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The Princess of Valencia
In prose both heartrending and harrowing, National Book Award finalist Susan Straight conjures up the unforgettable voice of a mother coming to terms with her worst nightmare.
Twenty-year-old Jacinta grew up in her mother’s family home in Santa Ana, California, surrounded by a grove of orange trees. Little by little, Jacinta’s mother lost her—first to college, then to a boy she said she loved, and then, finally, to the rage of a school shooter. Snap. In an instant it was all gone. All she has now is her daughter’s phone. Like an album, gripped in the palm of her hand—texts, photos, messages, and videos of her daughter’s first three years at college. With it, Jacinta’s mother is reconstructing her daughter’s last three weeks.
In this uniquely moving exploration of mourning, fury, and reminiscence, Susan Straight evokes—through a grieving mother’s devastating internal monologue—both a modern-day nightmare and exquisite proof of love’s extraordinary power to overcome it.
Twenty-year-old Jacinta grew up in her mother’s family home in Santa Ana, California, surrounded by a grove of orange trees. Little by little, Jacinta’s mother lost her—first to college, then to a boy she said she loved, and then, finally, to the rage of a school shooter. Snap. In an instant it was all gone. All she has now is her daughter’s phone. Like an album, gripped in the palm of her hand—texts, photos, messages, and videos of her daughter’s first three years at college. With it, Jacinta’s mother is reconstructing her daughter’s last three weeks.
In this uniquely moving exploration of mourning, fury, and reminiscence, Susan Straight evokes—through a grieving mother’s devastating internal monologue—both a modern-day nightmare and exquisite proof of love’s extraordinary power to overcome it.
- GenresFictionShort Stories
27 pages, Kindle Edition
First published February 27, 2018
218 people are currently reading
106 people want to read
About the author
Susan Straight
45 books421 followersSusan Straight's newest novel is "Between Heaven and Here." It is the last in the Rio Seco Trilogy, which began with "A Million Nightingales" and "Take One Candle Light a Room." She has published eight novels, a novel for young readers and a children's book. She has also written essays and articles for numerous national publications, including The New York Times, Los Angeles Times, The Nation and Harper's Magazine, and is a frequent contributor to NPR and Salon.com.
Her story "Mines," first published in Zoetrope All Story, was included in Best American Short Stories 2003. She won a Lannan Literary Award in 2007. She won a 2008 Edgar Allan Poe Award for her short story "The Golden Gopher."
She is a Professor at the University of California, Riverside and lives in Riverside, California.
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Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews
August 7, 2018
Another timely read. Another school shooting. In a few pages(this is a very short read) so much pain and heartache. A mother coming to terms that her only child has been taken away while at school from yet another senseless shooting. A rambling string of thoughts as she remembers the distant past to the very recent one and back and forth. The contrast of how it was with hard work and pride to the less personal, technological ways of today and back and forth. It's hypnotizing. Most of all she remembers the oranges and the orange grove. Remembering the simple joy of savoring the sweetness of an orange heavy with juice like the sweetness of her princess Jacinta who passed on too soon from this bitter tragedy.
May 7, 2023
*read for free with Kindle Unlimited *
March 22, 2018
Wow
I agree with what previous reviewers wrote about the long, meandering sentences, and the first chapter almost made me give up altogether, but stick with it. It'll come together. Just remember, it's coming from a broken, shattered mind filled with wandering thoughts and numbing grief.
I agree with what previous reviewers wrote about the long, meandering sentences, and the first chapter almost made me give up altogether, but stick with it. It'll come together. Just remember, it's coming from a broken, shattered mind filled with wandering thoughts and numbing grief.
March 6, 2018
Unusual
Totally different prose than I usually read, but vivid imagery. I didn’t think I’d get much out of a Kindle single, but she wrote about a specific incident that basically ended her world. I know if the same thing happened to me, it would end my world but I’d have to go on for my four beloved grandsons. Take a half an hour and read this.
Totally different prose than I usually read, but vivid imagery. I didn’t think I’d get much out of a Kindle single, but she wrote about a specific incident that basically ended her world. I know if the same thing happened to me, it would end my world but I’d have to go on for my four beloved grandsons. Take a half an hour and read this.
March 4, 2018
Apocalypse
This seems like an entire novel. Straight weaves a sad, long song, impossible to not hear. Terrifying to realize that no matter when you read this, it will be shortly after another school shooting.
This seems like an entire novel. Straight weaves a sad, long song, impossible to not hear. Terrifying to realize that no matter when you read this, it will be shortly after another school shooting.
