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100pagesaday's review
4.0
Cora James works as a librarian in Harlem. As a black woman in 1928, she is attune to the struggles of the women around her. Cora longs to be a writer and strongly identifies with a poem written by library patron and friend, Langston Hughes. Cora begins corresponding with Langston and divulges her dream. Langston encourages Cora to enter a writing contest by the National Urban League. However, Cora's life soon takes a turn as she is encouraged by her family to take a leave from the library to help her cousin Agnes by filling in as a family cook for the Fitzgerald family. Cora reluctantly does her duty for the family and finds that she has time to write as well as a unique insight into family life different from her own, yet still struggling with the same emotional burdens. Over the weeks, Cora forms a friendship with Eleanor Fitzgerald and shows Eleanor her writing. With encouragement from Eleanor and Langston, Cora finishes a story to submit.
Cora's Kitchen is a historical fiction story showing the emotional struggle and mental weight that black women must bear. Through the writing I could feel Cora's passion for her writing and her strong connection with the pains of all women. I could definitely connect with her feelings of wanting more out of life than being a good wife and mother. I loved the unlikely connection between Cora and Eleanor and how they were able to help one another grow and give one another the courage to get what they wanted out of life. Eleanor was a surprising character, growing in depth through the story and revealing an inner strength. Cora's correspondence with Langston Hughes adds another point of view to the story and I loved reading their letters to one another. I'm glad that Langston challenged Cora and that Cora was able to stand up for herself, her work and the struggles that all women face.
This book was received for free in return for an honest review.
Cora's Kitchen is a historical fiction story showing the emotional struggle and mental weight that black women must bear. Through the writing I could feel Cora's passion for her writing and her strong connection with the pains of all women. I could definitely connect with her feelings of wanting more out of life than being a good wife and mother. I loved the unlikely connection between Cora and Eleanor and how they were able to help one another grow and give one another the courage to get what they wanted out of life. Eleanor was a surprising character, growing in depth through the story and revealing an inner strength. Cora's correspondence with Langston Hughes adds another point of view to the story and I loved reading their letters to one another. I'm glad that Langston challenged Cora and that Cora was able to stand up for herself, her work and the struggles that all women face.
This book was received for free in return for an honest review.
dai2daireader's review
4.0
This book delves into what it means to take care of others coupled with following a dream. Cora is really struggling with this. Her journey towards exploring her passion of writing is anything but straightforward and she could find herself in a position to lose everything. A major theme explored is what a woman’s stereotypical role in her household is versus her sense of self as a woman. This book moved at a slow pace for the first half but it really picked up in the second half and I found it to be a fascinating read!
nevertheless_she_reads's review
slow-paced
3.0
I enjoy books written in epistolary format. Letters between Cora and Langston Hughes were tucked between chapters, which really added to the story. I enjoyed Cora's emotional strength and desire to follow her passions. Without giving it away, there are a few twists to Cora's story I couldn't have predicted, one of which involves her relationship to Langston. The other involving the white woman. I loved the feminist elements, where Cora stays true to herself and goes to extreme measures to protect the other women in her life. Cora's Kitchen highlights the inequities of women based on skin color and class, but Cora's resilience shines through on every page.
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