Tell It To Me Singing

A Novel

De: Tita Ramirez

Narrado por: Yareli Arizmendi, Frankie Corzo

An “utterly unforgettable” (Kevin Wilson, New York Times bestselling author of Nothing to See Here) debut novel about a Cuban American family sent into a tailspin when the ailing matriarch confesses the first of several shocking secrets to her daughter.

Mónica Campo is pregnant with her first child when, moments before being wheeled into emergency heart surgery, her mother confesses a long-held secret: Mónica’s father is not the man who raised her. But when her mother wakes up and begins having delusional episodes, Mónica doesn’t know what to believe—whether the confession was real or just a channeling of the telenovela her mother watches nightly.

In her despair, Mónica wants to speak with only one person: her ex-boyfriend of five years, Manny. She can’t help but worry, though, what this says about her relationship with her fiancé and father of her unborn child.

Mónica’s search for the truth leads her to a new understanding of the past—the early ’80s, when her parents arrived from Cuba on the famous Mariel boatlift, and the tumultuous ’70s, a decade after Castro’s takeover, when some people were still secretly fighting his regime—people like her mother and the man she claims is Mónica’s real father.

Tell It to Me Singing is “so fantastic and funny, so full of life, and so full of genuine heart that, like your favorite binge-worthy show, you'll have trouble pulling yourself away” (Cristina Henríquez, author of The Great Divide). This “rich portrait” (Kirkus Reviews) of a family takes readers from Miami to Cuba to the jungles of Costa Rica and, along the way, explores the question of how and to whom we belong, how a life is built, and how we know we’re home.

Reseñas de la Crítica

"Corzo endears the listener to the stubborn, affectionate Mónica, who treats happiness as a serious matter. Arizmendi reads Mónica's mother’s story; for this character, who is inhabited by ghosts from the past, Arizmendi takes on a calmer yet more fragile tone. The readers’ voices, absorbing struggle and hope, emphasize with a hint of a melodious Cuban accent the authenticity of a heartfelt hunt for truth and harmony. The family history crystallizes in twists and turns, proving life to be more exciting than telenovelas." (Milena Durek)

"Frankie Corzo beautifully narrates most of this audiobook as she portrays 30-year-old Monica Campo, whose world implodes when she finds herself pregnant from a rebound relationship. Corzo aptly infuses her performance with angst. Portraying Monica’s mother, Mirta, Yareli Arizmendi captures a woman in ill health whose long-held secret upends her family, especially Monica. Arizmendi gives the Cuban matriarch the perfect accent and deep pitch. Corzo’s youthful voice conveys the emotional journey Monica goes through as she tries to figure out how to deal with her pregnancy while coping with her mother’s precarious health and delusional ramblings. Arizmendi uses cadence and tone to convey the confusion and desperation Mirta feels as she tries to communicate her secrets to her family while coping with a serious illness."

Too repetitive

I became bored with the repetitive story. It took too long to get to the point.

Best book I've listened to in a long time!

Tell it to me Singing is a rich and wonderful book. The characters are complex and the prose is beautiful. The narrators are wonderful. I simultaneously wanted to find out what happened AND wanted to slow down the book so it wouldn't end. A true joy.