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swah6008's review against another edition
emotional
lighthearted
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
The dialogue was hard to follow. Also the most interesting character got the least amount of chapters. I found the two of the four protagonists to be very shallow and superficial.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Drug use, Sexual assault, Terminal illness, and Sexual harassment
jsartin's review
Listened to the audio book. It started off slow and almost wanted to quit, but then I felt myself getting into the characters storylines. Turned out pretty good in the end.
readermonica's review against another edition
3.0
BLACKBIRDS follows four African American women through their journey to find what they want and need in love and life. Dickey does a good job making his characters feel like real people who happen to be in unique situations. The first of the Blackbirds, Indigo, has two romantic relationships with men (one present and one almost in the past) who are both unfaithful, and she still attempts to play one against the other. She claims to be a strong woman who will only love and eventually marry a strong and supportive Nigerian man. Having a Nigerian husband is not only important to Indigo's parents, but to her as well, so as to preserve the purity of her heritage. That's all well and good if that is your preference, however Indigo has desires that she surreptitiously indulges in while struggling to deny them. I understand a young woman who is struggling to find her identity and place in the word, but I found it very hard to have any empathy for Indigo. I also didn't enjoy the way that Indigo's character 'teasingly' disparages African Americans for being watered down and tainted versions of 'real' Africans. Indigo's attitude and temperament made her the least likable character in the group for me. I actually didn't want her to find happiness because of her ugly personality.
Kwanzaa struggles to find a means of trusting again after a breakup that caused her both emotional and physical trauma. The man that Kwanzaa finds also has a uniqueness that I suppose is meant to be a nice twist in the story, but I just found it odd. Especially, the first scene with Kwanzaa and her new interest returning to his apartment for the first time. It was really a 'what was that' kind of moment. The sorta kinda romance that Kwanzaa falls into also feels like unfinished business by the end of the book. I think that there may be a happy ending for Kwanzaa, but Dickey doesn't exactly say.
Destiny is hiding from a past that still haunts her. She has survived a horrific trauma, but the past can still harm her when people figure out who she is. I understood why Destiny chose to hide who she is, but the way things played out with her love interest was off as well. Her deceptions were wrong, but her love interest's betrayal was worse. Destiny does take back some of her power when a man from her past comes back into her life, but yet again, her situation and it's resolution just came off as odd and definitely unfinished.
For me, Ericka was the most likable of the four women. A bit older than the other three, she is divorced from a man that she had truly hoped to spend the rest of her life with. Although a pastor, her ex-husband couldn't be strong enough to love and care for Ericka through a serious illness. Selfishness and self righteousness on her ex-husband's part caused Ericka to end up alone and struggling to make her way through a recurring challenge. Although Ericka finds love with a man who seems to genuinely care for her, a reoccurring health issue threatens her future happiness. The ending of Ericka's story was the most disturbing for me because I know what it implied.
I enjoyed it overall, but there were some issues that kept me from loving it. Naturally, all four of the women featured in this one had major issues in their lives that get (mostly) worked through as the story progresses. Even with the kinda/sorta resolutions to the issues that each woman faces I didn't have the sense of satisfaction and real closure after I finished this long book. For the length of this story I would have liked a more fulfilling experience. This may have been Dickey's intent to make the stories feel more realistic, but it left me a bit unsettled.The main issue that I had with this one is that not one of the women featured had, or achieves, a successful romantic relationship. Why couldn't just one of these women have earned a partner who believed in fidelity and love beyond the bedroom? None of these women have partners who seem to truly want to earn and hold onto their affections. It was a little disheartening when out of four beautiful and intelligent women not one of them earns a real happily ever after. That kind of reality sucks!
You can find more from me at
•(♥).•*Monlatable Book Reviews*•.(♥)•
http://www.monlatablereviews.com/
Kwanzaa struggles to find a means of trusting again after a breakup that caused her both emotional and physical trauma. The man that Kwanzaa finds also has a uniqueness that I suppose is meant to be a nice twist in the story, but I just found it odd. Especially, the first scene with Kwanzaa and her new interest returning to his apartment for the first time. It was really a 'what was that' kind of moment. The sorta kinda romance that Kwanzaa falls into also feels like unfinished business by the end of the book. I think that there may be a happy ending for Kwanzaa, but Dickey doesn't exactly say.
Destiny is hiding from a past that still haunts her. She has survived a horrific trauma, but the past can still harm her when people figure out who she is. I understood why Destiny chose to hide who she is, but the way things played out with her love interest was off as well. Her deceptions were wrong, but her love interest's betrayal was worse. Destiny does take back some of her power when a man from her past comes back into her life, but yet again, her situation and it's resolution just came off as odd and definitely unfinished.
For me, Ericka was the most likable of the four women. A bit older than the other three, she is divorced from a man that she had truly hoped to spend the rest of her life with. Although a pastor, her ex-husband couldn't be strong enough to love and care for Ericka through a serious illness. Selfishness and self righteousness on her ex-husband's part caused Ericka to end up alone and struggling to make her way through a recurring challenge. Although Ericka finds love with a man who seems to genuinely care for her, a reoccurring health issue threatens her future happiness. The ending of Ericka's story was the most disturbing for me because I know what it implied.
I enjoyed it overall, but there were some issues that kept me from loving it. Naturally, all four of the women featured in this one had major issues in their lives that get (mostly) worked through as the story progresses. Even with the kinda/sorta resolutions to the issues that each woman faces I didn't have the sense of satisfaction and real closure after I finished this long book. For the length of this story I would have liked a more fulfilling experience. This may have been Dickey's intent to make the stories feel more realistic, but it left me a bit unsettled.The main issue that I had with this one is that not one of the women featured had, or achieves, a successful romantic relationship. Why couldn't just one of these women have earned a partner who believed in fidelity and love beyond the bedroom? None of these women have partners who seem to truly want to earn and hold onto their affections. It was a little disheartening when out of four beautiful and intelligent women not one of them earns a real happily ever after. That kind of reality sucks!
You can find more from me at
•(♥).•*Monlatable Book Reviews*•.(♥)•
http://www.monlatablereviews.com/
tbthewriter's review against another edition
2.0
EJD! Is it you? I used to love Eric Jerome Dickey and his works when I was younger. His writing style is still very elevated as far as words and descriptions and his massive vocabulary, but having said that this book did not go well for me.
The Blackbirds is the story of four African American women and friends. The story is broken up into four sections - one section for each "blackbirds" birthday. And so begins the DRAMA! That is what this book was. This book was like an episode of The Real Housewives of something or other. And I did not like that. I get it, Mr. Dickey, these girls are supposed to be young, so they know not what they do. BUT I DO! They are violent, man-obsessed and a bit crazy. The only blackbird I semi liked was Kwanzaa; and that is a hard semi!
I enjoyed revisiting some of his old character, but they were characters from other books from Dickey that I did not like that well either.
This book portrays men as dogs and self serving creatures; and while some are they are not all that way. And men are not the only thing that four intelligent women should be thinking or worrying about.
And to make matters worse, this book dragged on for over 500 pages. No sir, Mr. Dickey. I am not pleased.
I would recommend this book to fans of Dickey and his recent works.
The Blackbirds is the story of four African American women and friends. The story is broken up into four sections - one section for each "blackbirds" birthday. And so begins the DRAMA! That is what this book was. This book was like an episode of The Real Housewives of something or other. And I did not like that. I get it, Mr. Dickey, these girls are supposed to be young, so they know not what they do. BUT I DO! They are violent, man-obsessed and a bit crazy. The only blackbird I semi liked was Kwanzaa; and that is a hard semi!
I enjoyed revisiting some of his old character, but they were characters from other books from Dickey that I did not like that well either.
This book portrays men as dogs and self serving creatures; and while some are they are not all that way. And men are not the only thing that four intelligent women should be thinking or worrying about.
And to make matters worse, this book dragged on for over 500 pages. No sir, Mr. Dickey. I am not pleased.
I would recommend this book to fans of Dickey and his recent works.
lulureads365's review against another edition
2.0
This was a 2.5 for me. This seems like EJD's version on "Waiting to Exhale". The story was really slow for me and a little too wordy, which i guess turned out ok because you were really able to see what each of the ladies were going through. I'm not really a fan of EJD, but this was ok. There really wasn't a plot, but I think that's what works for EJD.
nixwolfwood's review against another edition
3.0
I first saw this on First to Read, but I didn't win it. I did put a hold on it when my library got the audio version though. I don't read much erotica, so I figured it was time to read one of them to spice things up.
This story focuses on 4 different woman, but is narrated by one. One of my least favorite things about audiobooks with multiple POVs is that often times the narrator doesn't do enough to separate the characters. Adenrele Ojo does a pretty great job at giving each of them their own voice and personality.
Each of these women are completely different, and it is almost hard to see how they have any sort of connection. There is much drama surrounding each of the main characters and their relationships.
Read more here:
http://www.platypire.com/j-hooligan/the-blackbirds-by-eric-jerome-dickey
This story focuses on 4 different woman, but is narrated by one. One of my least favorite things about audiobooks with multiple POVs is that often times the narrator doesn't do enough to separate the characters. Adenrele Ojo does a pretty great job at giving each of them their own voice and personality.
Each of these women are completely different, and it is almost hard to see how they have any sort of connection. There is much drama surrounding each of the main characters and their relationships.
