
In the heat of the 1898 Cuban conflict, a spirited young girl named Rita finds herself caught between loyalty to her family and the harsh expectations of a grieving stepmother. As Havana trembles under the threat of war, her aunt—widowed and desperate for order—plots to send Rita to the austere convent of the White Sisters, hoping the strict regime will tame the fire that burns within her. The letter that opens the tale reveals a household fractured by loss, rebellion, and the looming specter of violence.
Rita’s own voice crackles with defiance; she refuses to be silenced by the convent’s looming walls and the promise of shaved heads and rigid discipline. Her love for music, the rebellious chants of Cuban freedom, and a fierce independence make her a reluctant heroine in a world where every choice feels like a battle. Listeners will be drawn into her struggle to preserve her spirit while navigating the dangerous currents of a city on the brink of upheaval.
Language
en
Duration
~3 hours (204K characters)
Publisher of text edition
Project Gutenberg
Credits
Produced by Suzanne Shell, Emmy and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at https://www.pgdp.net
Release date
2008-03-14
Rights
Public domain in the USA.

1850–1943
A prolific American writer, she brought warmth, wit, and imagination to children's books, poems, and biographies. Her long career produced dozens of works and helped make her a familiar literary voice in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
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