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The Crooked Branch
From the national bestselling and highly acclaimed author of The Outside Boy comes the deeply moving story of two mothers—witty, self-deprecating Majella, who is shocked by her entry into motherhood in modern-day New York, and her ancestor, tough and terrified Ginny Doyle, whose battles are more fundamental: she must keep her young family alive during Ireland’s Great Famine.
After the birth of her daughter Emma, the usually resilient Majella finds herself feeling isolated and exhausted. Then, at her childhood home in Queens, Majella discovers the diary of her maternal ancestor Ginny—and is shocked to read a story of murder in her family history.
With the famine upon her, Ginny Doyle fled from Ireland to America, but not all of her family made it. What happened during those harrowing years, and why does Ginny call herself a killer? Is Majella genetically fated to be a bad mother, despite the fierce tenderness she feels for her baby? Determined to uncover the truth of her heritage and her own identity, Majella sets out to explore Ginny’s past—and discovers surprising truths about her family and ultimately, herself.
After the birth of her daughter Emma, the usually resilient Majella finds herself feeling isolated and exhausted. Then, at her childhood home in Queens, Majella discovers the diary of her maternal ancestor Ginny—and is shocked to read a story of murder in her family history.
With the famine upon her, Ginny Doyle fled from Ireland to America, but not all of her family made it. What happened during those harrowing years, and why does Ginny call herself a killer? Is Majella genetically fated to be a bad mother, despite the fierce tenderness she feels for her baby? Determined to uncover the truth of her heritage and her own identity, Majella sets out to explore Ginny’s past—and discovers surprising truths about her family and ultimately, herself.
400 pages, Paperback
First published March 5, 2013
606 people are currently reading
10863 people want to read
About the author
Jeanine Cummins
14 books6,262 followersJeanine Cummins is the author of four books: the bestselling memoir A Rip in Heaven, and the novels The Outside Boy, The Crooked Branch, and American Dirt. She lives in New York with her husband and two children.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 567 reviews
January 23, 2023
I am a huge fan of Jeanine Cummins and gave five-star ratings to her other books, A Rip in Heaven and American Dirt. I think she's a fabulous author, so I eagerly began listening to The Crooked Branch.
There are many, many great reviews about The Crooked Branch and I strongly encourage readers to read those reviews.
I struggled with the book and it was a DNF for me. Some of it might be due to my personal experience with very serious pregnancy complications---the early scenes of the protagonist's 27-hour labor were tough to listen to but I made it through it. When she became whiney later on in the story, I had to give it up.
I will read Cummins other book, The Outside Boy, because I believe in her as an author.
There are many, many great reviews about The Crooked Branch and I strongly encourage readers to read those reviews.
I struggled with the book and it was a DNF for me. Some of it might be due to my personal experience with very serious pregnancy complications---the early scenes of the protagonist's 27-hour labor were tough to listen to but I made it through it. When she became whiney later on in the story, I had to give it up.
I will read Cummins other book, The Outside Boy, because I believe in her as an author.
August 11, 2015
In present day New York, Majella is having a rough time adjusting to life with her newborn baby believing she is truly going crazy. With no help from her erratic absent mother, she imagines dark thoughts of mayhem, hears strange noises and worries about her even crazier neighbor with baby twins......And, when she stumbles across an old clothbound diary in the attic written by an ancestor (Ginny Doyle), she discovers an 1848 Ireland with heartbreaking tales of famine and loss plus a shocking murder causing even greater fears that she inherited a psychotic gene.
While both stories held my interest and came together nicely in the end, it was Ginny Doyle's heroic struggles of survival that made this novel a 4 Star read for me.
March 28, 2013
Ireland, the potato famine, Ginny will have to go to extraordinary lengths to protect and save her children. Current day, Magilla has just given birth and though she loves her baby daughter she is a bit depressed and feels that she is not the mother she should be. Two story lines seems to be the trend now in fiction and in this case I have to say it worked very well. Both these women were very likable characters, I found myself rooting for them both, wanting good things to happen for them. This is also a loving testament to motherhood and the bonds between a mother and their children, as well as the difficulties that can lie between them. I really enjoyed this book, it was very well put together, the characters well drawn and the historical aspects of it, heartbreaking. The will some people have for survival never ceases to amaze me. Endearing, interesting and heartbreaking. ARC from publisher.
November 5, 2020
This dual-timeline narrative was entertaining in part and cringeworthy in part. I really enjoyed Ginny's story, a suspenseful drama of young motherhood set during the potato famine in Ireland; however, her descendant Majella's modern tale of postpartum depression just didn't draw me in. Ginny's life had true tragedy and she had such resilience, and every step she took in life was realistic and understandable. Majella, on the other hand, wasn't a well fleshed character to me, nor were the supporting characters in her story. Her husband, what's-his-name, was basically a caricature of the clueless man (honestly, it took him half the book to even bring up medication), her friend Jade had just one aspect to her personality (unhappy), and her mother was horrible right up until she was the best mom ever... there was just no depth there. Still, the story was really interesting and I appreciated how Cummins tried to tie the modern-day arc to the historical one (even if I'm not a fan of the concept of genetic memory, I was willing to buy into the idea for the sake of the book). I was also glad to see postpartum depression as a topic for a book - there should be more of that - but would've liked a more concrete resolution there.
Good, but not great.
3-3.5 stars
Good, but not great.
3-3.5 stars
April 20, 2013
"Every family tree has at least one crooked branch." This novel shows the different faces of motherhood in one family. Majella is an overwhelmed new mother dealing with the loss of her identity, upset hormones, and lack of sleep. She finds the diary of her Irish ancestor, Ginny Doyle, who was desperately trying to feed her family during Ireland's Great Hunger in 1847. Ginny had to make some difficult decisions before immigrating from County Mayo to New York City. Majella is trying to understand what happened back in Ireland, wondering if her ancestor was a murderer or a saintly mother.
The author portrayed both Majella's and Ginny's stories in an empathetic manner. This would be a good book discussion book for a group of mothers, and includes a readers guide in the back.
I recently visited Ireland's Great Hunger Museum, a little gem in Hamden, CT, so Ginny's story during the potato famine was especially meaningful to me.
http://www.thegreathunger.org
The author portrayed both Majella's and Ginny's stories in an empathetic manner. This would be a good book discussion book for a group of mothers, and includes a readers guide in the back.
I recently visited Ireland's Great Hunger Museum, a little gem in Hamden, CT, so Ginny's story during the potato famine was especially meaningful to me.
http://www.thegreathunger.org
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September 17, 2023DNF after 35%. Couldn’t stand the whiney Majella.
September 22, 2018
After the birth of her daughter, Emma, first-time mother Majella finds herself feeling extremely strange - almost like she has somehow become separated or disconnected from herself and her family. The usually resilient and self-deprecating young woman suddenly feels isolated and exhausted - feelings which she slowly comes to realize reach far beyond simply being overwhelmed by her recent introduction to new motherhood. Trying to better understand her extraordinary feelings of 'differential otherness', Majella understands that no matter how much they may love her, her family just can't help her in this particular situation; so she seeks out professional help.
Late one night, while investigating the source of a strange sound up in her attic, Majella discovers the diary of her maternal ancestor - Ginny Doyle. While it is encouraging for Majella to find Ginny's diary - and to again feel the spark of a connection toward this tough and determined woman, Majella is nevertheless shocked to read a story of murder in her family history. Disturbed to think that she may be genetically predisposed to acts of violence herself, Majella sets out to explore Ginny's past.
With the ravages of the famine upon her, a terrified and distraught Ginny Doyle fled from Ireland to America. Although she was eventually able to acquire passage for herself and her children, not all of Ginny's family were able to escape and to start over fresh in their lives. So, what actually happened during those harrowing years, and just why does Ginny continue to call herself a killer?
Despite the centuries that separate them, Majella is heartened to learn that her ancestor Ginny was in so many ways a woman just like herself - just a mother struggling to find a way to raise and protect her young children. Ginny's battles may have been more fundamental than Majella's - as she struggled to keep her young family alive during the time of Ireland's Great Hunger - yet Majella can't deny the strong connection that she still feels towards Ginny. However, does the fierce tenderness that Majella begins to feel towards her newborn daughter outweigh everything else - or is she actually genetically fated to be a bad mother? Determined to understand the truth of her heritage as well as her own identity, Majella seeks to learn more about Ginny Doyle's personal history - and discovers surprising new truths about her family and, ultimately, about herself.
