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kelly_e's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Author: James McBride
Genre: Literary Fiction
Rating: 5.00
Pub Date: August 8, 2023
T H R E E • W O R D S
Human • Meandering • Hopeful
📖 S Y N O P S I S
In 1972, when workers in Pottstown, Pennsylvania, were digging the foundations for a new development, the last thing they expected to find was a skeleton at the bottom of a well. Who the skeleton was and how it got there were two of the long-held secrets kept by the residents of Chicken Hill, the dilapidated neighborhood where immigrant Jews and African Americans lived side by side and shared ambitions and sorrows. Chicken Hill was where Moshe and Chona Ludlow lived when Moshe integrated his theater and where Chona ran the Heaven & Earth Grocery Store. When the state came looking for a deaf boy to institutionalize him, it was Chona and Nate Timblin, the Black janitor at Moshe’s theater and the unofficial leader of the Black community on Chicken Hill, who worked together to keep the boy safe.
As these characters’ stories overlap and deepen, it becomes clear how much the people who live on the margins of white, Christian America struggle and what they must do to survive. When the truth is finally revealed about what happened on Chicken Hill and the part the town’s white establishment played in it, McBride shows us that even in dark times, it is love and community—heaven and earth—that sustain us.
💭 T H O U G H T S
I just had that special feeling about The Heaven & Earth Grocery Store when I first stumbled across it while researching upcoming releases in early 2023. There was no hesitating adding it to my TBR and I became more and more curious about it as it garnered allocades, especially when awarded the Barnes & Nobles Book of the Year Award. Because of all of this I was ecstatic when it was chosen as our March pick for my in-person book club.
McBride introduces the reader to a substantial cast of characters, and intentionally takes a slow, meandering approach in order to deliver an incredibly human story that culminates in a satisfying ending. There is no denying it does take some time to get settled into the complex lives and relationships between these characters, yet the payoff is huge in the end. What made this such a unique reading experience for me, is there is no one central character, rather each new character becomes the main character at a different point in the story. In this way, McBride offers a melting pot community, who despite their individual struggles and differences bond together in order to help one of their own. The real magic is how McBride demonstrates how the worst of us often leads to the best of us when it really counts. It really is pure magic!
The Heaven & Earth Grocery Store is one of those stories that just got better and better with each page. What started out as an average read soon turned into so much more, culminating in my five-star review. Each piece of the puzzle was absolutely necessary in completing the picture. I can definitely understand the polarizing reviews as this book isn't going to work for everyone, but it was most definitely for me. This was my first venture into James McBride's work and I will be exploring his backlist further.
📚 R E A D • I F • Y O U • L I K E
• character driven stories
• quiet narratives
• jazz music
⚠️ CW: racism, racial slurs, antisemitism, xenophobia, religious bigotry, sexual assault, sexual violence, rape, child abuse, pedophilia, violence, forced institutionalization, ableism, death, death of parent, grief, medical trauma, medical content, chronic illness, excrement, classism, alcohol, infertility, cursing
🔖 F A V O U R I T E • Q U O T E S
"Light is only possible through dialogue between cultures, not through rejection of one or the other."
"Kindness. Love. Principle. It runs the world."
Graphic: Ableism, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Xenophobia, Antisemitism, and Religious bigotry
Moderate: Child abuse, Chronic illness, Death, Pedophilia, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Excrement, Medical content, Grief, Medical trauma, and Classism
Minor: Cursing, Infertility, Death of parent, and Alcohol
death of partnerrorikae's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Starting with a body being found in a well, the story then goes back in time to follow the story of the different characters that live in Pottstown. This largely Jewish and Black town has seen its fair share of tragedy, hardships, and adapting to changing times. Exploring each character and how their lives intersect with those around them, McBride slowly takes us through time to answer whose body is at the bottom of that well.
McBride does an excellent job of creating a multilayered, complex story of one small community. Told through vibrant characters full of faults, it feels as if McBride has observed these characters instead of creating them. They feel that true to life. It is easy to get swept up in their lives. The body at the beginning sets off an interesting question but really this story shines in the down to earth characters going about their daily lives.
Graphic: Misogyny, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexual assault, Forced institutionalization, Antisemitism, Grief, Medical trauma, Murder, and Gaslighting
readingwithredandthemagpie's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
Moderate: Ableism, Pedophilia, Racism, Sexual assault, Forced institutionalization, Excrement, Antisemitism, and Grief
zombiezami's review against another edition
4.5
Graphic: Ableism, Cancer, Child abuse, Child death, Chronic illness, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Emotional abuse, Hate crime, Pedophilia, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexual assault, Terminal illness, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Xenophobia, Excrement, Antisemitism, Medical content, Grief, Religious bigotry, Medical trauma, Stalking, Outing, Gaslighting, and Abandonment
Moderate: Infertility, Mental illness, Misogyny, Death of parent, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Alcohol, and Colonisation
Minor: Slavery and War
lindseyph's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Ableism, Child abuse, Death, Mental illness, Racism, Sexual assault, Terminal illness, Antisemitism, Grief, Murder, and Sexual harassment
tiamia1084's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Graphic: Child abuse, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Pedophilia, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexual violence, Forced institutionalization, Antisemitism, Grief, Medical trauma, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Ableism, Excrement, and Death of parent
jade_reads's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Ableism, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Forced institutionalization, and Antisemitism
Moderate: Hate crime, Mental illness, Pedophilia, Sexual assault, Forced institutionalization, Xenophobia, Police brutality, Grief, Medical trauma, and Injury/Injury detail
noshinbean's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Graphic: Ableism, Child abuse, Death, Fatphobia, Hate crime, Pedophilia, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Sexual assault, Torture, Forced institutionalization, Xenophobia, Excrement, Antisemitism, Grief, Medical trauma, and Injury/Injury detail
amandalachelle's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
3.0
Graphic: Child abuse, Chronic illness, Confinement, Death, Domestic abuse, Hate crime, Mental illness, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Terminal illness, Forced institutionalization, Excrement, Police brutality, Antisemitism, Grief, Religious bigotry, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
mysteryspouse's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Graphic: Ableism, Body horror, Cancer, Child abuse, Chronic illness, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Hate crime, Pedophilia, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Terminal illness, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Xenophobia, Antisemitism, Medical content, Colonisation, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
Moderate: Mental illness, Excrement, Vomit, Police brutality, Grief, Death of parent, and Alcohol
Minor: Infertility and Slavery