive yet the pages go fast. This is a great debut novel and I'm grateful Netgalley and Little, Brown and Co gave me the chance to read this early!

A really fascinating read, especially now given what all is going on in Venezuela. While the obvious political and historical forces are present, they take a backseat to the very human story that's at the novel's heart, one that will grab you and not let you go until the end.

I can't say enough good things bout this book! I LOVED it! One of the best debut novels I have ever read! This book should be getting a lot of buzz.

Alejandro Puyana’s “Freedom Is a Feast” follows in the great Latin American tradition of multigenerational family sagas. It’s akin to Isabel Allende’s “House of the Spirits” but without the spirits, lending it a weight that’s as epic as it is entirely current. No magic here, just the harsh realism of a hemisphere’s brutal history. For fans of “It Would Be Night in Caracas” by Karina Sainz Borgo.

This is the Latin American “For Whom the Bell Tolls.”

Actual rating 4.5 stars.

Spanning almost fifty decades, Freedom is a Feast is a multigenerational, political story set in Venezuela. It’s full of idealism but also of hurt and trying to survive. It raises questions about how far we’ll go to get a (supposedly) better world.

While reading the prologue, my chest already tightened. Maria and her son Eloy, followers of Hugo Chavez, the president in 2002, live in a poor neighborhood in Caracas. When shooters enter their neighborhood while anti-government protests are underway in the city center, Eloy gets shot.

Then, the story flashes back to 1964 and follows Stanislavo and his ideals. Joining the leftish guerilla, he has to make personal choices that have far-reaching consequences.

Even though Maria and Stanislavo don’t know each other, their lives are inextricably linked.

This book is set in the past, but the themes are so current. I visited Venezuela a long time ago and loved the nature and the people. But I also saw the differences between the gated communities with those immense mansions and the slums where people were trying to survive to have the basics: a house, food on the table, education.

In recent years, we’ve seen a shift to the extreme right in many countries, trying to restrict so many things like abortion or LHBTQ+ rights. But communist countries like China and Cuba aren’t doing any better.

Freedom is a Feast makes you think about how much freedom is worth to you and how much you are willing to give up for a (supposedly) better world.

But this story is also about love. About falling in love, love between a mother and daughter, love between a mother and son. The son I had a soft spot for. Oh Eloy, you made me cry …

The story and the writing impressed me and I hope many people will get to read it!

This book was fantastic. I absolutely loved it. The story was written so well it felt like I was teleported inside the books world. The characters had depth I could really feel what the characters were feeling.

I gave this five stars the way the author weaves the story is amazing. Also the use of actual history in Latino culture is amazing. I do wish it was a bit longer it felt rushed in some parts but I really loved it.