Read more here:
http://www.platypire.com/j-hooligan/the-blackbirds-by-eric-jerome-dickey
shereadytoread's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
This book was difficult for me. There is a lot of heavy content combined with outlandish behavior. Overall, it is a story of 4 women bonded by friendship and is split into sections based on each person's birthday, however the POV focuses on different women from chapter to chapter so even though it is grouped, it often comes off disjointed. I wanted to love it, especially with the recent death of the author. I love the concept. I love the intention. I don't love the execution. I will say, the ending was so good (the reason I gave this book 3 stars instead of 2), but it was a long road getting there.
Pros:
- wonderful display of friendship even when lines are crossed
- complex women who are different but it makes sense that they work together
- displays the difficulty of family relationships and that even loving families have their downfalls
- some small nuggets of life lessons
- wonderful display of friendship even when lines are crossed
- complex women who are different but it makes sense that they work together
- displays the difficulty of family relationships and that even loving families have their downfalls
- some small nuggets of life lessons
Cons:
- there is heavy biphobia and homophobia throughout even when characters engage in same sex sexual encounters
- over the top displays of domestic violence that go without any consequence
- a book that is supposed to be about female friendships is so heavily focused on the women pursuing men. Almost every single conversation these women have is about the men they are pursuing
- all of the relationships are rather dysfunctional so there is nothing to really invest in or root for
- the women themselves aren't especially likeable (I'm unsure if this is a pro or a con, as I hate the idea that women have to be "likeable" and "nice" 24/7 but all of them????)
- there is heavy biphobia and homophobia throughout even when characters engage in same sex sexual encounters
- over the top displays of domestic violence that go without any consequence
- a book that is supposed to be about female friendships is so heavily focused on the women pursuing men. Almost every single conversation these women have is about the men they are pursuing
- all of the relationships are rather dysfunctional so there is nothing to really invest in or root for
- the women themselves aren't especially likeable (I'm unsure if this is a pro or a con, as I hate the idea that women have to be "likeable" and "nice" 24/7 but all of them????)
empress_extra's review
5.0
*Notice: The only spoiler mentioned in this review is about the ending of one of EJD's earlier works*
I have written to EJD often asking for closure from "Friends & Lovers" as it is my most favorite book. I hated the way Leonard and Debra's story ended and I needed some serious closure that I have begged him to give me and he finally relented. I couldn't be more satisfied or elated to be reconnected with Debra and to see how her life transpired after Leonard's death in "F & L". Besides that need being met, I really, I mean really enjoyed this book. Reading about black women learning from each other's life journey was very refreshing. This book is all the #friendshipgoals we dream about. Oh, and, the very last section titled "Ericka's Birthday" and the empty page that follows was genius. It allowed me to write my own ending which gave me my own satisfaction. Wow, this was just and awesome read and if you are a fan of EJD's work, I'm certain you'll feel the same way.
I have written to EJD often asking for closure from "Friends & Lovers" as it is my most favorite book. I hated the way Leonard and Debra's story ended and I needed some serious closure that I have begged him to give me and he finally relented. I couldn't be more satisfied or elated to be reconnected with Debra and to see how her life transpired after Leonard's death in "F & L". Besides that need being met, I really, I mean really enjoyed this book. Reading about black women learning from each other's life journey was very refreshing. This book is all the #friendshipgoals we dream about. Oh, and, the very last section titled "Ericka's Birthday" and the empty page that follows was genius. It allowed me to write my own ending which gave me my own satisfaction. Wow, this was just and awesome read and if you are a fan of EJD's work, I'm certain you'll feel the same way.
readermonica's review
3.0
BLACKBIRDS follows four African American women through their journey to find what they want and need in love and life. Dickey does a good job making his characters feel like real people who happen to be in unique situations. The first of the Blackbirds, Indigo, has two romantic relationships with men (one present and one almost in the past) who are both unfaithful, and she still attempts to play one against the other. She claims to be a strong woman who will only love and eventually marry a strong and supportive Nigerian man. Having a Nigerian husband is not only important to Indigo's parents, but to her as well, so as to preserve the purity of her heritage. That's all well and good if that is your preference, however Indigo has desires that she surreptitiously indulges in while struggling to deny them. I understand a young woman who is struggling to find her identity and place in the word, but I found it very hard to have any empathy for Indigo. I also didn't enjoy the way that Indigo's character 'teasingly' disparages African Americans for being watered down and tainted versions of 'real' Africans. Indigo's attitude and temperament made her the least likable character in the group for me. I actually didn't want her to find happiness because of her ugly personality.
