I picked up this book while in Havana myself, and I think it helped me visualize the story a bit better.
Although a lot of time has past since the book was written, I feel a lot of the athmosphere is still here and I could easily imagine the old man in his village.

The book is written in such a flow that you breeze through it. And I liked the story a lot.
The old man lives his life by his own values, and I can respect that. You could say he's a bit too stubborn and should have given up multiple times in the book, but then again, as an old man, fishing seems all that he has left. So kuddo's to him for sticking his stubborn ground.

But I love his positive attitude towards life:
~ But every day is a new day! Maybe today his luck would change! ~