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qrb's review against another edition
4.0
this book had a lot going on but the end was a surprise. I don't know if I liked it or not, but all in all the book was good.
queendbw's review against another edition
dark
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
mochagirl's review against another edition
4.0
Pearl Cleage returns to the West End of Atlanta, the crime-free utopia where ex-crooner Blue Hamilton and trusty sidekick, General Richardson, keep the peace ala "Godfather" vigilante style. Fans were first introduced to Blue, his wife, Regina, and other West End residents in Some Things I Never Thought I'd Do and Babylon Sisters.
In Baby Brother's Blues, we meet Wes Jamerson aka Baby Brother, an Army deserter who breezes into the West End in a stolen car in search of Zora, an anti-war coed he met a few days earlier. Trouble rides in his wake and it does not take long for Baby Brother to land a job with Blue Hamilton despite General's urging otherwise.
Cleage continues to dabble in the supernatural by mentioning a bit more of Blue's mysterious past lives and continues Aunt Abbie's prophetic visions. This time, she delves even deeper into the spiritual realm with the suggestion of the reincarnation of General's deceased lover in the unlikely form of an uncouth exotic dancer named Brandi (with an "i" because it sounds classier) who is nearly half his age. The plot thickens when unbeknownst to General, Baby Brother and Brandi connect at a primal level and things turn downright deadly when Baby Brother's hustle for extra income allows him to stumble across a marriage and career ending secret for a close member of Blue's family. The blues invades the Hamilton household when Blue's late night excursions to "handle business" begin to take its toll on his pregnant wife, and the blues take root when one solitary impulsive act upsets a lifelong bond between key characters.
As in her other novels, the author's ardent trademark themes of pro-family, pro-community, friendship, loyalty, and sisterhood ring with resounding clarity and instant recognition. Cleage weaves an intricate multi-layered plot that folds current events into the story (increased domestic violence among war veterans and a sprinkling of political and police corruption). Strong, familiar, and beloved characters (Blue, Aunt Abbie, Regina) return but their storylines come across merely as afterthoughts amid the crux of the story that focuses more on the antics of several new yet forgettable and underdeveloped characters (Lee, Teddy, Zora, Brandi, Bob, Kwame, Wes) and their ill effects on the West End community. The pacing was slow and deliberate from the beginning through about two-thirds of the novel but rushed and somewhat abrupt near the end. The "action" was too little and came too late in the story and the tidy summarized subplot conclusions left a lot to the imagination.
Despite my misgivings, I still consider myself a fan of the author - I love her work - her novels typically contain positive, uplifting messages and heartfelt lessons. Baby Brother's Blues is a well-written and well constructed novel that will no doubt provide much fodder for in depth discussions among reading groups and book clubs because there are some enlightening, thought-provoking elements and a few memorable quotes within the pages. However, it still basically rounds out as just a notch above an average offering for me, hence the 3.5-star rating.
In Baby Brother's Blues, we meet Wes Jamerson aka Baby Brother, an Army deserter who breezes into the West End in a stolen car in search of Zora, an anti-war coed he met a few days earlier. Trouble rides in his wake and it does not take long for Baby Brother to land a job with Blue Hamilton despite General's urging otherwise.
Cleage continues to dabble in the supernatural by mentioning a bit more of Blue's mysterious past lives and continues Aunt Abbie's prophetic visions. This time, she delves even deeper into the spiritual realm with the suggestion of the reincarnation of General's deceased lover in the unlikely form of an uncouth exotic dancer named Brandi (with an "i" because it sounds classier) who is nearly half his age. The plot thickens when unbeknownst to General, Baby Brother and Brandi connect at a primal level and things turn downright deadly when Baby Brother's hustle for extra income allows him to stumble across a marriage and career ending secret for a close member of Blue's family. The blues invades the Hamilton household when Blue's late night excursions to "handle business" begin to take its toll on his pregnant wife, and the blues take root when one solitary impulsive act upsets a lifelong bond between key characters.
As in her other novels, the author's ardent trademark themes of pro-family, pro-community, friendship, loyalty, and sisterhood ring with resounding clarity and instant recognition. Cleage weaves an intricate multi-layered plot that folds current events into the story (increased domestic violence among war veterans and a sprinkling of political and police corruption). Strong, familiar, and beloved characters (Blue, Aunt Abbie, Regina) return but their storylines come across merely as afterthoughts amid the crux of the story that focuses more on the antics of several new yet forgettable and underdeveloped characters (Lee, Teddy, Zora, Brandi, Bob, Kwame, Wes) and their ill effects on the West End community. The pacing was slow and deliberate from the beginning through about two-thirds of the novel but rushed and somewhat abrupt near the end. The "action" was too little and came too late in the story and the tidy summarized subplot conclusions left a lot to the imagination.
Despite my misgivings, I still consider myself a fan of the author - I love her work - her novels typically contain positive, uplifting messages and heartfelt lessons. Baby Brother's Blues is a well-written and well constructed novel that will no doubt provide much fodder for in depth discussions among reading groups and book clubs because there are some enlightening, thought-provoking elements and a few memorable quotes within the pages. However, it still basically rounds out as just a notch above an average offering for me, hence the 3.5-star rating.
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