Kwanzaa struggles to find a means of trusting again after a breakup that caused her both emotional and physical trauma. The man that Kwanzaa finds also has a uniqueness that I suppose is meant to be a nice twist in the story, but I just found it odd. Especially, the first scene with Kwanzaa and her new interest returning to his apartment for the first time. It was really a 'what was that' kind of moment. The sorta kinda romance that Kwanzaa falls into also feels like unfinished business by the end of the book. I think that there may be a happy ending for Kwanzaa, but Dickey doesn't exactly say.
Destiny is hiding from a past that still haunts her. She has survived a horrific trauma, but the past can still harm her when people figure out who she is. I understood why Destiny chose to hide who she is, but the way things played out with her love interest was off as well. Her deceptions were wrong, but her love interest's betrayal was worse. Destiny does take back some of her power when a man from her past comes back into her life, but yet again, her situation and it's resolution just came off as odd and definitely unfinished.
For me, Ericka was the most likable of the four women. A bit older than the other three, she is divorced from a man that she had truly hoped to spend the rest of her life with. Although a pastor, her ex-husband couldn't be strong enough to love and care for Ericka through a serious illness. Selfishness and self righteousness on her ex-husband's part caused Ericka to end up alone and struggling to make her way through a recurring challenge. Although Ericka finds love with a man who seems to genuinely care for her, a reoccurring health issue threatens her future happiness. The ending of Ericka's story was the most disturbing for me because I know what it implied.
This is my first book by Dickey and I enjoyed it overall, but there were some issues that kept me from loving it. Naturally, all four of the women featured in this one had major issues in their lives that get (mostly) worked through as the story progresses. Even with the kinda/sorta resolutions to the issues that each woman faces I didn't have the sense of satisfaction and real closure after I finished this long book. For the length of this story I would have liked a more fulfilling experience. This may have been Dickey's intent to make the stories feel more realistic, but it left me a bit unsettled.The main issue that I had with this one is that not one of the women featured had, or achieves, a successful romantic relationship. Why couldn't just one of these women have earned a partner who believed in fidelity and love beyond the bedroom? None of these women have partners who seem to truly want to earn and hold onto their affections. It was a little disheartening when out of four beautiful and intelligent women not one of them earns a real happily ever after. That kind of reality sucks!
You can find more from me at
•(♥).•*Monlatable Book Reviews*•.(♥)•
http://www.monlatablereviews.com/
Kwanzaa struggles to find a means of trusting again after a breakup that caused her both emotional and physical trauma. The man that Kwanzaa finds also has a uniqueness that I suppose is meant to be a nice twist in the story, but I just found it odd. Especially, the first scene with Kwanzaa and her new interest returning to his apartment for the first time. It was really a 'what was that' kind of moment. The sorta kinda romance that Kwanzaa falls into also feels like unfinished business by the end of the book. I think that there may be a happy ending for Kwanzaa, but Dickey doesn't exactly say.
Destiny is hiding from a past that still haunts her. She has survived a horrific trauma, but the past can still harm her when people figure out who she is. I understood why Destiny chose to hide who she is, but the way things played out with her love interest was off as well. Her deceptions were wrong, but her love interest's betrayal was worse. Destiny does take back some of her power when a man from her past comes back into her life, but yet again, her situation and it's resolution just came off as odd and definitely unfinished.
For me, Ericka was the most likable of the four women. A bit older than the other three, she is divorced from a man that she had truly hoped to spend the rest of her life with. Although a pastor, her ex-husband couldn't be strong enough to love and care for Ericka through a serious illness. Selfishness and self righteousness on her ex-husband's part caused Ericka to end up alone and struggling to make her way through a recurring challenge. Although Ericka finds love with a man who seems to genuinely care for her, a reoccurring health issue threatens her future happiness. The ending of Ericka's story was the most disturbing for me because I know what it implied.
This is my first book by Dickey and I enjoyed it overall, but there were some issues that kept me from loving it. Naturally, all four of the women featured in this one had major issues in their lives that get (mostly) worked through as the story progresses. Even with the kinda/sorta resolutions to the issues that each woman faces I didn't have the sense of satisfaction and real closure after I finished this long book. For the length of this story I would have liked a more fulfilling experience. This may have been Dickey's intent to make the stories feel more realistic, but it left me a bit unsettled.The main issue that I had with this one is that not one of the women featured had, or achieves, a successful romantic relationship. Why couldn't just one of these women have earned a partner who believed in fidelity and love beyond the bedroom? None of these women have partners who seem to truly want to earn and hold onto their affections. It was a little disheartening when out of four beautiful and intelligent women not one of them earns a real happily ever after. That kind of reality sucks!
You can find more from me at
•(♥).•*Monlatable Book Reviews*•.(♥)•
http://www.monlatablereviews.com/
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