Home Feed
Home
Search
Search
Add Review, Blurb, Quote
Add
Activity
Activity
Profile
Profile
This Is the Only Kingdom
This Is the Only Kingdom | Jaquira Diaz
2 posts | 1 read | 3 to read
LONGLISTED FOR THE CENTER FOR FICTION FIRST NOVEL AWARD - From the Whiting Award-winning author Jaquira Daz, an epic novel of a mother and daughter wrestling with the aftermath of a murder, set against the backdrop of a tightknit, working-class barrio in Puerto Rico. When Maricarmen meets Rey el Cantante, beloved small-time Robin Hood and local musician on the rise, she begins to envision a life beyond the tight-knit community of el Casero, Puerto Rico - beyond cleaning houses, beyond waiting tables, beyond the constant tug of war between the street hustlers and los camarones. But breaking free proves more difficult than she imagined, and she soon finds herself struggling to make a home for herself, for Rey, his young brother Tito, and eventually, their daughter Nena. Until one fateful day changes everything. Fifteen years later, Maricarmen and Nena find themselves in the middle of a murder investigation as the community that once rallied to support Rey turns against them. Now Nena, a teenager haunted by loss and betrayal and exploring her sexual identity, must learn to fight for herself and her family in a world not always welcoming. For lovers of the Neapolitan novels, This is the Only Kingdom is an immersive and moving portrait of a family - and a community - torn apart by generational grief, and a powerful love letter to mothers, daughters, and the barrios that make them.
Amazon Indiebound Barnes and Noble WorldCat Goodreads LibraryThing
Pick icon
100%
review
Amor4Libros
post image
Pickpick

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ #arc Pub Date: 10/21/25

I've been craving a story like this for a while and I finally found it! The story centers around Maricarmen and her daughter, Nena, as they navigate life in a Puerto Rican project.

Maricarmen falls in love with Rey, the neighborhood's resident musician and bad boy. After Rey is murdered, it is up to Maricarmen to make a life for herself, Nena and Rey's brother, Tito.

👇🏽

Amor4Libros This book tore me to pieces, the stories felt at the same time familiar but so very new. This is not a fun read, but these characters have you rooting for them in every page.

Read this!
2w
BarbaraBB Stacking! 2w
Amor4Libros @BarbaraBB YAY! 🤗 2w
Reggie Sounds great. Stacked! 2w
Amor4Libros @Reggie I‘m sure you‘re going to love it! 🤗 1w
42 likes3 stack adds5 comments
blurb
Matilda
post image