Jeanine Cummins

SPEAK TO ME OF HOME is women’s fiction, not usually my fare. Rafaela (Rafa), Ruth, Daisy—three women, three generations within one family’s history. The storyline unfolds in the women’s three distinct third-person POVs, though so skillfully crafted that it holds the reader's interest while giving each character's account. The novel opens with one of those life-changing-event phone calls, and it’s not the only jarring life-changing telephone call the plot possesses. I like the show more manner in which each woman’s backstory is presented, giving a sense of undergoing each character's generational experience in real-time. It’s intricately paced, allowing one to feel engaged with each woman’s unique experiences. Grandmother, Rafaela, her daughter Ruth, both immigrants to America, and granddaughter, Daisy, who is America-born but hopes to make a life for herself in Puerto Rico. As a throwback to books of the past, there’s even a map of San Juan, Puerto Rico in the front, plus a drawn family-tree graphic included for reference. A novel to savor and consume at a slower pace, although the storyline advances adequately with the hook centered around DNA results. So, does one woman in the family keep a years-long secret to be revealed? And will Daisy settle in Puerta Rico where she has vacationed most summers with relocation now becoming her fervent wish? This book is at-times a laugh-out-loud entertainment with its generational tension. It's such a totally compelling read and highly recommended by this reader. show less

Speak to Me of Home is a family saga that follows three generations of Puerto Rican women: Rafaela Acuña y Daubón, the matriarch, born in Puerto Rico, daughter Ruth, and granddaughter Daisy. The storyline involves a move to the American Midwest, return to Puerto Rico, and the unpacking of long-buried family secrets. It explores themes of belonging, cultural displacement, and what it means to call a place home. It examines the immigrant experience and the push and pull between individual show more identity and ancestral ties. The author draws on her own heritage in developing her Puerto Rican and Irish characters. It is structured in three timelines that move backward and forward to provide piecemeal information, which all comes together in the final pages. Personally, I would have preferred longer segments in each timeline, since I tend to favor a more flowing narrative, but this is a minor complaint. I did not read the author’s debut, so I did not know what to expect and I am pleased to say I enjoyed this story very much. show less

After the birth of her daughter, Emma, first-time mother Majella finds herself feeling extremely strange - almost like she has somehow become separated or disconnected from herself and her family. The usually resilient and self-deprecating young woman suddenly feels isolated and exhausted - feelings which she slowly comes to realize reach far beyond simply being overwhelmed by her recent introduction to new motherhood. Trying to better understand her extraordinary feelings of 'differential show more otherness', Majella understands that no matter how much they may love her, her family just can't help her in this particular situation; so she seeks out professional help.

Late one night, while investigating the source of a strange sound up in her attic, Majella discovers the diary of her maternal ancestor - Ginny Doyle. While it is encouraging for Majella to find Ginny's diary - and to again feel the spark of a connection toward this tough and determined woman, Majella is nevertheless shocked to read a story of murder in her family history. Disturbed to think that she may be genetically predisposed to acts of violence herself, Majella sets out to explore Ginny's past.

With the ravages of the famine upon her, a terrified and distraught Ginny Doyle fled from Ireland to America. Although she was eventually able to acquire passage for herself and her children, not all of Ginny's family were able to escape and to start over fresh in their lives. So, what actually happened during those harrowing years, and just why does Ginny continue to call herself a killer?

Despite the centuries that separate them, Majella is heartened to learn that her ancestor Ginny was in so many ways a woman just like herself - just a mother struggling to find a way to raise and protect her young children. Ginny's battles may have been more fundamental than Majella's - as she struggled to keep her young family alive during the time of Ireland's Great Hunger - yet Majella can't deny the strong connection that she still feels towards Ginny. However, does the fierce tenderness that Majella begins to feel towards her newborn daughter outweigh everything else - or is she actually genetically fated to be a bad mother? Determined to understand the truth of her heritage as well as her own identity, Majella seeks to learn more about Ginny Doyle's personal history - and discovers surprising new truths about her family and, ultimately, about herself.

I must say that I absolutely loved this book. In my opinion, it was just a wonderful book; beautifully written and seamlessly woven together. Both Ginny's and Majella's stories were equally compelling for me to read, despite the centuries that separated both women. I'm definitely putting Ms. Cummins' name at the top of my wishlist, and I would certainly give this book an A+! show less

I'll be honest, I probably wouldn't have given this book a second glance--I haven't seen any physical copies of it at the library yet, and I don't know anyone personally who has read it. But I saw an article about it, then another and another and another. There is quite a controversy surrounding this book, and, frankly, that's what motivated me to give this a listen. I wanted to be informed, should I end up having people ask me about it.

I'm not going to get involved in discussion about the show more controversy. I see where people are coming from, but I just want to write my own opinion of this book:

I LOVED it! This is one of those books I couldn't stop listening to--I stayed in my car longer than necessary to listen to it, I put it on while getting ready in the morning, I listened to it by the computer in the evening, I even worked out a couple extra times so I could listen to it rather than listening to the usual classic rock I play while working out!

I really felt like Cummins hit the nail on the head with her descriptions of what it's like to be a mother, when you do everything that you do for the sake of your child. I felt her protagonist's pain and fear and anxiety over their situation. This book hit me where I live, over and over again! I really enjoyed the writing and felt the story was incredible!!!

One minor issue for me: the reader would occasionally mispronounce the name of one of the characters. The son of the protagonist is Luca, and there were a number of times when the possessive tense of Luca was actually read as "Lucas's", rather than "Luca's". I knew what it was supposed to be, so not a huge deal--but I did find it distracting. Still a FIVE STAR book to me! show less