4+ stars
“She experienced this forgetting and remembering, this rolling amnesia, as a kind of spiritual atrophy. Each time she returned she had to face the sharpening truth that she could no longer access the simple concept of home. She both belonged and did not belong at all, no matter where she was.”

I’ve never read a novel that so clearly addresses the subject of third culture kids, a sociological phenomenon I learned about when my (then) young family were expats in the late 1990s. The moniker was penned to address those who develop a unique and complex identity, separate from national or cultural boundaries. The addition of a deeply emotional multi generational family story made this a compelling read.

Three plus generations of a growing family centered in Puerto Rico, travel and expand to St. Louis and Palisades, New York in the Hudson Valley. The drama of the late 1960s to the present day may seem predictable at face value but under the surface, secrets and trauma live large.

In our world of growing multiculturalism, this feels like the perfect time to explore the big themes of ethnicity, identity and inclusion and study how it can enrich all our lives.

Narrator Almarie Guerra is outstanding in her portrayal of the voices of vastly different ages and accents, and I will be on the lookout for her performances in the future.


Many thanks to Macmillan Audio and Henry Holt for the advance audio copy in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for an early audiobook edition of “Speak to Me of Home” by Jeanine Cummins, narrated by Almarie Guerra, for an honest review. Almarie is a strong narrator and did a great job with the narration.

This is the ordinary story of families who make mistakes and keep secrets. The story jumps from one time frame to another, describing three generations of strong women, starting with a Puerto Rican woman who marries an Irish American in Puerto Rico and has to move with him to St. Louis, Missouri, as the custom at the time was that the women followed the man. They had two children, one Ruth, the other Benney. Ruth, the other strong woman of the story, marries and has three children, one of whom is Daisy, the third strong woman of the story.

The story tells of the history of Puerto Rico, the racism felt in Puerto Rico for individuals who are not considered full Puerto Rican, because of an American Irish father, and the racism in America for being Puerto Rican. It is not a compelling story, but just a good, normal life story. There is a genealogy test involved, where secrets are revealed. Having recently done my genealogy, where I learned that my grandfather was not my blood grandfather, this story hit home. In this story, there was a living relative to reveal the truth, but I do not have the luxury.

The important thing to take away is that the person who loves you like a parent and/or grandparent is your parent and/or grandparent, and blood DOES NOT change that.

I listened to the audio version of this book narrated by Almarie Guerra. The narration was superb. Her voice is easy to listen to.

I did not read American Dirt, so I had no expectations going into this book. The story is about three generations of women who originally came from Puerto Rico. I had a little trouble keeping up with the back and forth between women and locations. The non-linear timeline might have been easier to keep up with if you were reading it instead of listening to it (?).

The story is about their heritage, their loves, their successes and failures and family expectations. It's also about secrets in the family and things never said.

I feel like I could get more out of this book if I went back and listened to it again or if I read it in print so that flipping back to verify characters and locations was easier. It was probably better than I think at this point.

Thanks to Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for the audio copy. All thoughts are my own.

This is the story of three generations of Puerto Rican women, and how they feel about home. Genetics come into question, when Rafaela and her daughter Ruth both bear children as the product of their marriages to men of Irish decent. They each have children who feel strong ties to their Puerto Rican heritage and when they become adults choose to reside there rather than stay in America.

Even though *technically* Puerto Rico is a United States territory, it is not a state and maintains its own autonomy even though Puerto Ricans hold U.S. citizenship. This was examined from many angles in this book when Peter and Rafaela moved from Puerto Rico to St. Louis, Missouri, she was perceived as a foreigner. And when her granddaughter Daisy, was in a hospital in Puerto Rico and she was not covered by her American health insurance.

I enjoyed learning about the Puerto Rican culture, and I think the narrator, @almarieguerra did a wonderful job with the unique personalities and expressions of the various characters.

Speak to Me of Home is a sweeping family saga that follows three generations of women - mothers and daughters- as they contend with their place in society, issues within their marriages and families, economic ups and downs, and where they fit within their own heritage. I enjoyed the writing style and the beautiful imagery the author employs. I also enjoyed the addition of Puerto Rican culture and history.

The audio narrator did a wonderful job, and I enjoyed her voice. I did struggle following the storyline and characters in places as the timeline alternates between generations as the chapters focus on the different characters. I would have probably done better to read this book with my eyes. I did enjoy it and would recommend it.

Thank you Macmillan Audio, Jeanine Cummins, and Netgalley for the opportunity to review this ALC. What a stunning story of generational trauma, challenges, and overcoming of deep obstacles. The incredible love that was felt in every separate piece of this book within each segmented timeline. The characters, while they didn't always like each other, were so very clearly a loving and caring family. I really enjoyed this book, even the hard parts, and the narration was quite well done as well.

<u><b>Speak to Me of Home</b></u>
Jeanine Cummins
Narrator: Almarie Guerra
Release Date: May 13, 2025

ALC courtesy of Macmillan Audio and NetGalley.