May 13, 2018
I don't think the description of this book is truly accurate. It's much more stream of consciousness of a mother's pain after loss than it is her "recreating" her daughter's last weeks. I wasn't prepared for the rawness of the story or how it spilled out in jumbled pieces but it made sense for the story that was really being told.
March 6, 2018
At 72 years old I enjoyed the memory of a simpler time. God please help us love one another again. Well written and a sad reflection of the problems we are experiencing.
At 72 years old I enjoyed the memory of a simpler time. God please help us love one another again. Well written and a sad reflection of the life we are experiencing.
At 72 years old I enjoyed the memory of a simpler time. God please help us love one another again. Well written and a sad reflection of the life we are experiencing.
October 20, 2019
"...no one listens to Patsy Cline, my mother’s favorite, because they don’t want love that leaves you, so they want no love."
A mother examines the life of her daughter after the daughter is gunned down at school. A microscopic human look at this country's epidemic. Would recommend for a quick, impactful read.
May 30, 2024
Read on KU! A short story outlining the struggles of a mother who loses her daughter to a school shooting. I almost didn’t finish this, but not because it was a bad story. I think this was an emotional, well-written story that shatters your heart alongside the mother’s as you experience her heartache. Tears were shed reading this.
May 1, 2019
Heart breaking short story
This is my first Susan Straight but definitely not my last. In less than 30 pages, she's created a moving story about parents, kids, the yawning gap between them...recommended.
This is my first Susan Straight but definitely not my last. In less than 30 pages, she's created a moving story about parents, kids, the yawning gap between them...recommended.
March 11, 2018
Sad story
March 21, 2018
Short story about college shooting. Different style of writing. Confusing at first but it simplifies after a couple of pages. Touching.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 3, 2018
Love for an Only Child
This story was so good. The author wrote this from the heart. I hurt for the mom. I hurt for the daughter. I also hurt for the maternal family line.
This story was so good. The author wrote this from the heart. I hurt for the mom. I hurt for the daughter. I also hurt for the maternal family line.
October 31, 2022
The fact that this story could more or less be true in so many actual cases doesn’t surprise me. More proof that men are absolutely vile creatures.
August 16, 2024
Grief on steroids.
This book is a mother's grief on steroids. The prose was so harrowing, the emotion can be felt through the words. Gah. This is a heavy yet good read.
This book is a mother's grief on steroids. The prose was so harrowing, the emotion can be felt through the words. Gah. This is a heavy yet good read.
May 19, 2025
A short read about grief. Double check your triggers for this one.
May 20, 2025
Rounded to 3.5 stars. A mama loses her only child in a achool shooting.
Sad. Sad sad. Just so sad.
Sad. Sad sad. Just so sad.
August 25, 2025
A very well written depressing book.
Not a book you should read while you are in mourning, like I am but it is good. Should have trigger warnings.
Not a book you should read while you are in mourning, like I am but it is good. Should have trigger warnings.
January 21, 2019
I really enjoyed this short story as well, very wonderfully written. A different way of telling of a mother's pain about losing a child during a school shooting. I would recommend this as I really enjoyed her style of writing.
August 14, 2023
All of the emotion regarding school shootings is perfectly dosed for this short story, and these types of stories 1000% percent need to be told. I feel like this type of story would have been better suited for a longer form instead of a short story just because I tend to enjoy spending more time with my characters in emotional situations. But again, the author absolutely did her best with getting the point across in the page count of this story, and the more we normalize sharing these types of stories the better.
June 23, 2020
Heartbreaking
I wasn’t quite sure how I was gonna feel about this story mainly because at first read it seemed like a bunch of jumbled fragmented pieces of a story. I kept going and I’m glad I did. Your reading along with the thoughts of a grieving mother, trying to put the pieces together of her daughter’s sudden violent death. How do you go on? How do you function in a world when your child is gone? It’s heart breaking, and utterly depressing. If you can handle the subject matter it is most definitely worth a read.
I wasn’t quite sure how I was gonna feel about this story mainly because at first read it seemed like a bunch of jumbled fragmented pieces of a story. I kept going and I’m glad I did. Your reading along with the thoughts of a grieving mother, trying to put the pieces together of her daughter’s sudden violent death. How do you go on? How do you function in a world when your child is gone? It’s heart breaking, and utterly depressing. If you can handle the subject matter it is most definitely worth a read.
September 15, 2021
A good short story about a divorced mother and her daughter that is away at college. Recommended, but the subject matter may be difficult for some.
Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews