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lulureads365's review
4.0
4.5= This was a powerful read and I don’t think I’ve been this affected by a novel in a while. I had to take a lot of breaks while reading, because of the horrific racism that takes place and still I was emotionally exhausted after finishing this book.
It’s a beautifully written story, but so brutal and honest. There is a lot of violence, racism, and death but on the flip side you have faith, courage, wisdom, love, and strength.
I’d recommend this to those historical fiction readers who can handle the reality of what has truly happened in this country.
It’s a beautifully written story, but so brutal and honest. There is a lot of violence, racism, and death but on the flip side you have faith, courage, wisdom, love, and strength.
I’d recommend this to those historical fiction readers who can handle the reality of what has truly happened in this country.
stevienlcf's review
4.0
“Promise” opens in 1957, the year that Eisenhower signed the Civil Rights Act, and the newly enacted law has set the nation on edge. “Promise” is set in New England, rather than in the more predictable south, but it is this remove from the civil rights movement that brings intimacy to Griffths’ subject. Griffiths focuses on the Kindred family, two teenagers, Ezra, and her younger sister, Hyacinth, the novel’s narrator, their dying mother, Jolene, and their father, Heron, who is employed as a teacher at Hobert, a private school in Salt Point, Maine.
The Kindred family is steeped in tragedy. In 1902, Heron’s grandparents were murdered at the hands of Christian men asserting their divine rights and economic supremacy over people prospering on a spit of land that they called Damascus — a site in Delaware that was so small that it would never be officially recognized. Hyacinth’s mother was abandoned on church steps and raised in a convent, and Heron lost an arm and a younger brother in a freak automobile accident.
Although largely ignored by the villagers who were “slightly fearful” of the Kindreds, or blithely tossed in the anonymous ranks of “Negro girls” at Hobert who were overlooked by their teacher and picked on by their peers, Ezra and Hyacinth are driven by a distinct sense of their own ability and are taught to “Stay on the Path.” This becomes more challenging as they observe Caesar Junkett, the school’s custodian and the head of the only other black family in Salt Point, suffer increasing indignities at the hands of a new teacher, Diane Alley. Miss Alley claims that Mr. Caesar stole her purse leading to his arrest by the police officer who had been stealthily terrorizing the Kindreds and the Junketts.
The tension continues to escalate when Miss Alley befriends Ruby Skaggs, a white girl who was friendly with the Kindred girls because she was so poor that “she was viewed on a level not too far above our own position.” Although Ruby was neglected by her mother and beaten by her father (who has his own hellacious backstory), she has aspirations to be a pilot and to “make new stories where she was a hero.” When Ruby feels that Irene Junkett had treated her as if she were Emmett Till’s accuser “Caroline Bryant crying crocodile tears down in Money, Mississippi,” she overreacts. The girls’ relationship is irretrievably breached and Ruby then casts her lot with Miss Alley with dire consequences for all of the characters.
Griffiths is Salman Rushdie’s fifth wife, but her considerable literary gifts should not be sidelined by her marriage to the distinguished writer. Her talent as a poet is on display in her luminous and richly descriptive writing about a close-knit family who must protect themselves from the racial violence of the time and who question whether the teachings of Martin Luther King, Jr. and the advancements of the NAACP will ever reach Salt Point. As one of the characters recites, “This world promises us harm, and there is nothing you can do about it, except to have the nerve to love your life.”
The Kindred family is steeped in tragedy. In 1902, Heron’s grandparents were murdered at the hands of Christian men asserting their divine rights and economic supremacy over people prospering on a spit of land that they called Damascus — a site in Delaware that was so small that it would never be officially recognized. Hyacinth’s mother was abandoned on church steps and raised in a convent, and Heron lost an arm and a younger brother in a freak automobile accident.
Although largely ignored by the villagers who were “slightly fearful” of the Kindreds, or blithely tossed in the anonymous ranks of “Negro girls” at Hobert who were overlooked by their teacher and picked on by their peers, Ezra and Hyacinth are driven by a distinct sense of their own ability and are taught to “Stay on the Path.” This becomes more challenging as they observe Caesar Junkett, the school’s custodian and the head of the only other black family in Salt Point, suffer increasing indignities at the hands of a new teacher, Diane Alley. Miss Alley claims that Mr. Caesar stole her purse leading to his arrest by the police officer who had been stealthily terrorizing the Kindreds and the Junketts.
The tension continues to escalate when Miss Alley befriends Ruby Skaggs, a white girl who was friendly with the Kindred girls because she was so poor that “she was viewed on a level not too far above our own position.” Although Ruby was neglected by her mother and beaten by her father (who has his own hellacious backstory), she has aspirations to be a pilot and to “make new stories where she was a hero.” When Ruby feels that Irene Junkett had treated her as if she were Emmett Till’s accuser “Caroline Bryant crying crocodile tears down in Money, Mississippi,” she overreacts. The girls’ relationship is irretrievably breached and Ruby then casts her lot with Miss Alley with dire consequences for all of the characters.
Griffiths is Salman Rushdie’s fifth wife, but her considerable literary gifts should not be sidelined by her marriage to the distinguished writer. Her talent as a poet is on display in her luminous and richly descriptive writing about a close-knit family who must protect themselves from the racial violence of the time and who question whether the teachings of Martin Luther King, Jr. and the advancements of the NAACP will ever reach Salt Point. As one of the characters recites, “This world promises us harm, and there is nothing you can do about it, except to have the nerve to love your life.”
blackloreuk's review
dark
emotional
informative
mysterious
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
mmariericker's review
dark
emotional
sad
slow-paced
- 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
4.25
This book is beautifully written — the author is a poet — but wowza is it depressing. Both parents die, the sisters are broken up, Ruby's storyline is totally unresolved but SAD considering she was SOLD by her parents and is pregnant at 14?! It takes some unflinching looks at racism in the North in the 50s, which isn't something I'd really ever read about. But this was not a book that was easy to read. Had to take it in in small chunks.
kendra_kendra's review
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
readingrara's review against another edition
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
Set during a period when black rights are at the forefront, two families suffer horrible racism reminiscent of a earlier time.
ukponge's review
challenging
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism, Violence, Racial slurs, Death of parent, and Child abuse
booksandwine84's review
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
3.0
I received an advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. Thank you to author Rachel Eliza Griffiths & Net Galley for the opportunity to read this work.
The book is from the perspective of 13 year old Cinthy. She, along with her sister, Ezra, and their parents, are one of the only 2 black families in Salt Pointe, Maine during the 1950s. The book shows that this small coastal town is not much different from any US town during the pre Civil Rights era. The book explores race relations and its impact outside of the South. The story is both endearing and heartwarming, however, it is mixed with tragedy and heartache. What begins as an innocent appearing relationship between Ezra, Cinthy, and Ezra’s friend, Ruby (a white girl), one soon realizes the dynamic is about to change.
This is a beautifully written book. The writing is a bit mature to be from a 13 year old’s perspective, however, the storyline is easy to follow. It’s a slow read but again it is so beautifully written that I didn’t mind it. There are some parts that feel unfinished (such as Ruby’s fate after the “adoption” and her condition) along with Ezra’s fate. Maybe there’s a sequel to come?
The book is from the perspective of 13 year old Cinthy. She, along with her sister, Ezra, and their parents, are one of the only 2 black families in Salt Pointe, Maine during the 1950s. The book shows that this small coastal town is not much different from any US town during the pre Civil Rights era. The book explores race relations and its impact outside of the South. The story is both endearing and heartwarming, however, it is mixed with tragedy and heartache. What begins as an innocent appearing relationship between Ezra, Cinthy, and Ezra’s friend, Ruby (a white girl), one soon realizes the dynamic is about to change.
This is a beautifully written book. The writing is a bit mature to be from a 13 year old’s perspective, however, the storyline is easy to follow. It’s a slow read but again it is so beautifully written that I didn’t mind it. There are some parts that feel unfinished (such as Ruby’s fate after the “adoption” and her condition) along with Ezra’s fate. Maybe there’s a sequel to come?
abbiesbooknook's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
serendipitysbooks's review against another edition
dark
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- 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? It's complicated
4.0
This story is a good reminder that in 1950s America significant acts of racism including police harassment, and threats to their life and livelihood were not confined to the South. It’s set in a small town in Maine where there are just two Black families, and is narrated by 13 year old Cinthy. While the level of violence is far from the worst I’ve read there was something about the cold, conniving, calculated cruelty that the Black families faced, the way white people conspired against them, which made this a particularly hard read. I hate it when children lose their innocence so this book really got to me in that regard. It was beautifully written and I loved the way the love, strength and support of the Kindred and Junkett families shone through. The character of Ruby, a white girl who was once friends with Cinthy’s sister, was complex, complicated and nuanced. My heart was broken by the abuse she suffered, but equally broken, as well as infuriated and horrified by the abuse she perpetrated.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism, Violence, Child abuse, and Death of parent