This is a lovely yet unsettling book about interconnected families and their trauma-filled lives. It starts with a robbery gone wrong, a murder, and an infant's unfortunate death. Things escalate from there as we meet Lala, her thieving husband, Adan, Tone, who loves Lala but can't always protect her from violence. We go back and forth in time to discover their roots and how they have come to protect their loved ones as much as they can given their histories. I felt a range of emotions reading this novel as it transcends class and race to tell a bittersweet story of characters struggling to survive. I'm sure we will hear more from Cherie Jones!

Hopped on the pogo stick, oh yeah….

This one has me hoppin’, I’ll tell you that. From my chair, I went to Barbados and got involved with some locals who grabbed me and held me hostage for a few days. There are several compelling tales going at once, but it’s the story of a woman named Lala that kept me most riled up. Well, okay, these down-and-outers didn’t MAKE me read their tragic stories, but I couldn’t take my eyes off of them. I simply couldn’t put this book down!

First of all, did anyone say atmosphere? The pictures the author paints are vivid—I felt my toes in the sand, I heard the ocean waves, I saw the local women braiding tourists’ hair on the beach. I’m a sucker for exotic locales anyway. I can’t stress enough how atmospheric it is—and the author achieves this without writing long, descriptive clumps. She just weaves in the visuals, oh so skillfully.

And the language, oh the language! It slayed me! Colorful, jazzy, plaintiff, twisty. So alive! I get all wound up—well, sort of manic, actually—when words are stuck together so beautifully. I’d reread paragraphs just for fun. There is some dialect, and it adds to the story, in my opinion. Often dialect is too hard for me to understand, but not here. It has such rhythm, it enhances the music.

I will say that the story is very depressing; all the relationships are disasters and there’s a fair amount of violence. There’s lots of abuse by men (so if you get triggered when reading about abuse, you’ll probably want to avoid this one.) All of this makes for an intense read. Despite the unending tragedy, though, I found the book utterly seductive.

As usual, I don’t want to give anything away. It’s best to go into it blind, like I did (because then the wallops are bigger and better). It’s an emotional read. Lala’s life is so hard, so tragic, it will get under your skin. There are others with super sad stories, too. Besides the abuse, there’s murder, burglary, a newborn, drug deals, hookers, an evil guy, a detective, a sad grandma, rich tourists. There’s plenty of suspense, which made it hard to put the book down. Each chapter is told from the point of view of one of the characters. There’s a little jumping around, but it’s never confusing.

Right after I started reading, I was so stunned by the book’s brilliance that I had to stop and check out this book, this author. I cannot believe this is a debut, I cannot! Come to find out, the author, Jones, is a lawyer by day. This does not compute! How can she be so logical in the day and so imaginative at night? And get this: the way she creates characters is that they talk to her in her head! In one interview, Jones talks about how she started creating a character when she was on a bus and a person was talking to her. The interviewer assumed that Jones used the person’s story to form the character. Oh no, there was not a real person talking to her on the bus—the person was in her head! Such a cool way to write! And meanwhile, this writer seems grounded and self-assured—not someone who hears voices. I’ve never heard of a writer getting talked to by a character, but maybe it’s common for all I know.

The weird title makes sense after you read the first chapter. And yes, the title is insanely long, but you have to admit it grabs you. I love it (though it’s really annoying when you’re trying to put it in a list!). And the cover—such rich colors! Makes me want to hold the book in my hands forever so I can look down at the eye candy any time I want. I wish the title was lowercase and smaller, but still, I love it.

This is a book that will stay with me. It’s just brilliant. Ha, at first I thought this one was a secret gem; I was all ready to be an unpaid marketer who pushes this book out there for all to see. I wanted to share the love! But then I found out it was a Good Morning America book club selection. What? Who knew GMA had a book club? I’m glad the book is getting lots of press; it deserves it.

In an interview, the author said she is working on another novel, but in the meantime she’s writing some flash fiction. I’m in line for whatever comes out of her pen, I guarantee you.

Thanks to NetGalley for the advance copy.

I just loved this book. It starts off slowly and builds up to the point that you cannot put it down. In this novel, two women's lives become linked through a murder, but, there is so much more that is addressed as the story develops. Both women are at odds with life, searching for meaning following unspeakable tragedies in their lives,. Themes that are addressed are race, class, domestic abuse and survival. The writing is absolutely exquisite. This book is also a must read for book clubs as it offers so much rich material for discussion. Trigger warnings for domestic abuse, loss of a baby, loss of a spouse to murder, and overall mistreatment of women.

