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4.16 AVERAGE
4.16 AVERAGE
challenging
dark
informative
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
I truly enjoyed reading this book. It reminded me of when I would read historical fiction novels as a teenager because I wanted to learn more. I've always found historical fiction to be a genre that can encourage readers, especially young readers to seek out knowledge. This novel for example, motivated me to do more research into the Grimké sisters. I was familiar with the names and some of their contributions but did not know the extent of their experience. I think the dual POV was also a great choice for the storytelling. It drew an important distinction between the experiences of Sarah Grimké (daughter of a slave owner) and Hetty "Handful" Grimké (enslaved and given as a gift to Sarah).
Content Warnings
Graphic: Slavery, Violence
dark
emotional
informative
inspiring
sad
slow-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
challenging
emotional
informative
reflective
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Meh.
Okay, so people are raving about this book. I loved [b:The Secret Life of Bees|37435|The Secret Life of Bees|Sue Monk Kidd|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1333819031s/37435.jpg|3275013] so I had high expectations as I approached this one.
But, wow, I really felt like I was reading a book that was supposed to teach me a lesson. Repeatedly.
The book consists of two inter-connected story-lines. Sarah Grimke is one of many children in Charleston, South Carolina, and she is an oddball. She wants to become educated and would love to follow in her father's steps and become a judge. But she's female. She also is against slavery, even though that's how her family made their fortune. At the age of 11, she receives a slave for her birthday present, Hetty.
Hetty, known as Handful to other slaves, is headstrong and smart, and then Sarah teaches her to read. Of course, she yearns to escape.
I feel like I had read this book before. It was nothing new to me--just another book about the relationship between a white woman and her slave. I think this is the problem when I've read a lot of books--I read something that non-readers love and I don't see the attraction. I found myself rolling my eyes at some of the language, especially the paragraphs at the end of chapters when everything was supposed to be dramatic.
"I was relieved and terrified in the same moment. I studied the compact defiance that made up so much of what she was" (353).
"I squatted down and stared her in the eyes. 'Don't you spare me. I've seen my share. I know what the world is'" (271).
The chapters are many and short and all of them end with some important quotation from one of the characters. It's almost like reading a Dickens serial that was created for the masses to read in short chunks.
I did read some adult book club books that I enjoyed this year: [b:My Name Is Resolute|17934498|My Name Is Resolute|Nancy E. Turner|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1385661370s/17934498.jpg|25142362], [b:Bellweather Rhapsody|18222740|Bellweather Rhapsody|Kate Racculia|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1377648610s/18222740.jpg|25656405], and [b:The Word Exchange|18209339|The Word Exchange|Alena Graedon|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1382372437s/18209339.jpg|25630126].
Okay, so people are raving about this book. I loved [b:The Secret Life of Bees|37435|The Secret Life of Bees|Sue Monk Kidd|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1333819031s/37435.jpg|3275013] so I had high expectations as I approached this one.
But, wow, I really felt like I was reading a book that was supposed to teach me a lesson. Repeatedly.
The book consists of two inter-connected story-lines. Sarah Grimke is one of many children in Charleston, South Carolina, and she is an oddball. She wants to become educated and would love to follow in her father's steps and become a judge. But she's female. She also is against slavery, even though that's how her family made their fortune. At the age of 11, she receives a slave for her birthday present, Hetty.
Hetty, known as Handful to other slaves, is headstrong and smart, and then Sarah teaches her to read. Of course, she yearns to escape.
I feel like I had read this book before. It was nothing new to me--just another book about the relationship between a white woman and her slave. I think this is the problem when I've read a lot of books--I read something that non-readers love and I don't see the attraction. I found myself rolling my eyes at some of the language, especially the paragraphs at the end of chapters when everything was supposed to be dramatic.
"I was relieved and terrified in the same moment. I studied the compact defiance that made up so much of what she was" (353).
"I squatted down and stared her in the eyes. 'Don't you spare me. I've seen my share. I know what the world is'" (271).
The chapters are many and short and all of them end with some important quotation from one of the characters. It's almost like reading a Dickens serial that was created for the masses to read in short chunks.
I did read some adult book club books that I enjoyed this year: [b:My Name Is Resolute|17934498|My Name Is Resolute|Nancy E. Turner|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1385661370s/17934498.jpg|25142362], [b:Bellweather Rhapsody|18222740|Bellweather Rhapsody|Kate Racculia|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1377648610s/18222740.jpg|25656405], and [b:The Word Exchange|18209339|The Word Exchange|Alena Graedon|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1382372437s/18209339.jpg|25630126].
emotional
inspiring
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
dark
emotional
inspiring
medium-paced
Read for 2nd time after 10 years. Great tale if not great literature. Historical detail a plus. Seems like US women may have to fight this fight again in the not to distant future.
emotional
informative
inspiring
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:
Yes