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finnseelensmith's review
dark
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.25
lizmart88's review
emotional
hopeful
fast-paced
- 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
3.5
bobbieshiann's review
emotional
informative
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
“In our families we can pass hurt, same as we can pass new life. Baby, I don’t want no more hurt passed to you”.
A story within a story within a story at a time when Jim Crow seemed centered in the South, but in Maine during the 1950s, Salt Point held no discreteness as racism could not pass up two quiet Black families that aimed to educate and protect their children from the world. During the beginning of the civil rights movement, narrated by a 13-year-old, Cinthy Kindred lives in a space where she is connected to the earth and her family's past, and she must navigate through her feelings as what she once knew is no longer what will be. Within Cinthy's journey throughout the storyline, different characters share their perspectives, so as readers, we understand how they all came to be.
The summer before school is to start up again in 1957, Cinthy introduces us to her sister Ezra and Ezra’s best friend, Ruby, who happens to be white. In a moment of reveling between all three girls, Ezra understands that her friendship with Ruby is limited because, even though Ruby is poor, she will always be more privileged, and eventually she will succumb to what can be termed her "true nature". "Who is Ruby to us? When she starts her easy talk about the struggle and the Man, when she explains salvation and the uplift of our people to us, we withdraw, fastening our lips together until that kind of talk passes over and Ruby remembers, finally, that she is white". Ezra always counters Ruby with the fact that she is poor and gets beat black and blue by her alcoholic father, who does not care where Ruby’s next meal comes from.
Ruby’s point of view is important throughout the story as we watch a young white girl's dream to fly airplanes is shattered by false love, abuse, and the need to appeal to something more to be seen, and with doing so, her family sells her off. The irony is so loud as you are now a simple price tag and have some actual connection to Black people. "Her parents it seemed, it seemed—her mother really—had settled on a price, a finite value, for their only living child". Ruby’s parents, a mother who cannot get past her pageant days leading nowhere and a father whose demons leave him drunk and abusive, have Ruby striving for her own way out.
With the demons lying dormant in Ruby’s father, the death of their teacher, and a racist sheriff intimidating them, Cinthy and her family’s lives start to unravel fast! Through the connections Cinthy’s family has with the Junkettts, the only other Black family in Salt Point, Maine, they face tragedy, heroism, abuse, and happy encounters that create a bond that seeps into each character individually. Through flashbacks of Cinthy’s family's past, we learn of how her ancestors struggled for freedom but also loved hard and wholeheartedly.
Promise is captivating, harsh, and a reality that cannot be ignored. There is no clear-cut happy ending because blood has been shed and death has happened, but we see Cinthy and Ezra grow, and even though they are separated in the end both physically and in how they see the world, their love for each other is everlasting.
A story within a story within a story at a time when Jim Crow seemed centered in the South, but in Maine during the 1950s, Salt Point held no discreteness as racism could not pass up two quiet Black families that aimed to educate and protect their children from the world. During the beginning of the civil rights movement, narrated by a 13-year-old, Cinthy Kindred lives in a space where she is connected to the earth and her family's past, and she must navigate through her feelings as what she once knew is no longer what will be. Within Cinthy's journey throughout the storyline, different characters share their perspectives, so as readers, we understand how they all came to be.
The summer before school is to start up again in 1957, Cinthy introduces us to her sister Ezra and Ezra’s best friend, Ruby, who happens to be white. In a moment of reveling between all three girls, Ezra understands that her friendship with Ruby is limited because, even though Ruby is poor, she will always be more privileged, and eventually she will succumb to what can be termed her "true nature". "Who is Ruby to us? When she starts her easy talk about the struggle and the Man, when she explains salvation and the uplift of our people to us, we withdraw, fastening our lips together until that kind of talk passes over and Ruby remembers, finally, that she is white". Ezra always counters Ruby with the fact that she is poor and gets beat black and blue by her alcoholic father, who does not care where Ruby’s next meal comes from.
Ruby’s point of view is important throughout the story as we watch a young white girl's dream to fly airplanes is shattered by false love, abuse, and the need to appeal to something more to be seen, and with doing so, her family sells her off. The irony is so loud as you are now a simple price tag and have some actual connection to Black people. "Her parents it seemed, it seemed—her mother really—had settled on a price, a finite value, for their only living child". Ruby’s parents, a mother who cannot get past her pageant days leading nowhere and a father whose demons leave him drunk and abusive, have Ruby striving for her own way out.
With the demons lying dormant in Ruby’s father, the death of their teacher, and a racist sheriff intimidating them, Cinthy and her family’s lives start to unravel fast! Through the connections Cinthy’s family has with the Junkettts, the only other Black family in Salt Point, Maine, they face tragedy, heroism, abuse, and happy encounters that create a bond that seeps into each character individually. Through flashbacks of Cinthy’s family's past, we learn of how her ancestors struggled for freedom but also loved hard and wholeheartedly.
Promise is captivating, harsh, and a reality that cannot be ignored. There is no clear-cut happy ending because blood has been shed and death has happened, but we see Cinthy and Ezra grow, and even though they are separated in the end both physically and in how they see the world, their love for each other is everlasting.
themodvictorian's review
dark
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
melc's review against another edition
dark
emotional
hopeful
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.25
This was a beautifully written coming of age story about class, race, generational trauma and the bond of family.
The centre of this novel was the Kindred family who each responded to the hardships life threw at them in vastly different ways. I really felt immersed in their story at times and felt the characterisation in this novel was very strong.
There were really powerful, heartbreaking moments describing terrible, violent racism which were hard to read.