I will admit that despite the non-stop events steeped in trauma throughout the novel - I really “enjoyed” the story and the literary style the author chose to tell a multi-generational, cautionary tale warning against the silence that enables and perpetuates the evil in the world. The story opens with a grandmother telling her young granddaughter the local parable of the “one-armed sister” which warns of the perils of not heeding a mother’s advice/warning and pursuing the lure of temptation and curiosity.

Set against a fictionalized Barbados resort town where the locals’ livelihood is tied to the ebb and flows of tourism, the reader meets an impoverished Stella/Lala, an 18-year-old expectant mother and beachside hair braider. She is recently married to Adan, a petty thief and hustler, with big dreams and limited options. A premature birth sparked by excruciating labor pains in the middle of the night sets off a series of fateful events that tumble like dominos and seemingly worsen with every turn of the page.

It doesn’t take long to realize Lala’s world is far from the idyllic island paradise described in tourism brochures. Here domestic violence is the norm, patriarchy rules with horrific, unspeakable results, and women and children are defenseless amid cultural acceptance and societal norms. The alternating chapters reveal her, her family, and the supporting character’s backstories via flashbacks and the reader begins to understand how the legal system combined with maternal/parental/familial failures are exacerbated with each passing generation. It’s clear to see how and why Stella/Lala is in her current situation….with every page, I was pulling for her to find her voice, her inner strength, and for her to get her “groove back.”

This was my first time reading Cherie Jones and I’ll definitely read her again, given the opportunity.

As absolutely amazing as everyone says it is, How the One-Armed Sister Sweeps Her House is a short but intense novel that packs an enormous psychological punch and asks so many important questions. And it's beautifully written to boot! Absolutely and enthusiastically recommended--this is a must read!

Locals and tourists mix and “feed” off each other in Paradise. The author draws the reader into their lives through poverty, robbery, murder, class differences and a vicious cycle of horrific abuse that continues through the generations. It is well written and engaging.

I can't believe this is a debut novel!!! Cherie Jones has written a powerful story about three generations of women who have experienced domestic abuse. The story opens as Wilma tells her grand daughter Lala the story of the One-Armed Sister; a story about two sisters. One sister who listened and the other one who didn't (the One-Armed Sister). Wilma doesn't want Lala to end up like the One-Armed Sister.

This book takes place in Barbados and centers around Lala and her abusive husband Adan. She is stuck in the vicious cycle of his abuse and their young baby soon dies as a result of it. But this is all Lala knows. Her mother and grandmother were both victims of domestic abuse as well. There has also been a murder as well as well which has left a woman widowed. Is Adan responsible for this as well? Tone, who has known Lala since he was younger, soon discovers the extent of Lala's abuse at the hands of his friend Adan. Soon, the lives of all of these people will intersect culminating in an intense ending to this story.

This book contains heavy content that may be triggers for some; but it is an important read. Will Lala break the cycle and break free from Adan? Will the murder be solved? And what happens when the lives of all of these people intertwine?

How the One Armed Sister Sweeps the floor is a book I won't soon forget!

A violent entwining of the lives of rich Island tourists staying at a beach mansion and a house robber gone awry kicks off this compelling, dark narrative set on the sun-drenched island of Barbados. Debunking an external image of paradise, the plot reveals a simmering, deep underlying tension between wealthy travelers and the poverty and deprivation of the islanders. Lala, an 18-year-old who gives birth to her first child, teeters between her making a living beach braiding tourists’ hair with the hair-wrenching domestic violence of her husband Adan, a burglar who while robbing a mansion kills a tony vacationer. Greed and desperation devolve into tragedy and loss, and raw grief rushes forth from a violent gun shot to ensnare all involved. The only off note: a jarring contrast between the strong, broken island dialect spoken by the indigenous characters and those same characters’ first person told with highly literate, crystalline, and insightful resonance. But that doesn’t take away from getting wrapped up in the surprisingly twisty plot. Ultimately violence emerges the main character of this story, sweeping the island and its inhabitants and visitors into a sinister undertow in which even love cannot sustain its buoyancy.

What are secrets but things we want to forget?

I was yesterday years old when I discovered Good Morning America has a book club. Turns out I’ve read nearly all of their selections. And not only read them, but liked them all as well.

I won’t lie and say I immediately knew How the One-Armed Sister Sweeps Her House was going to be a winner for me. I didn’t really remember what it was about when I started it – I just remembered I had an ARC. There were MANY characters and the timeline did the wibbly wobbly to provide histories and backstories. But once I settled in and started “getting” the way it was being delivered, I never put it down.

