Title: The Mambo Kings Play Songs of Love
Author: Oscar Hijuelos
Publication Date: 1989
Hijuelos' "The Mambo Kings Play Songs of Love" is a touching story of brothers who come from Cuba to the US in search of better lives and the opportunities to play the music they love - mambo. Having seen the movie before reading the book, it was very similar and equally touching and sad. The storyline about the brothers performing on "I Love Lucy" is just as the movies portrays. However, with the book, I found the ending long and drawn out. The story about the older brother, Cesar, after Nestor's death is long and repetitive. While the book did win a Pulitzer Prize, I was not as emotionally satisfied with the book as I was with the movie. It is a great read, and a big part of American and Latin American literature, but perhaps, if I had not seen the movie first, I would have more to say about the book. For those reasons, I say read it, enjoy it, but if you've seen the movie, its an okay read.
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