I must say that I absolutely loved this book. In my opinion, it was just a wonderful book; beautifully written and seamlessly woven together. Both Ginny's and Majella's stories were equally compelling for me to read, despite the centuries that separated both women. I'm definitely putting Ms. Cummins' name at the top of my wishlist, and I would certainly give this book an A+!
Late one night, while investigating the source of a strange sound up in her attic, Majella discovers the diary of her maternal ancestor - Ginny Doyle. While it is encouraging for Majella to find Ginny's diary - and to again feel the spark of a connection toward this tough and determined woman, Majella is nevertheless shocked to read a story of murder in her family history. Disturbed to think that she may be genetically predisposed to acts of violence herself, Majella sets out to explore Ginny's past.
With the ravages of the famine upon her, a terrified and distraught Ginny Doyle fled from Ireland to America. Although she was eventually able to acquire passage for herself and her children, not all of Ginny's family were able to escape and to start over fresh in their lives. So, what actually happened during those harrowing years, and just why does Ginny continue to call herself a killer?
Despite the centuries that separate them, Majella is heartened to learn that her ancestor Ginny was in so many ways a woman just like herself - just a mother struggling to find a way to raise and protect her young children. Ginny's battles may have been more fundamental than Majella's - as she struggled to keep her young family alive during the time of Ireland's Great Hunger - yet Majella can't deny the strong connection that she still feels towards Ginny. However, does the fierce tenderness that Majella begins to feel towards her newborn daughter outweigh everything else - or is she actually genetically fated to be a bad mother? Determined to understand the truth of her heritage as well as her own identity, Majella seeks to learn more about Ginny Doyle's personal history - and discovers surprising new truths about her family and, ultimately, about herself.
I must say that I absolutely loved this book. In my opinion, it was just a wonderful book; beautifully written and seamlessly woven together. Both Ginny's and Majella's stories were equally compelling for me to read, despite the centuries that separated both women. I'm definitely putting Ms. Cummins' name at the top of my wishlist, and I would certainly give this book an A+!
July 12, 2021
I would definitely give this book four and a half stars. Jeanine Cummins is quickly becoming one of my favorite authors. I found the story engaging and creative. The author moved effortlessly from the present to the 1840s and the Irish potato famine. The characters were likable and their actions were believable. I didn't want the book to end!
May 5, 2021
It's been a while since a book has grabbed me from the beginning and not let go.
Anyone who knows me knows that I'm not a fan of alternating timelines or viewpoints, but this book is the exception that proves the rule.
It is so well written, with memorable characters, I couldn't put it down. I had laugh-out-loud moments, and then tears in my eyes.
Loved this book.
Anyone who knows me knows that I'm not a fan of alternating timelines or viewpoints, but this book is the exception that proves the rule.
It is so well written, with memorable characters, I couldn't put it down. I had laugh-out-loud moments, and then tears in my eyes.
Loved this book.
October 1, 2021
This book sucked me in at first. Even though I wasn’t particularly enamored of the storyline regarding Majella, the historical plot regarding Ginny Doyle and her children during the Famine in Ireland was quite engaging. And I admit that Cummins can write — at least during the chapters about Ginny.
But there was quite a lot that turned me off about this book. For one thing, Majella just isn’t likable. I realize that she is a new mother experiencing some form of postpartum depression, but she also seems to have a self-awareness about her that she isn’t behaving well, especially when she’s engaging with her mother. It’s a situation that has played out over years during their lives, and Majella herself notices that she’s reverting to her moany teenage persona when she calls her mother. I also found it odd that it was only Jade that was able to point out to Majella that the reason her mother is the way she is may be because she’s hiding a huge, deep, painful wound. You’d think at least her husband Leo would have noticed and said something to Majella. Majella seems to be extremely self-centered even before she had her daughter, though she has all my sympathy for dealing with postpartum depression.