This is the story of a young woman, her abusive husband, their dead baby, her mother, a grandmother, a widow, a childhood friend and a detective. It is about a robbery gone wrong. An accident so bad it has to be covered up. It’s about drug dealing and wife beating and exchanging whatever wares you have to offer for the American tourist dollar. It is unrelenting in its agony. A true skillet to the face type of story. It takes you from the present to the past to provide a fully painted portrait of its characters and it is woven together almost seamlessly.

Thanks to the MacMillan Reading Insiders Club for offering selections I don’t even know I want until you tell me about them.

How the One-Armed Sister Sweeps Her House is a cautionary tale told to Lala by her Grandmother, which sets the stage for this incredible debut novel. Handicapped by poverty and adversity, the main characters of this book find themselves trapped in a world which demands much and offers little in return. One would think that on a tropical island such as Baxter Beach, the sun would shine equally on the lives of all of its inhabitants, but this story, with excruciating honesty, demonstrates the inequality between "the haves" and "the have nots," I loved how debut author Cherie Jones was able to weave these two perspectives, experiences, and all that comes with both, into this novel. I was absorbed in the characters and appreciated this intimate and unforgettable tale. The writing is so honest, powerful and emotional, it was difficult to read at times, but I never wanted to stop. I highly recommend this book!

I found this title interesting, and I'd heard so much about this book that it piqued my curiosity.

The pacing was often too slow for my liking. I enjoyed the strong female leads. The story was nicely detailed. Difficult themes were included (poverty, murder, sexual abuse, drug trafficking, and prostitution).

It was a dark read. There's enough darkness in real life right now, so perhaps it would've hit differently with me if I read it at a different time. There were some conflicting storylines, which made it difficult to follow at times. There's a mystery, as well, but it was a bit too slow for my preference. Overall, it just didn't hit the mark for me.

I featured this in a February roundup of titles to put on your radar … details will be shared with the publisher in the next round of this process

Wow, where to begin? Like many people, I was caught by the title of the debut novel by Cherie Jones: How The One-Armed Sister Sweeps Her House. (The title comes from a parable told to a little girl by her grandmother.) I had heard great things about this book, and it is definitely well written, with strong pacing and good character development, featuring two strong female characters and one totally awful man who all live in a small beach town on the island of Barbados in the 1980s

TBH, I never could bear the idea of going on a Caribbean vacation. Over the years, friends and family have shared terrific photos showing off their adventures at a variety of islands, featuring incredible natural beauty and deluxe accommodations. Along with the luxury tourist accommodations, many of the vacation spots seem to share another characteristic: incredible poverty just outside the boundaries of the resorts. I always thought the local people must really hate the (comparatively) rich tourists who exploit their homeland, while at the same time I realize they are likely grateful for the income from the tourist dollars. Anyway, the story features Lala, the little girl who ignores her grandmother’s cautionary tale and ends up pregnant at a young age and married to a man named Adan, a seriously bad guy. Lala and Adan are two of the main characters, along with Mira, another young woman whose chosen path out of the wrenching poverty on the island is marriage to a rich white man. When Lala is about to give birth, Adan is nowhere around, as he is out on “a job,” and shortly after the baby is born, the island is buzzing with the news of the murder of a rich white man (uh-oh).

Lala gets by working braiding hair for tourists on the beach, and her life is surely a struggle. She keeps trying to be the wife and mother she thinks she SHOULD be, but there are two issues: she married a terrible man, and her past keeps coming back to haunt her.

The book is suffused with poverty and crime (including murder, sexual abuse, and prostitution). Although it’s not a particularly difficult read, I had a real reaction to the story, and don’t really think I can say I “enjoyed” it (although it is very well written). I admit the pandemic of the past year has had a negative effect on my ability to maintain a positive attitude, and possibly if I read this book at another time, my reaction would have been different — but as my brother is fond of saying, “it is what it is.” I am stumped as to how many stars to give it. Incredible effort, and the fact that it affected me so much reinforces the fact that Cherie Jones can WRITE. But it is dark, and I am someone who battles negativity so it is only three stars from me. I know some people who will LOVE it, and I will recommend it to others, but it just wasn’t for me. Thanks to Little, Brown & Co and NetGalley for providing a copy in exchange for this honest review.