<i>Speak to Me of Home</i>, the latest novel by Jeanine Cummins, author of bestseller<i>American Dirt</i>is a family saga told across the points of view of three generations: Rafaela, her daughter Ruth, and granddaughter Daisy. It is the story of migration and displacement, of belonging, and of what is “home.” The narrative is complex and emotional, although it had a tendency to become predictable, conforming to immigrant tropes. Nonetheless, it is a rich and thought provoking novel of the immigrant experience, particularly relevant in the current political climate, when “home” becomes a carpet that can abruptly be yanked from under the feet of the vocal few.

4 stars
4 stars for the narration

It takes a crisis to bring back together three generations of women who've walked their own winding paths to where they now are in life. The family matriarch Rafaela has found a new lust for life in her twilight years. Her daughter Ruth is slowly loosing the grip she firmly took on her life and business as her children have grown. Then there is Daisy, the child whose accident before a hurricane. Her life is not so dissimilar to her radically different mother's or her grandmother's as she'd assume.

The style in which “Speak to Me of Home” is told in feels at this point like a subgenre all in itself. The book flops from one time frame and perspective to the next. Let me be clear in saying that it is a difficult style to tackle and I applaud those who try it. It can be make or break. For this, I lean towards it not doing many favors.

The book's summary is more forthcoming about the reader's journey than the seeming set up by the text for a family mystery. So, I tried to reorient my expectations. I think that contributed to a lingering disconnect. I would be in middle of a section and my brain would be working on how the tidbits of a secret was relevant as opposed to really digging into the emotion and themes. I can't help but wonder if after a prologue of current day not as much shuffling of timelines or structuring the book in acts would have made a difference.

When my brain wasn't trying to play detective, I was invested. The book tackles the concept of finding one's self, one's place, and how experiences can create vastly different responses to a common denominator. Not just when it comes to being from or of Puerto Rico. Nor personal identity. It extends to the roles society place on us and our relationships to friends and family. It broaches the importance of language in some unexpected ways. It also shows how a core personality trait can manifest differently from person to person. One of the most significant ideas I appreciated is the capacity of one to love. What forms of it do we feel and which are accepted and safe to express? There is so much to be said not only of romantic love but platonic and familial as well.

Not insignificant is how each character navigated the economical shifts in their lives. All see vast changes at least once. There is a matter of resilience in all of the women. But what they chased and how they defined wealth was completely different from woman to woman.

This is a story about connection with yourself, with your loved ones, and with your roots. In one case with your very physical form. If you are passionate about the way women relate to one another, about how a generation's fate is shaped by the past, you will probably fall in love with this novel.

Sadly, for me, this was decent but as a whole not spectacular. Perhaps I've read too many books along these same lines. Maybe it was the formatting. I finished the book feeling that could just be trying too much instead of trusting in its core ideas. I do give it credit for having great character development and a broad variety of viewpoints. In that regard it is phenomenal.

Thank you to partner Macmillan Audio for the free audiobook. All opinions are my own.
4.5 Stars

Beautifully read by Almarie Guerra, she brought the authenticity to the characters. Single narrator speaking for the 3 women of the book. Each character was easily discernible and Ms. Guerra made the book a joy to listen to.

At the heart of it's story, 3 generations of women all questioning their place in terms of home and identity. Strong women that are molded by their culture and time in history face racism and cultural backlash. Not white enough to be white, not brown enough to be Puerto Rican. Not American enough coming from Puerto Rico but too American living in Puerto Rico.

It takes the youngest, Daisy, currently living in Puerto Rico during a potentially catastrophic hurricane that pulls all the women together. Each one's story unfolds that will pull at your heart strings and have you cheering them on.

I remain a huge fan of Jeanine Cummins and will read whatever she puts out. I also look forward to listening to more books narrated by Almarie Guerra.

I'd say SPEAK TO ME OF HOME is a classic historical family epic saga/drama about 3 generations of women from Puerto Rico. It's a story about family roots, heritage, identity, and love.
There are three different timelines and POVs, which, in my opinion, makes the story more dynamic.
I haven't read yet this author's previous novel, so I can't compare these two books, but I will say I enjoyed Cummins' writing and prose here, and I do believe readers who like historical fiction might like this book, too.
I am not from Puerto Rico (even though I am Latin), so I cannot praise or judge how Cummins portraits these characters or the city itself, but I can say I believed in everything I read and I liked it.

I'd recommend this book to any historical fiction (Latin or not) readers out there who are into family saga and dramas.
I listened to the audiobook narrated by Almarie Guerra, whom I have never heard of before, and I LOVED it! She narrates this book perfectly. I was absolutely invested in her narration. Sure, Cummins' writing also helps a lot, but Guerra's narration is stunning. I highly, HIGHLY recommend the audio format for readers who enjoy audiobooks.

Thank you, NetGalley and Macmillan Audio, for allowing me to listen to an advanced audio copy of this novel in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you so much for this advance listening copy. Cummins is an immensely talented author and I enjoyed her prose and descriptions of Puerto Rico. I also love this bright, eye catching cover. I think I expected this to be a more edge of your seat type of book after reading American Dirt. It has a pulse pounding start as we follow Daisy’s accident in the storm, but the bulk of the novel is more of a slower paced family drama, which don’t always appeal to me as a reader. I was a little confused with the switching timelines on audio, but I thought the narrator was excellent.