Halsey Street

By: Naima Coster

Narrated by: Bahni Turpin

A modern-day story of family, loss, and renewal, Halsey Street captures the deeply human need to belong—not only to a place but to one another.

Penelope Grand has scrapped her failed career as an artist in Pittsburgh and moved back to Brooklyn to keep an eye on her ailing father. She's accepted that her future won't be what she'd dreamed, but now, as gentrification has completely reshaped her old neighborhood, even her past is unrecognizable. Old haunts have been razed, and wealthy white strangers have replaced every familiar face in Bed-Stuy. Even her mother, Mirella, has abandoned the family to reclaim her roots in the Dominican Republic. That took courage. It's also unforgivable.

When Penelope moves into the attic apartment of the affluent Harpers, she thinks she's found a semblance of family—and maybe even love. But her world is upended again when she receives a postcard from Mirella asking for reconciliation. As old wounds are reopened, and secrets revealed, a journey across an ocean of sacrifice and self-discovery begins.

An engrossing debut, Halsey Street shifts between the perspectives of these two captivating, troubled women. Mirella has one last chance to win back the heart of the daughter she'd lost long before leaving New York, and for Penelope, it's time to break free of the hold of the past and start navigating her own life.

©2018 Naima Coster (P)2018 Brilliance Publishing, Inc., all rights reserved.

Critic reviews

"Narrator Bahni Turpin's performance is gorgeous. Her voice has a texture that suits the nuances of the novel's plot: easy enough to absorb but with a depth and grittiness that make it interesting and real.... Well-written and beautifully read, Halsey Street is worth a stroll." (AudioFile)

Melancólica

Duro de escuchar pero emocionante en varios capítulos, muy humano y muchos temas explorados durante el relato

struggled to finish

great narration...however the climax was uneventful. written beautifully...felt like I was there. However, the characters were a bit too whinny about their issues for my tastes. Made their problems bigger than what it was.

Good

The narrator was awesome! She brought every character to life! I wasn't expecting the ending however.

Hard to love characters brilliantly written

Coster has created a masterpiece that tests our human capabilities for empathy. The characters are so flawed and broken that I wanted to hug them and shake them at the same time. The underlying themes of family, duty, gentrification, and community were intricately woven. This is a tough but beautiful story that Bahni brings to life expertly as she always does.

Hard to like...

Bahni Turpin was amazing as always. Her narration made this a worthwhile purchase. the story, however, seemed unfinished. Penelope was hard to like...hard to feel sympathy for a girl like her. On the other hand, she has a difficult upbringing which seemed destined because her parents had never been "parented" themselves. I'd recommend because it's an interesting an complex story. Just wish there was more of a redemption for Penelope in the end.

I need a different ending

The main character ,Penelope was all over the place.. Do she love her mother, do she hate her, do she blame her mother. Penelope was classic example of love them when you have a chance.

not how you pronouce RISD

enjoyed. really hard to listen to the reader pronouce RISD wrong over and over. oh well

NY DR culture assimilation

A character study of (fictional) people, Dominican Republic (DR) culture and NY DR culture assimilation. I couldn’t identify with any of the characters, but I felt I understood what the author had eloquently described. The main character, Penelope, is so painful to understand, and I knew very early on the author wanted her readers to dislike Penny but draw empathy for her at the same time. So success, I hated Penny but I found myself trying to empathize with her problems through her life lens.

Not an easy or effortless read but if you want something to chew on mentally, then this might be the book for you.

Excellent read

I struggled through various areas of this story. I felt the pace was often very slow. it was draining emotionally with the mother/daughter relationship. But it was cautionary tale about the inability to forgive, as well as mother's who really aren't emotionally and spiritually prepared to be mothers and often wives. They leave broken, damaged children in the world.

Naima Coster takes me back to MY old neighborhood

Endearing story. Beautifully written. Expertly narrated. Bahni Turpin breathes life into Naima Coster's characters. This story took me back to a place I once knew. I enjoyed my visit to Halsey Street.