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A review by mrpitmansgranddaughter
Let It Rain Coffee by Angie Cruz
4.0
The American dream, tale as old as time. Many millions across the world dream of making a better life for themselves in America. Let it Rain Coffee explores the reality of the American dream for a family from the Dominican Republic. This emotional read paints a realistic picture of the struggle that is the American dream, while also delving into family dynamics, grief and culture.
Cruz writing is perfect for this book, written in third person, she has ensured that each character stands alone with insight into their inner thoughts, never compromising on the depth required to build the readers connection. The splattering of Spanish in the writing brings the book even more to life and mirrors the Spanglish language that has become part of so many American lives. A base knowledge of Spanish might be helpful here but it certainly isn’t required and we could all use a little more Spanish Sass in our lives anyway (looking at you ‘no me digas’).
The final star really can be put down to my own ignorance, but I feel that having known very little about Dominican history I felt I needed a little more context at points. Not enough that I felt totally lost but it certainly would have helped a little with the flow during some of the flashback chapters.
Finally a nod to the ending, I am fussy about endings, but finally finally I have found an ending to a book that is seamless, careful, plenty unsaid and just right.
If you loved In The Heights (watching that gave me the final push I needed to pick this up off my shelf) I highly recommend this, this feels like the cousin with more grit and depth. But with plenty of merengue for good measure.
Cruz writing is perfect for this book, written in third person, she has ensured that each character stands alone with insight into their inner thoughts, never compromising on the depth required to build the readers connection. The splattering of Spanish in the writing brings the book even more to life and mirrors the Spanglish language that has become part of so many American lives. A base knowledge of Spanish might be helpful here but it certainly isn’t required and we could all use a little more Spanish Sass in our lives anyway (looking at you ‘no me digas’).
The final star really can be put down to my own ignorance, but I feel that having known very little about Dominican history I felt I needed a little more context at points. Not enough that I felt totally lost but it certainly would have helped a little with the flow during some of the flashback chapters.
Finally a nod to the ending, I am fussy about endings, but finally finally I have found an ending to a book that is seamless, careful, plenty unsaid and just right.
If you loved In The Heights (watching that gave me the final push I needed to pick this up off my shelf) I highly recommend this, this feels like the cousin with more grit and depth. But with plenty of merengue for good measure.