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marinaemoore's review
5.0
*I received a copy of this book in a goodreads giveaway in exchange for a fair review*
This book is breathtaking, raw and beautifully written.
Patsy, a young Jamaican mother, dreams of going to America and reuniting with her lover, Cicely. When Patsy finally gets to America, she realizes that the American dream might not be all it’s cracked up to be.
This book touches on the themes of motherhood, immigration, love, and womanhood in a refreshingly honest way.
This book is breathtaking, raw and beautifully written.
Patsy, a young Jamaican mother, dreams of going to America and reuniting with her lover, Cicely. When Patsy finally gets to America, she realizes that the American dream might not be all it’s cracked up to be.
This book touches on the themes of motherhood, immigration, love, and womanhood in a refreshingly honest way.
book_concierge's review
4.0
Book on CD narrated by Sharon Gordon.
This novel follows Patsy, a young Jamaican mother of a 5-year-old girl, Tru, as she makes her way to America and tries to find a better life for herself. However, in order to find herself and achieve her potential, she must leave her daughter back in Jamaica, in the care of her father, a man Patsy never married, and with whom she’s had little contact. But leaving Tru with Roy is much better than leaving her with Patsy’s mother, Mamma G, a woman who has given all her pension to the Church hoping that Jesus will save her.
This story is in turns heartbreaking and inspiring. I applaud Patsy’s determination, courage, inventiveness and work ethic, but have difficulty forgiving her for leaving her child in Jamaica. Her guilt at this no-win choice is palpable and heart-wrenching. Her inability to deal with the very real results of her decision made me want to shake her. And then, I would feel so sorry for her – for the difficulty she faced when her dream was proved to be just that, a dream with no real basis in reality, for her struggles to survive, to find housing and work, for her misguided attempts to find even a little happiness and a sense of self-worth.
Dennis-Benn alternates points of view giving the reader insight into Tru’s life back in Jamaica. Her inability to understand how her mother could leave her, the sliver of hope a Christmas card conveys, and the defeat she feels when she finally accepts that her mother is not coming back. , My heart breaks over and over for Tru as she grows to her teens and hides her pain and sense of responsibility for her mother’s decisions.
But lest you think this is a depressing story, be aware that I loved these characters, even though I didn’t always like them. Despite all the hardship, all the bad decisions and failures to communicate, ultimately there is some triumph and some sense of hope.
Sharon Gordon does a marvelous job of voicing the audiobook. Dennis-Benn uses a vernacular patois dialogue in much of the book, and I found it difficult to make out the sense in those few sections that I chose to read in text format. Gordon’s performance made it easier for me to absorb and understand those lilting Jamaican accents. She really brought these characters to life for me.
This novel follows Patsy, a young Jamaican mother of a 5-year-old girl, Tru, as she makes her way to America and tries to find a better life for herself. However, in order to find herself and achieve her potential, she must leave her daughter back in Jamaica, in the care of her father, a man Patsy never married, and with whom she’s had little contact. But leaving Tru with Roy is much better than leaving her with Patsy’s mother, Mamma G, a woman who has given all her pension to the Church hoping that Jesus will save her.
This story is in turns heartbreaking and inspiring. I applaud Patsy’s determination, courage, inventiveness and work ethic, but have difficulty forgiving her for leaving her child in Jamaica. Her guilt at this no-win choice is palpable and heart-wrenching. Her inability to deal with the very real results of her decision made me want to shake her. And then, I would feel so sorry for her – for the difficulty she faced when her dream was proved to be just that, a dream with no real basis in reality, for her struggles to survive, to find housing and work, for her misguided attempts to find even a little happiness and a sense of self-worth.
Dennis-Benn alternates points of view giving the reader insight into Tru’s life back in Jamaica. Her inability to understand how her mother could leave her, the sliver of hope a Christmas card conveys, and the defeat she feels when she finally accepts that her mother is not coming back. , My heart breaks over and over for Tru as she grows to her teens and hides her pain and sense of responsibility for her mother’s decisions.
But lest you think this is a depressing story, be aware that I loved these characters, even though I didn’t always like them. Despite all the hardship, all the bad decisions and failures to communicate, ultimately there is some triumph and some sense of hope.
Sharon Gordon does a marvelous job of voicing the audiobook. Dennis-Benn uses a vernacular patois dialogue in much of the book, and I found it difficult to make out the sense in those few sections that I chose to read in text format. Gordon’s performance made it easier for me to absorb and understand those lilting Jamaican accents. She really brought these characters to life for me.
bibliothalia's review
challenging
emotional
hopeful
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
joannemiro1948's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
abrooklynbookshelf's review against another edition
3.0
as a queer jamaican who spends a lot of time thinking about mother/daughter relationships, i wanted to love this book so much. it’s a book i’ve been excited about for so long, but unfortunately i found that i just wasn’t excited while reading it. it often felt cheesy, a little melodramatic, and too long. by the end, i was kind of just waiting for it to be over.
while reading patsy, i was always so cognizant of the fact that i was reading a story, a work of fiction. it felt like there was so much exposition, so much tell and not much show. i didn’t feel like the relationships had any depth or were believeable. everything felt very surface level, and even major moments were passed over in one paragraph or a matter of pages. i went in so ready to fall into a story and found that it kept me at arm’s length the entire time.
