Speak to Me of Home

A Novel

De: Jeanine Cummins

Narrado por: Almarie Guerra

What does it mean to call a place home?

From #1 New York Times bestselling author Jeanine Cummins comes a deeply felt multigenerational family story

On her wedding day in San Juan, Puerto Rico, in 1968, Rafaela Acuña y Daubón has mild misgivings, but she marries Peter Brennan Jr. anyway in a blaze of romantic optimism. She has no way of knowing how dramatically her life will change when she uproots her young family to start over in the American Midwest, unleashing a fleet of disappointments.

In the 1980s, against the backdrop of her mother’s isolation in St. Louis, Missouri, Rafaela’s daughter, Ruth, wants only to belong. Eager to fit in, Ruth lets go of her language, habits, and childhood memories of Puerto Rico. It’s not until decades later when Ruth’s own daughter, Daisy, returns to San Juan that her mother and grandmother begin to truly reflect on the choices that have come to define their lives.

When a hurricane ravages the island in 2023, leaving Daisy critically injured, Rafaela and Ruth return to the city where their story began. As they gather at Daisy’s bedside, we follow them back into the moments that brought them to this point: We watch as they come of age, fall in love, take risks, and contend with all the heartbreaks, triumphs, and reversals of fortune—both good and bad—that make up a meaningful life. As old memories come to light, so do buried secrets, leaving everyone in the family wondering exactly where it is that they belong.

A striking, resonant examination of marriage, family, and identity, Speak to Me of Home is ultimately a story of mothers and daughters that asks: How can three women who share geography and genetics have such wildly different ideas of where they come from? And, more important, can they discover a common language to find their way back home?

A Macmillan Audio production from Henry Holt & Company.

©2025 Jeanine Cummins (P)2025 Macmillan Audio

Reseñas de la Crítica

“A fine novel. . . . Daisy’s sections are the heart of the novel, dipping into magical realism as her spirit navigates the border between life and death and brings the family to her bedside with triumphant and transcendent love. This commendable return for Cummins comes with a surprise cherry-on-top twist.”
—Booklist

“Engrossing. . . . Cummins succeeds at breathing life into her large cast of characters and excels at depicting the nuances of a mother-daughter relationship.”
—Publishers Weekly

“[A] moving novel.”
—AARP, “Spring’s Top Reads”

“Jeanine Cummins’ Speak To Me Of Home is a masterful love letter to our shared homeland of Puerto Rico, the global diaspora, and every American. Once again, Cummins surveys the depths of the immigrant experience and compassionately examines the push and pull between our individual identity and our ancestral ties. Through three generations of Boricua women, the novel powerfully demonstrates that the greatest inheritance we can pass on is a courageous heart willing to adapt. Speak To Me Of Home is an epic must-read!”
—Sarah McCoy, New York Times, USA Today, and international bestselling author of Whatever Happened to Lori Lovely?

“Jeanine Cummins’ new novel is a beautiful, tender, complex story of origin, displacement, identity, and belonging. Poetically written and brimming with heart, Speak to Me of Home tells of a family’s yearning, through the generations, to find the roots that truly anchor them, the land that calls them home. A most moving and meaningful read.”
—Jennifer Rosner, award-winning author of Once We Were Home and The Yellow Bird Sings

Long Awaited Novel

I listened halfway before I could tell what the book was about. The most importantant thing I learned was of the many types of prejudices in the Puerto Rican community. The strength of the family pulled the story together. I just needed more.

Finding Home Across Cultures and Generations

This motherhood-centered, strongly female, multi-generational novel is a deeply moving and intensely beautiful experience. The lyrical prose and rhythmic cadence evoke a visceral connection that is impossible to ignore. Readers/listeners who identify with women navigating bifurcated identities - across cultures, races, or ethnicities - will find profound resonance within these pages. Similarly, anyone who has grappled with balancing past traumas while raising children, questioning how much to share, withhold, or expose, will discover a kindred spirit in this narrative.

Almarie Guerra's narration on the audio version is absolute perfection. Her vocal timbre -- sweet, clear, and imbued with a deep knowledge of Borikén -- is mesmerizing. The pronunciation choices she makes of English-accented vs. Spanish-accented vs. actual Spanish is true to character every time. Her ability to embody each character through nuanced inflection and palpable connection draws the listener even closer to the emotional core of the story.

This novel illuminates the profound value of trust, family, and honesty. While the heartbreaks and pain depicted are devastating, they ultimately give way to a splendor as breathtaking as the most beautiful island beach sunset.

I highly recommend this book, and particularly, the audio-version.

Multi Generational Epic Novel

Moving story of multi generational - relatable, highly recommend this author. Also enjoyed her American Dirt novel. You will enjoy!

I enjoyed the story. It was good but slower paced and not as wonderful as American Dirt.

It was a bit slower paced. Overall I did like it. I finished the book. It just didn’t fully grab me as much as American Dirt or other favorites.

Hard to follow

It started out confusing but Slow & continued to be hard to follow until the end. It was actually very boring

Disappointing

I loved several of Ms. Cummins books, especially "The Outside Boy". So I was surprised that this novel seemed charmless and flat. Dialogue seemed cliche. Where was the wit and depth of her other novels? Please come back! She is one of my favorite writers.

Disappointing

American Dirt was great, so I had high expectations. Sadly, I didn't connect with this book. I probably got through a third of it and then gave up.