The mambo king is as smooth as the music he and his melancholic brother Nestor play. Picking up women, jobs, and friends everywhere he goes, Cesar becomes famous through the mambo scene. The book does a wonderful job of relating his successes, his regrets, his ghosts, and eventually the old Cesar that time and grief has worn down. Oscar Hijuelos created very vibrant characters- so real you could smell the plantains frying in the kitchen as they talked about life. Wonderfully alive descriptions keep you right in the moment and keep you turning pages.