I did struggle a little with the way this book concluded. The way the author showed how the whole family's individual stories became a whole in the youngest generation was very poetic. However, I felt that too many threads had been left hanging leaving me wanting more.
The strength though of the Kindred family shines through in this novel showing that despite their devastation and destruction they will rise above it. Speaking for a people this was a powerful message.
This honest review is given with thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this book.
The centre of this novel was the Kindred family who each responded to the hardships life threw at them in vastly different ways. I really felt immersed in their story at times and felt the characterisation in this novel was very strong.
There were really powerful, heartbreaking moments describing terrible, violent racism which were hard to read.
I did struggle a little with the way this book concluded. The way the author showed how the whole family's individual stories became a whole in the youngest generation was very poetic. However, I felt that too many threads had been left hanging leaving me wanting more.
The strength though of the Kindred family shines through in this novel showing that despite their devastation and destruction they will rise above it. Speaking for a people this was a powerful message.
This honest review is given with thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this book.
mixedreader's review
challenging
emotional
sad
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? No
4.75
halkid2's review
dark
emotional
informative
inspiring
tense
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? No
4.25
Note: I received early access to this manuscript in exchange for writing an impartial review. Publication Date: July 11, 2023.
A powerful story of racism in 1950 America that starts quite slowly and later turns into an action-packed page turner. Awarded four stars on Goodreads.
Above all, it's a story of the power of family -- regardless of whether that tie is created by blood, chosen with love, or served up by community. In PROMISE, author and poet Rachel Eliza Griffiths takes us to a small town in Maine in the mid-1950s, where she introduces us to three families:
• The Kindreds - a Black family of four, full of love and focused on education as the way out and up. Their father is the only Black teacher at the local school. Teenage sisters Ezra and Cinthy are central characters, with the novel written from Cinthy's point of view.
• The Junketts - a second Black family of six. Their father is custodian at the same school.
• The Scaggs - a poor and troubled White family whose only child, Ruby, is friends with Ezra and Cinthy.
As the only two Black families in town, ostracized by the locals, the Kindreds and Junketts are naturally bonded tightly to one other.
At the start, it appears the book will be a coming of age story about three girls. But coming of age, it turns out, is quite a different experience depending on race. Ruby, as a white girl, is expected to grow to maturity, marry, and have a family. But the budding maturing (and beauty) of Ezra (with Cinthy close behind) means the start of unwanted attention from white men, along with new stereotypes about the sexuality of Black women. Both of which make white women VERY uncomfortable. This difference between the two races at puberty has a profound impact on the lives and friendship among Ezra, Cinthy, and Ruby.
Unexpected events and many, many instances of ugly and overt racism soon take the book in surprising directions. And beside becoming a compelling story, I felt privileged to learn all the lovely ways the Black community supports and trusts its own. Within this world, deep belief in God, a strong, almost supernatural connection to long-gone ancestors, and a shared history and experience of the world connect people in a way I've never experienced. And feel envious of.
The author has won several prizes for poetry. So the language she uses in this novel is often poetic. In a few places it felt a bit over the top to me. But that is a minimal criticism compared to the overwhelming positive feelings I am taking away. Especially about the resilience of humans facing extremely difficult circumstances.
A powerful story of racism in 1950 America that starts quite slowly and later turns into an action-packed page turner. Awarded four stars on Goodreads.
Above all, it's a story of the power of family -- regardless of whether that tie is created by blood, chosen with love, or served up by community. In PROMISE, author and poet Rachel Eliza Griffiths takes us to a small town in Maine in the mid-1950s, where she introduces us to three families:
• The Kindreds - a Black family of four, full of love and focused on education as the way out and up. Their father is the only Black teacher at the local school. Teenage sisters Ezra and Cinthy are central characters, with the novel written from Cinthy's point of view.
• The Junketts - a second Black family of six. Their father is custodian at the same school.
• The Scaggs - a poor and troubled White family whose only child, Ruby, is friends with Ezra and Cinthy.
As the only two Black families in town, ostracized by the locals, the Kindreds and Junketts are naturally bonded tightly to one other.
At the start, it appears the book will be a coming of age story about three girls. But coming of age, it turns out, is quite a different experience depending on race. Ruby, as a white girl, is expected to grow to maturity, marry, and have a family. But the budding maturing (and beauty) of Ezra (with Cinthy close behind) means the start of unwanted attention from white men, along with new stereotypes about the sexuality of Black women. Both of which make white women VERY uncomfortable. This difference between the two races at puberty has a profound impact on the lives and friendship among Ezra, Cinthy, and Ruby.
Unexpected events and many, many instances of ugly and overt racism soon take the book in surprising directions. And beside becoming a compelling story, I felt privileged to learn all the lovely ways the Black community supports and trusts its own. Within this world, deep belief in God, a strong, almost supernatural connection to long-gone ancestors, and a shared history and experience of the world connect people in a way I've never experienced. And feel envious of.
The author has won several prizes for poetry. So the language she uses in this novel is often poetic. In a few places it felt a bit over the top to me. But that is a minimal criticism compared to the overwhelming positive feelings I am taking away. Especially about the resilience of humans facing extremely difficult circumstances.
graywild's review
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Story set in the late 1950s about 2 African American families that have moved to a small town in Maine. The story centers on Ezra and Cinthy and the racism that they face. Their father thought they would be able to have a life in Maine. Turns out racism of the time is just as violent in the North as it is in the South. The story does a good job of bringing out the hardships of African Americans have in basically a white town. Police intimidate and threaten. Employers manipulate employment. Even their white friend is taught by adult whites how to hate. Tough at times to read. Recommend
shanthereader's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
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? No
3.75