A Fifty Year Silence by Miranda Richmond Mouillot| Rating: ★★★☆☆

“The point of a fairy tale is never in the details. The point is that it's easy to remember, to carry, to tell. We'll continue telling until the stones fall down, and then we'll rebuild and start again.”

As a note, this novel was sent to me by the publisher in exchange for a review. This does not effect my opinions in any way.

A Fifty Year Silence is an excellently written piece of literature that will captivate its audience as they uncover truth in author Miranda Richmond Mouillot's estranged grandparents story. This is the next memoir you should pick up. Miranda takes a path that will never completely bore her audience and make them feel included in her journey of discovering the history of her family. She has the perfect balance between her grandmother's and grandfathers, and it's easy to see how fascinated she was in telling this tale/discovering more.

Inclusion, the readers will certainly feel included in the pages. You feel as though you're right beside her in her discoveries and although there are times which come across as muddled and confusing, there is a certain sense of knowledge in the pages that pass. Miranda, you should note, is a phenomenal writer -- her style cannot be described as anything except fresh and to the point.

Frankly, it feels as though she could write out a grocery list and make it sound good. I'm not even kidding -- her writing is just wonderful. And warm. And informative. And... lovely. Although the story dragged on at times and left me with many questions by the end of her research, the way she tells the story is what will keep you thoroughly engaged and will leave you with several quotable passages. Miranda's writing is pure poetry and a delight to read.


An author's job is to include the reader, engage them into the words they write and make them feel something. A Fifty Year Silence will make your heart feel a many things and keep the wheels in our minds turning. This isn't a story that will leave you right away and that is fantastic in its own right. Miranda accomplishes all this in her words and I applaud her for it.

It was very interesting to see how her grandma and grandpa's lives were entwined and how exactly they fell apart. We have a background of history and more that meshes into the story in a way that is indescribable.

You know based upon the blurb or summary why her grandmother had left, at a pretty awful time, but all the research that was done in figuring out more and more of this piece of her family's history is quite interesting. Really, hearing the different sides of the who's and the why's was intriguing and made it impossible to put down. You wanted to know exactly what went through the grandmother's mind in particular -- because why?

I don't want to spoil too much of the story itself -- but I want to say it was very informative and easy to follow. Miranda, as I said earlier, has the perfect voice for literature. She's a true gift and I cannot wait to hear more from her in the future. For now, it was great to hear these sides and this history in a voice that is unique and undeniably French.

A Fifty Year Silence is a warm, unforgettable memoir that opens the doors to family discovery and brings each reader into the thick of it all. It's a tale family history and discovering the past at its very best: incredibly moving. My biggest complaint was that it was too short. This is perfect for all ages.