This book is great! Would definitely recommend. Thanks so much to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

I knew very little about 𝐇𝐎𝗪 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐎𝐍𝐄-𝐀𝐑𝐌𝐄𝐃 𝐒𝐈𝐒𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝐒𝗪𝐄𝐄𝐏𝐒 𝐇𝐄𝐑 𝐇𝐎𝐔𝐒𝐄 before listening to it, but I did know that with a title like that it had to be engaging, and boy was I right. Debut author Cherie Jones tells the story of Lala, a hair-braider and new mother from Baxter’s Beach, Barbados, a lovely spot for tourists, but not as much for locals. Lala finds herself married to Adan, a petty criminal (and maybe more) who also happens to have a violent streak that Lala regularly sees up close and personal. (Leaving me to mention that there might be triggers for some, including physical and sexual violence.)⁣
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To a lesser degree, this is also the story of Mrs. Whalen, a sudden widow, trying to find her footing. Jones weaves together the stories of these two women giving the reader a feel for much more than the tourist side of the island. The story started right out on disturbing notes, but was done so well, that the more I listened the more my heart broke for Lala, and the more I wanted her to find a different path. Narrator Danielle Vitalis did a beautiful job with this book, easily slipping into the different points of view and adding a gentle flare to distinguish each of the characters. 𝘏𝘰𝘸 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘖𝘯𝘦-𝘈𝘳𝘮𝘦𝘥 𝘚𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘚𝘸𝘦𝘦𝘱𝘴 𝘏𝘦𝘳 𝘏𝘰𝘶𝘴𝘦 is a book I can highly recommend, and on audio? Even better!

Thanks to Netgalley and Little, Brown &Company for an egalley in exchange for an honest review.

This novel set in Barbados tackles themes of poverty, domestic abuse, drug trafficking and the relationships between mothers and daughters. Admittedly, it took me a while to become comfortable with the multi-character narrative but I did pick up the rhythm eventually. In the end, I gave this 3 stars.



Publication Date 02/02/21
Goodreads Review 14/02/21

The debut novel, “How the One-Armed Sister Sweeps Her House” is getting rave reviews. And it’s listed as one of the most anticipated books of 2021. So I had high expectations.

Warning: This could be a triggering book. Especially for survivors of domestic violence. There’s a lot of intergenerational trauma happening. It is *very* vivid in the description of certain violent acts, which makes this a difficult read.

Briefly about the book: Our protagonist is Lala who lives on the beach, and braids hair for tourists, in Barbados. One summer her life changes in unimaginable ways. She has a baby and there’s a murder on the beach. The book is a mystery about what happened, and how these two things are connected. In fact, it weaves together the stories of three women who find themselves entangled by the events of that night.

The challenge for me was that there were too many conflicting storylines to hold my interest. This was a mystery, but definitely a slow moving one. Maybe too slow? I often felt confused about the plot, and had to stop and start the book several times. I almost gave up, but am glad I didn’t. It’s very much a literary work verses a fun uplifting read.

Special thanks to Little, Brown and Company for the advanced reader copy, via NetGalley, in exchange for my review.

The story opens with a grandmother telling her daughter a cautionary tale about two sisters: a good sister and a “bad” sister. The bad sister went to a place she was forbidden not to go to because there were monsters and got one of her arms bitten off. The grandmother warns her daughter to beware. We move on to the real story where it follows the pregnant hair-braider Lala in a small beach town in Barbados. The author takes us into the life of Lala where she is struggling to make a life for herself, to be the wife she should be, but her past keeps catching up to her. Themes include poverty, sexual abuse, poverty, crime, prostitution, and murder. I am so looking forward to obtaining my physical copy!

Thank you NetGalley and Little, Brown and Company for the ARC for my honest review.

I just reviewed How the One-Armed Sister Sweeps Her House by Cherie Jones. #HowtheOneArmedSisterSweepsHerHouse #NetGalley

It really is a testament to Jones' writing that amidst all of the violence and pain in this novel, the story pulls the reader further in. A compelling story and a complex addition to the stories of the Caribbean.

How The One Armed Sister Sweeps her house starts with a parable relating to the title and comes full circle so beautifully- that’s one of my very favorite things in fiction.

This is the story of both ex-pats and locals in Barbados and a violent incident that connects them all. We see very different sides of life, and much of this book is excruciating to read as it is an exploration of generational trauma and its impacts on families. This plot moves, and I don’t want to say too much about it as it’s best to just experience it yourself. This isn’t a mystery, but it reads like one and you will not be able to tear yourself away. It does require concentration though, as we jump through different POVs and timelines. The characters are complicated and developed, and I’m stunned this is a debut.

I know I didn’t say too much about the story, but I am absolutely saying this is a book to pick up!