The Crooked Branch

De: Jeanine Cummins

Narrado por: Aoife McMahon, Patricia Rodriguez

From Jeanine Cummins, the national best-selling author of American Dirt and A Rip in Heaven, comes The Crooked Branch - the deeply moving story of two mothers from two very different times.

After the birth of her daughter, Emma, the usually resilient Majella finds herself feeling isolated and exhausted. Then, at her childhood home in Queens, Majella discovers the diary of her maternal ancestor Ginny - and is shocked to read a story of murder in her family history.

With the famine upon her, Ginny Doyle fled from Ireland to America, but not all of her family made it. What happened during those harrowing years, and why does Ginny call herself a killer? Is Majella genetically fated to be a bad mother, despite the fierce tenderness she feels for her baby?

Determined to uncover the truth of her heritage and her own identity, Majella sets out to explore Ginny's past - and discovers surprising truths about her family and ultimately, herself.

A Macmillan Audio production from Henry Holt and Company

©2013 Jeanine Cummins (P)2020 Macmillan Audio

A book of 2 halves

I have loved American Dirt and Boy Outside, so was so disappointed in this novel. The historical part of the book and the characters were good and engaging. Magellan to me was like nails on a school whiteboard. She was so self obsessed and whiney it was awful!!

Meh

I loved the Ireland storyline but I found Magella to be extremely annoying and whiney.

Genius Work by Ms. Cummins

I didn't think I was going to like this book because I was irritated by Majella: too young, crying baby, whining new mother, yadayadayada. But I loved Majella's Irish great-grandmother and couldn't get enough of her story and the torture endured during the worse time of her life. However, as Ms. Cummins always does, she weaves the lives together, so that, while I didn't love Majella, I grew to understand her plight. And, as in her previous works, especially Outside Boy (God, I didn't want that book to end) I was sorry for this story to also end. I'm now listening to her own personal story (a work of non-fiction) "A Rip in Heaven" and my heart is breaking over the anguish that her family has been through. I'm not done yet, but I literally have started crying listening to the details of a horrific, tragic crime.

Half great!

narration was great. Half of the story was very intriguing and entertaining (the Ireland half) the NY now half was way over descriptive, over dramatic boring and way too melodramatic.

Gripping!!!

Loved how the 2 story lines wove together so well!! A very nice way to combine historical fiction with today.