As mentioned about, the chapters about Ginny Doyle and the Famine in Ireland were much more interesting, though I figured out the why of the shocking event only halfway through the book. You could almost see and smell the blight marching across the fields, and feel the desperation of the farmers left on the land, knowing they’d have no food for the coming winter. I really think this book would have been much stronger had it not had the modern storyline with Majella.
But there was quite a lot that turned me off about this book. For one thing, Majella just isn’t likable. I realize that she is a new mother experiencing some form of postpartum depression, but she also seems to have a self-awareness about her that she isn’t behaving well, especially when she’s engaging with her mother. It’s a situation that has played out over years during their lives, and Majella herself notices that she’s reverting to her moany teenage persona when she calls her mother. I also found it odd that it was only Jade that was able to point out to Majella that the reason her mother is the way she is may be because she’s hiding a huge, deep, painful wound. You’d think at least her husband Leo would have noticed and said something to Majella. Majella seems to be extremely self-centered even before she had her daughter, though she has all my sympathy for dealing with postpartum depression.
As mentioned about, the chapters about Ginny Doyle and the Famine in Ireland were much more interesting, though I figured out the why of the shocking event only halfway through the book. You could almost see and smell the blight marching across the fields, and feel the desperation of the farmers left on the land, knowing they’d have no food for the coming winter. I really think this book would have been much stronger had it not had the modern storyline with Majella.
February 27, 2021
I only persisted with this book as I had been recommended it and the Irish Historical genealogy theme is an interest. I found the early chapters, heavy in dialogue very hard going. Reading it actually made me cringe. Felt very inauthentic.
However once it was established that the story was set in Ireland and the plot moved on, I found I was quite gripped by it. But it was a close run thing.
However once it was established that the story was set in Ireland and the plot moved on, I found I was quite gripped by it. But it was a close run thing.
July 17, 2017
Excellent read. Cummins has a way of dropping words like treasured jewels onto the page. The story itself was intriguing and unusual. My first read of hers but definitely not my last.
September 8, 2022
Have you ever gotten to the end of a book and thought...What did I just read & can I please get those days back?! Damn! I just put this one down & am totally baffled by the lack of a completed storyline. This book has alternating timelines/characters & Cummins really should have just focused on Ginny, whose story takes place during the famine in 1846, but she just had to bring in annoying Majella & her annoying husband from Present time... ugh. This story went nowhere for me & had a very unsatisfying ending. ☹️
August 3, 2014
In alternating chapters, we follow Ginny Doyle, in Ireland in 1846-7, during the famine and Majella, her great-great-great? granddaughter in current day NYC as each struggles to figure out how to be a good mother, what you should be willing to sacrifice, and what you should not.
Ginny, her husband, and three children are trying to survive the potato blight, while continuing to produce grains on their plot of land to pay the rent to their absentee British landlord. Those who couldn't pay were evicted and their homes burnt down. They were left to starve and if any neighbors tried to help them, they suffered the same fate. Evicted and burnt out. With a population of about 8 million at the time, Ireland lost one million people who died in the famine, and another million who emigrated.
Majella has recently given birth to her first child and is upset to find she is not a natural at the whole mothering thing. She has always been the best at everything so assumed this would be true for parenting as well. Instead she feels isolated and insecure. She overhears her husband tell his brother that everything is pretty much the same except now there's a baby. No lost sleep, no C-section incision, no loss of identity.
One moving scenario is when Majella goes to a mommies group. The mothers here have very clear rules of what constitutes a good mother (and that definitely does not include bottle feeding!)
4 stars for the interesting setting. A fast read. A bit of a downer, as most famines are.
Ginny, her husband, and three children are trying to survive the potato blight, while continuing to produce grains on their plot of land to pay the rent to their absentee British landlord. Those who couldn't pay were evicted and their homes burnt down. They were left to starve and if any neighbors tried to help them, they suffered the same fate. Evicted and burnt out. With a population of about 8 million at the time, Ireland lost one million people who died in the famine, and another million who emigrated.
