A House for Miss Pauline

A Novel

De: Diana McCaulay

Narrado por: Sasha Frost

Starring an unforgettably fierce ninety-nine-year-old Jamaican heroine, this “profound and beautiful novel” transports listeners to the heart of rural Jamaica with a tender and urgent story about who owns the land on which our identities are forged (Julia Alvarez).

When the stones of her house begin to rattle and shift and call out mysterious messages to her in the middle of the night, Pauline Sinclair, age ninety-nine, knows she will not make it to her one-hundredth birthday. She has lived a modest life in Mason Hall, a rural Jamaican village, educating herself with stolen books, raising her two children, surviving by becoming a successful ganja farmers in the area, and experiencing both deep passion and true loss with her beloved baby father, Clive.

Behind this seemingly benign façade, however, Miss Pauline has buried many secrets. To avenge her enslaved ancestors, she has built her house, stone by stone, from the ruins of a plantation on her land. And she knows more than she has told about the disappearance of Turner Buchanan—a white American man who came to Mason Hall decades ago to claim her land. The whispering stones, Miss Pauline realizes, are telling her that she must make peace with the past before she dies.

With help from her American granddaughter, Justine, and Lamont, a teenager she enlists to help her navigate the mysteries of the Internet, she searches for those she has wronged. But as the people and stories of her past come to invade her present, she discovers that there are shocking secrets even she could not have anticipated.

Lyrical, funny, eerie, and profound, infused with the patois and natural beauty of Jamaica, A House for Miss Pauline tells a timely and nuanced story about identity, colonialism, and land—and introduces an unforgettable heroine who is a model for living life on her own terms.

©2025 Diana McCaulay (P)2025 Algonquin Books

Reseñas de la Crítica

"McCaulay’s masterful pacing keep readers turning the pages until the very end. Everything about the novel is charming and engrossing…Richly drawn, powerful characters tug at your heartstrings, bring tears to your eyes, and make you laugh out loud. Above it all, McCaulay’s skillful, impeccable, lyrical prose captivates instantly; readers will revel in every glorious sentence."—Booklist

“As it makes its points about the complex legacy of colonialism and recaps a century of life in rural Jamaica through the eyes of one fierce and enterprising woman, the novel educates and entertains. Alive with the sights, sounds, tastes, and smells of Jamaica.”—Kirkus Reviews

"What begins as one woman's symphony of magic and loss soon unravels, stone by stone, secret by secret, until we're left with nothing less than the brutal, turbulent, wild, and haunted history of Jamaica itself. Miss Pauline is the dazzling heroine of our times, a cypher for uncovering the secrets her world keeps hidden even as she hides her own. The center cannot hold, things fall apart, the past is uprooted, the present holds on by thread, and in the midst of it all is Miss Pauline, strong, conflicted, driven, and remarkable."—Marlon James, Booker Prize–Winning Author of Moon Witch, Spider King

Extraordinary story layers rich in Jamaican history

An uncommon narrative of an elderly woman who attempts to resolve internal conflict and historical wrongs before death. Beautiful visions of Jamaica’s land and culture draw the reader further into the simple complexity of rural life.

Amazing Book!

Awesome historical fiction book.. Narration is well done! Very interesting protagonist and story.You will not be able to pause it!

Elder POV

Enjoyed life perspective by older character. Novel explored concept of Land in creative way.

“There are many different witnesses to life”

All the feels !

I loved the story it hit home and made me think of my own grandma and her journey.

Praises for the Authentic and Consistent Voice(s) of, A House for Miss Pauline

The authenticity and consistency of the author's (as well as the narrator's) voice resonates in, A House for Miss Pauline. The work was interesting and insightful. The story moved at an excellent pace and was iterative in the right ways at the right times. Kudos to the author! I appreciated the personal perspective that was revealed in the Afterword and look forward to reading other works by Diana McCaulay.

Narrator Ruined The Book

Sasha Frost does a horrendous impression of a Jamaican accent!!! For a Jamaican or Caribbean person, listening to her was like hearing nails scratch on a chalkboard. I had to DNF it, returned it and bought a physical copy. Publishers, please hire actual voice actors/ actresses with an authentic accent of the ethnicity depicted in the story.

A Powerful Story, But Missed Opportunity in Voice Casting

A House for Ms. Pauline is a beautifully written and deeply emotional story. It dives into ancestry, land, and legacy, capturing how our roots—both familial and geographic—shape who we are. The characters are well-developed, and the experiences will resonate with anyone from a small or close-knit community. The writing is strong and thoughtful throughout.

However, I was disappointed with the voice acting. The Jamaican dialect is rich and diverse, and unfortunately, the narration didn’t reflect that. It lacked authenticity and nuance, which took away from the immersive power of the story. A book so deeply tied to Jamaican identity deserves Jamaican voices to truly bring it to life.

Still, the story itself is compelling and well worth the listen.