The Great Divide Audiobook By Cristina Henriquez cover art

The Great Divide

A Novel

Preview
Try for $0.00
Prime logo Prime members: New to Audible?
Get 2 free audiobooks during trial.
Pick 1 audiobook a month from our unmatched collection.
Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, Originals, and podcasts.
Access exclusive sales and deals.
Premium Plus auto-renews for $14.95/mo after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

The Great Divide

By: Cristina Henriquez
Narrated by: Robin Miles
Try for $0.00

$14.95/month after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Buy for $25.19

Buy for $25.19

Confirm purchase
Pay using card ending in
By confirming your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions of Use, License, and Amazon's Privacy Notice. Taxes where applicable.
Cancel

About this listen

A TODAY Show Read With Jenna Book Club Pick!

A powerful novel about the construction of the Panama Canal, casting light on the unsung people who lived, loved, and labored there

It is said that the canal will be the greatest feat of engineering in history. But first, it must be built. For Francisco, a local fisherman who resents the foreign powers clamoring for a slice of his country, nothing is more upsetting than the decision of his son, Omar, to work as a digger in the excavation zone. But for Omar, whose upbringing was quiet and lonely, this job offers a chance to finally find connection.

Ada Bunting is a bold sixteen-year-old from Barbados who arrives in Panama as a stowaway alongside thousands of other West Indians seeking work. Alone and with no resources, she is determined to find a job that will earn enough money for her ailing sister’s surgery. When she sees a young man—Omar—who has collapsed after a grueling shift, she is the only one who rushes to his aid.

John Oswald has dedicated his life to scientific research and has journeyed to Panama in single-minded pursuit of one goal: eliminating malaria. But now, his wife, Marian, has fallen ill herself, and when he witnesses Ada’s bravery and compassion, he hires her on the spot as a caregiver. This fateful decision sets in motion a sweeping tale of ambition, loyalty, and sacrifice.

Searing and empathetic, The Great Divide explores the intersecting lives of activists, fishmongers, laborers, journalists, neighbors, doctors, and soothsayers—those rarely acknowledged by history even as they carved out its course.

Named a Most Anticipated Book By: Washington Post * Book Riot * Electric Literature * LitHub * ELLE * The Millions * Goodreads * Reader’s Digest

Supplemental enhancement PDF accompanies the audiobook.

PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying PDF will be available in your Audible Library along with the audio.

©2024 Cristina Henriquez (P)2024 HarperCollins Publishers
Genre Fiction Historical Fiction Latino American Sagas United States World Literature Fiction
adbl_web_global_use_to_activate_T1_webcro805_stickypopup
All stars
Most relevant  
Entertaining story of ordinary people living in the extraordinary times of building the Panama Canal. Ms. Henriquez's style reminded me of 100 Years of Solitude - flowing, very descriptive and at time ethereal. Wonderful story, wonderfully written.

In the style of Gabriel Garcia Marquez

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

I really enjoyed the narrative and characters, some story lines felt incomplete but aren't if you pick the right "main characters" missed some opportunity for some poignant moments but it's okay with out them.

great period story, enjoyed multiple story lines, kind of anticlimactic

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

Liked the format and narrative very much! She brought the characters to life. So much history, also.
😊

Great writing!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

The story stopped weird. I want a the story to continue to bring the character stories to completion.

it was a great story.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

It was an enjoyable easy read. I do wish they had tied up some other loose ends though.

Okay

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

This story was well narrated but didn’t delve into the historical event drivers as much as I like. It ended too soft too and didn’t leave with any particular insight or points to ponder.

Interesting but not enough history insight

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

This story is told from the perspective of those who grew and whose paths could not be anticipated based upon the period of time and the behavior intended to control. The book offers a powerful look at resilience and a deep sense of what truly matters. Each character confronts their internal barriers to happiness and chooses to let courage lead them toward their dreams. At its core, this is a story about the power of self-love and the importance of being aware of the outer world without being driven by it.

Living Fully, Loving Freely

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

The details of everyday life and difficulties were amazing. The building of canal with almost all manual labor along with the diseases worker faced left me in awe of this accomplishment. The author intermixed cultural differences along with the diversities of races in Panama in such an entertaining way. The reader was so skilled with accents that every character seemed very real. Great book.

Details of that time period

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

The story is not about the building the Canal. It is complicated with too many characters and back stories that weren’t relevant.

Disappointed

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

Really good book! Love history in a story. Sad the way everyone was treated by the whites in those days. It makes me mad

How Americans are always trying to change the world to their ways

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

See more reviews