Majella has recently given birth to her first child and is upset to find she is not a natural at the whole mothering thing. She has always been the best at everything so assumed this would be true for parenting as well. Instead she feels isolated and insecure. She overhears her husband tell his brother that everything is pretty much the same except now there's a baby. No lost sleep, no C-section incision, no loss of identity.
One moving scenario is when Majella goes to a mommies group. The mothers here have very clear rules of what constitutes a good mother (and that definitely does not include bottle feeding!)
4 stars for the interesting setting. A fast read. A bit of a downer, as most famines are.
February 16, 2025
Like many historical novels, this has a dual narrative and I really enjoyed both equally and cared about what happened to both protagonists.
I was totally absorbed by the plight of Ginny Doyle who desperately tried to feed her family during the horrendous Irish potato famine of 1846-7, and equally by the daunting struggle faced by Majella in present day NY as she tried to come to terms with her radically altered life after having a baby.
The links between the two become apparent by the end of the book. I would have given this 5 stars but for me, the ending and tying up of loose ends was just a bit too neat so I gave it 4. Still well worth reading though!!
I was totally absorbed by the plight of Ginny Doyle who desperately tried to feed her family during the horrendous Irish potato famine of 1846-7, and equally by the daunting struggle faced by Majella in present day NY as she tried to come to terms with her radically altered life after having a baby.
The links between the two become apparent by the end of the book. I would have given this 5 stars but for me, the ending and tying up of loose ends was just a bit too neat so I gave it 4. Still well worth reading though!!
May 13, 2013
It was with great regret that I tore myself away from this book to do stuff like, you know, eat and care for my children. It really grabbed me and, after finishing, I spent way too much time googling the Irish potato famine. If Ginny Doyle doesn't move you, nothing will. Very well done novel about motherhood, love, sacrifice, life.
October 17, 2022
4.5* rounded up
To date I have read all four books this author has to offer. I think she is an excellent writer. I cannot wait until her next book comes out!
To date I have read all four books this author has to offer. I think she is an excellent writer. I cannot wait until her next book comes out!
December 27, 2022
When people “ fill in every conversation with fluff, to prevent you from trying to talk about anything real […] there’s usually some super-deep reservoir of hurt under there that they’re trying to hide. And they spend their whole life doing jazz-hands so that nobody will notice the gushing wound of pain behind the curtain.”
People are complicated.
Families even more so.
And those who dare to have children or long to have children open themselves to the potential of heart rending suffering and grief and loss.
The Crooked Branch is a story of a family, of mothers, of women. It’s a story of grief and loss. It’s a story of hope and sacrifice. It’s a story of the costliness of love. Sometimes it will take your life. Sometimes it will take your heart. Sometimes it will take others to enable you to survive.
It’s also a great story about our need for community. We can’t do life alone and while it’s scary - even a nightmare - to share what we really think and feel and experience - when we do there is relief and joy in the love of those around us.
People are complicated.
Families even more so.
And those who dare to have children or long to have children open themselves to the potential of heart rending suffering and grief and loss.
The Crooked Branch is a story of a family, of mothers, of women. It’s a story of grief and loss. It’s a story of hope and sacrifice. It’s a story of the costliness of love. Sometimes it will take your life. Sometimes it will take your heart. Sometimes it will take others to enable you to survive.
It’s also a great story about our need for community. We can’t do life alone and while it’s scary - even a nightmare - to share what we really think and feel and experience - when we do there is relief and joy in the love of those around us.
January 11, 2025
I would give this book a solid 4.5. I really enjoyed the author’s writing style. I loved the characters and it was a seemingly good depiction of the Irish potato famine. Once I started the book, I got all caught up in the story. It was hard to put down. The ending felt rushed, which is why I say a 4.5, but it was a really great read.
February 16, 2025
Overall this was an average historical fiction story, not too memorable, but the storyline that took place in present-day was a little infuriating to me. I just could not get over my dislike for the main character. I also felt that the two storylines did not connect enough to successfully convey the story of generational trauma that I think the book was trying to do.
December 12, 2023
The chapters set during the Irish famine were very gripping and emotional, and I couldn't wait to pick Ginny's story back up each time. However, I would have preferred this story without the present day timeline, which didn't seem to add much to the narrative and had an incredibly whiny and neurotic main character.