i did think a lot about the patois while i was reading. i do wonder what about the experience of this book is different for someone who is not familiar with patois, and if that changes the perception of what the relationships between characters feels like. i also wondered a lot about how i subconsciously experienced this book as someone for whom patois is a very familiar language, but while also recognizing that this is actually the first time i’ve ever extensively read anything in patois.
patsy had so much potential, and i think if it had gone deeper rather than stretching wider it would have been so much more successful. glad i read it, but more than a bit sad about my feelings toward it.
while reading patsy, i was always so cognizant of the fact that i was reading a story, a work of fiction. it felt like there was so much exposition, so much tell and not much show. i didn’t feel like the relationships had any depth or were believeable. everything felt very surface level, and even major moments were passed over in one paragraph or a matter of pages. i went in so ready to fall into a story and found that it kept me at arm’s length the entire time.
i did think a lot about the patois while i was reading. i do wonder what about the experience of this book is different for someone who is not familiar with patois, and if that changes the perception of what the relationships between characters feels like. i also wondered a lot about how i subconsciously experienced this book as someone for whom patois is a very familiar language, but while also recognizing that this is actually the first time i’ve ever extensively read anything in patois.
patsy had so much potential, and i think if it had gone deeper rather than stretching wider it would have been so much more successful. glad i read it, but more than a bit sad about my feelings toward it.
nefariousbee's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
informative
reflective
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
this was such a surprise. I picked it almost randomly for a reading challenge and it grabbed me by the heart and squeezed until my chest hurt before I could realize what was happening.
I ugly cried. I relate to Patsy and Cicely's story and seeing the culmination broke something in me. my heart doesn't let go either. and this was a very painful reminder of that.
above all, this books is so honest about so many *ugly* things. the reality of being undocumented, the illusion of ingrained motherhood, the social pressure on queerness. I appreciate the book for all of that so much.
it's not an easy read, but it's one that stays with you.
I ugly cried. I relate to Patsy and Cicely's story and seeing the culmination broke something in me. my heart doesn't let go either. and this was a very painful reminder of that.
above all, this books is so honest about so many *ugly* things. the reality of being undocumented, the illusion of ingrained motherhood, the social pressure on queerness. I appreciate the book for all of that so much.
it's not an easy read, but it's one that stays with you.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body shaming, Fatphobia, Homophobia, Mental illness, Self harm, Pedophilia, Blood, Racial slurs, Transphobia, Abandonment, Classism, Death, Lesbophobia, Miscarriage, Pregnancy, Racism, Rape, Religious bigotry, and Misogyny
Moderate: Sexual assault, Physical abuse, Blood, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Infidelity, Injury/Injury detail, Violence, Suicide attempt, Suicide, and Sexual content
Minor: Adult/minor relationship, Death of parent, Deportation, Drug use, Gun violence, and Police brutality
yikesbmg's review
3.0
This is a book about black, young, queer women; intergenerational mommy issues; immigration and undocumented status; and poverty and the dignity of work. It’s mostly a story about character development and goes deep into Patsy and her daughter Tru. The last few pages are when most conflict comes to a head: I wish it was earlier. I liked it but didn’t love, and it probably won’t be memorable enough to recommend to a friend in a few weeks or months.
heathero621's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
This book is about Patsy, a young Jamaican woman that is going to the US to follow her friend, but when she gets to the US, it isn't anything like how she expected. The book also follows her daughter Tru growing up in Jamaica without her mother.
I listened to the audiobook and I liked the narrator and her accent that I think really added to the book. The parts that I didn't like about the audiobook is that sometimes you could tell when they had stopped and restarted the production. The volume would be different or the tone a little off from what it was. It was a little distracting. It is also read really slow and I had to increase the speed to 2.15-2.3, which is usually too fast for me! Onto the book! I thought that this book should've been edited down. There were too many parts for me that were a bit boring and slow moving. I would find my mind wandering a lot during the book and would have to rewind and listen again. I did think that a lot of the story was interesting and I liked getting to know Patsy and Tru's characters.
I listened to the audiobook and I liked the narrator and her accent that I think really added to the book. The parts that I didn't like about the audiobook is that sometimes you could tell when they had stopped and restarted the production. The volume would be different or the tone a little off from what it was. It was a little distracting. It is also read really slow and I had to increase the speed to 2.15-2.3, which is usually too fast for me! Onto the book! I thought that this book should've been edited down. There were too many parts for me that were a bit boring and slow moving. I would find my mind wandering a lot during the book and would have to rewind and listen again. I did think that a lot of the story was interesting and I liked getting to know Patsy and Tru's characters.
lsparrow's review
4.0
I enjoyed this story of love, parenthood, finding oneself. It is not an easy story covering heartbreak, childhood trauma, undocumented immigration, poverty, self harm.
A young women leaves her daughter behind and travels to New York following her childhood best friend/love.
A beautiful story and although I am so glad to no longer have said endings to all the lgbt stories I did feel that everything tied up a little too neatly.
A young women leaves her daughter behind and travels to New York following her childhood best friend/love.
A beautiful story and although I am so glad to no longer have said endings to all the lgbt stories I did feel that everything tied up a little too neatly.