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Caridad Piñeiro’s multigenerational saga about the Cuban experience is a lovely and well-told slice of women’s fiction that gives us the life stories of three wholly different women who each experience what it’s like to be biracial in the modern world. It struck a deep chord with me, a personal one, but had some flaws that kept it from A territory.
Jessica Russo is a first generation half-Cuban-American whose mother Lara refuses to discuss her Latina background or roots; as far as she’s concerned Jessica is as Italian as Lara’s husband, Sal. When Carmen, Jessica’s maternal grandmother, offers to spirit her away to Miami to connect to and meet her mother’s extended family and heal old family rifts, Jessica says yes.
Carmen is warm, successful, strong-willed and yearning to tell Jessica about her own youth as well as that of her mother. Bit by bit, she reveals her past – and Lara’s. Old family secrets come to light as Jessica’s vacation stretches onward – what happened to Carlos, Lara’s father and Carmen’s husband, who was heavily involved with the Civic Resistance. Why Lara cut off all contact with her mother and her family, including her sisters Gloria and Anna, and let the estrangement linger between all of them for thirty years. Meanwhile, Jessica begins to fall in love with her grandmother’s assistant, Luis, and he with her. Can a mother and child reunion be achieved?
Through the eyes of Carmen, Luis, Jessica and Lara, we come to understand what it’s like to be Cuban, what it is to be American. I liked all of the narrators, but the book might have been a bit tighter had Luis not been given narrative chapters and things remained honed in on Jessica/Lara/Carmen. And I know this is an odd thing to say while reviewing this book for a romance site, but the Luis/Jessica love story feels a little bit syrupy and low-conflict. Their love and passion for one another is a sweet respite from the book’s family drama, but sometimes it distracts from Carmen, Lara and Jessica’s story, which naturally underpins the book. I liked slightly thornier relationship between Sal and Lara better.
The pressure of assimilation – or choosing not to assimilate – into white culture is beautifully handled. Sal and Jessica love Lara but don’t understand what it’s like to make oneself smaller to be accepted and move ahead. I found her story the most moving of the three presented here, and was happy to watch her reunite with a deferred dream she left behind along the way. I related deeply to Lara.
The Family She Never Met is a richly woven and emotional family saga with a pretty happy ending. It’s a lovely book that’s a quick read and an enjoyable piece of work.
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Grade: B+
Book Type: Women's Fiction
Sensuality: Kisses
Review Date: 07/02/22
Publication Date: 02/2022
Recent Comments …
Yep
This sounds delightful! I’m grabbing it, thanks
excellent book: interesting, funny dialogs, deep understanding of each character, interesting secondary characters, and also sexy.
I don’t think anyone expects you to post UK prices – it’s just a shame that such a great sale…
I’m sorry about that. We don’t have any way to post British prices as an American based site.
I have several of her books on my TBR and after reading this am moving them up the pile.
You’ve sold me on it :-) Bought my copy just now and looking forward to reading it.
Excellent! Let me know how you liked it!