September 28, 2023
Loved this book. Took it away with me on a work trip. Wanted a good story to keep me busy while travelling, and this book totally delivered. Really gripping story (in fact it's actually two stories that are interlinked). It almost made me cry a couple of times - not ideal when queuing at passport control. Definitely recommend.
May 31, 2025
Such a fun book of family genealogy to read. A young new mother in present day New York, has the diary of a great-great grandmother who had 5 small children during the famine in the 1800’s. Learning of her heroic ancestral mother affirms her ability to be a heroic mother in the present.
March 3, 2013
Could it be true? Could Majella have inherited the "crazy" gene from her mother's ancestors?
From present-day New York and then back to Ireland in the 1800's, THE CROOKED BRANCH, covers a family's history and tells of a mother's love as well as the heartaches it brings. Majella, the New York mother, and Ginny, the Irish mother, are distant relatives but share the same things every mother wants for her children and also all of the things a mother fears about motherhood and raising a family. Majella is experiencing a fear of having a family link of craziness after she read of a murder committed by her mother's great-grandmother, Ginny, in a diary she found hidden inside the hem of a dress in the attic of her childhood home.
THE CROOKED BRANCH takes the reader through the potato famine in Ireland to present-day New York. The book allows you to spend a day with Majella in New York and then back to a day in Ginny's life during the potato famine in Ireland. You will follow Majella as she struggles with being a stay-at-home mom dealing with postpartum depression. Both women have their families uppermost in their minds with Majella also struggling with her relationship with her own mother. You will follow Ginny as her family struggles to stay alive because there is no food in Ireland and where people are dying on a daily basis. You will follow Ginny as she has to bear the pain of leaving her four young children alone to find work as a chambermaid in an estate that won't allow her to go home at night and whose mistress becomes involved in Ginny's family life.
The book is fast paced and has detailed descriptions of the characters, the scenes, and the character's feelings. I enjoy books that go back and forth in time and especially ones that tell of written accounts from ancestors...especially diaries and also in this case a recording by Ginny's son telling of the events in Ireland and their passage to New York. I was quickly pulled into this moving historical fiction book through Ginny's story.
Ginny's story was much more appealing than Majella's perhaps because of the historical aspect, while Majella tugged more at the heartstrings of modern-day mothers who have to deal with leaving the work force and becoming an isolated, stay-at-home mom. The tale was a bit humdrum through Majella's story, but quite fascinating during Ginny's.
My rating is 4/5.
This book was given to me free of charge and without compensation by the publisher in return for an honest review.
From present-day New York and then back to Ireland in the 1800's, THE CROOKED BRANCH, covers a family's history and tells of a mother's love as well as the heartaches it brings. Majella, the New York mother, and Ginny, the Irish mother, are distant relatives but share the same things every mother wants for her children and also all of the things a mother fears about motherhood and raising a family. Majella is experiencing a fear of having a family link of craziness after she read of a murder committed by her mother's great-grandmother, Ginny, in a diary she found hidden inside the hem of a dress in the attic of her childhood home.
THE CROOKED BRANCH takes the reader through the potato famine in Ireland to present-day New York. The book allows you to spend a day with Majella in New York and then back to a day in Ginny's life during the potato famine in Ireland. You will follow Majella as she struggles with being a stay-at-home mom dealing with postpartum depression. Both women have their families uppermost in their minds with Majella also struggling with her relationship with her own mother. You will follow Ginny as her family struggles to stay alive because there is no food in Ireland and where people are dying on a daily basis. You will follow Ginny as she has to bear the pain of leaving her four young children alone to find work as a chambermaid in an estate that won't allow her to go home at night and whose mistress becomes involved in Ginny's family life.
The book is fast paced and has detailed descriptions of the characters, the scenes, and the character's feelings. I enjoy books that go back and forth in time and especially ones that tell of written accounts from ancestors...especially diaries and also in this case a recording by Ginny's son telling of the events in Ireland and their passage to New York. I was quickly pulled into this moving historical fiction book through Ginny's story.
Ginny's story was much more appealing than Majella's perhaps because of the historical aspect, while Majella tugged more at the heartstrings of modern-day mothers who have to deal with leaving the work force and becoming an isolated, stay-at-home mom. The tale was a bit humdrum through Majella's story, but quite fascinating during Ginny's.
My rating is 4/5.
This book was given to me free of charge and without compensation by the publisher in return for an honest review.
February 17, 2013
Majella has just become a new mother. She is going through more then just postpartum depression. She is having dreams about her new born daughter being dead. She worries as mental illness does run in her family heritage. She especially worries when she find a diary in the attic from one of her relatives, Ginny.
Ginny lives in Ireland. A time when the famine was really bad for families. It was fight or perish. Ginny was willing to do anything to survive. How far would she go?
My favorite part of this book was Ginny’s story. If this book had been just about Ginny and her children then this would have been a perfect book and I would have given it 5 stars. However, I still enjoyed this book. Why I liked Ginny’s story so much better was because of her strong determination and love for her children. Also, she had a great story to tell. I was enriched in history. Also, I admit that I have always been fascinated with stories of Ireland. I hope to go there someday for a visit.
The reason that I was turned off by Majella’s story in the present tense was because I felt that Majella was really mean spirited towards her husband and whiny. These attributes of Majella quickly turned me off towards her. I even found myself skipping chapters that involved her, just so that I could get back to Ginny’s story. The Crooked Branch is a worth while read!
Ginny lives in Ireland. A time when the famine was really bad for families. It was fight or perish. Ginny was willing to do anything to survive. How far would she go?
My favorite part of this book was Ginny’s story. If this book had been just about Ginny and her children then this would have been a perfect book and I would have given it 5 stars. However, I still enjoyed this book. Why I liked Ginny’s story so much better was because of her strong determination and love for her children. Also, she had a great story to tell. I was enriched in history. Also, I admit that I have always been fascinated with stories of Ireland. I hope to go there someday for a visit.
The reason that I was turned off by Majella’s story in the present tense was because I felt that Majella was really mean spirited towards her husband and whiny. These attributes of Majella quickly turned me off towards her. I even found myself skipping chapters that involved her, just so that I could get back to Ginny’s story. The Crooked Branch is a worth while read!
June 22, 2013
This book is a page turner! I haven't stayed up past 3 am reading for quite a while, but the emotional depth of the characters, particularly the two mothers, was absolutely gripping. The excellent writing & research by Cummins brings such realism to the story that I almost felt I could talk to the women as if I were in the room with them. I learned so much about the 19th century famine in Ireland that I didn't know before; crop failure alone didn't cause the rampant starvation.
It's an incredible book. I highly recommend it!
It's an incredible book. I highly recommend it!
April 17, 2022
This is a story about a new mom with an infant who obviously cannot talk, her mother who refuses to talk, and a harassed single mom who needs to talk. And it’s about the dreadful loneliness of motherhood interspersed with the ravishing reality of a mom in famine poor Ireland forced to abandon her family, just to keep them fed.
It tied together somewhat and made for a powerful read about the ties that bind and sometimes bound us together. Yes, I’d recommend this. And I’ll never hear “ yes, they came over during the potato famine”, in the same way again.
It tied together somewhat and made for a powerful read about the ties that bind and sometimes bound us together. Yes, I’d recommend this. And I’ll never hear “ yes, they came over during the potato famine”, in the same way again.
July 13, 2013
This book took place in Ireland during the famine and in NY during present day. It explored motherhood and surviving hard times. The Ireland story really grabbed me! Ginny's struggles and story of survival was so well done. Majella in NY go on my nerves, I found her whiny and wanted her to get over herself. I do recommend this to others, it certainly won't disappoint.
November 24, 2018
A current day story of a young mother’s struggle with postpartum depression following the birth of her first child interspersed with the story of one of her maternal ancestors during the potato famine in Ireland. The author does a really good job of describing postpartum depression with its feelings of unexplained sadness and feelings of being overwhelmed and exhausted.
October 11, 2022
A very gripping story capturing a family’s history of living through the potato famine in Ireland. And a story of today connecting the ancestors through their trials of parenthood. I loved the author’s style and so easy to connect their lives.
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