Reviews

I really enjoyed this book. It has some moments where you begin to fade out a little while reading, mainly due to the wording being pretty dense and the verbage to be a little dated (which is kind of obvious considering this text would have been over 150 years old). It brings me back to my feelings when I read Tom Sawyer, there are moments where you feel like the wording can be so dated that it loses you, but you never feel like you can't relate. That is where the beauty of these types of works really come through. Timeless storytelling is the best way to put it. I am honestly more impressed with the fact that if Hannah truly learned to read in the manner in which it is presented, her being able to tell this story in such way that I can still relate 150 years later is truly astonishing. I definitely think this book is worth a read. Even if the story alone doesn't grab you, taking these steps back in time are so invaluable and when you can find a piece of literature that was done well it is really worth giving it a shot. I read it as a part of my Black History reads and feel that if you wanted to break up some of the hardline texts about slavery and that time period, I think this would be a good one to add to your list.

specialkxb's review

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adventurous dark emotional tense medium-paced

4.5

bookjockeybeth's review

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DNF/Nancy Pearled

hannah_greendale's review

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adventurous emotional hopeful inspiring reflective 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

5.0

Want to watch a BookTube deep dive on the fascinating mystery behind the woman who wrote The Bondwoman's Narrative? Come find me at Hello, Bookworm.📚🐛

"No one ever spoke of my father or mother, but I soon learned what a curse was attached to my race, soon learned that the African blood in my veins would forever exclude me from the higher walks of life."

When The Bondwoman's Narrative was published in 2002, it became a New York Times bestseller, but the book's author was a mystery. Who was she? Was her name really Hannah Crafts? And was she truly a Black woman as she claimed to be? These questions and more arose when Henry Louis Gates Jr. found the long-lost manuscript of The Bondwoman's Narrative, which appeared to be one of the most significant historical finds in literature.

To prove the manuscript's worth, he would embark on a long search for the author, which I discuss in detail in my deep dive BookTube video on Hello, Bookworm.

I highly recommend reading this book! The author deftly blends a sentimental novel with elements of Gothic literature for an absolutely mesmerizing read. A story of haunted trees, cursed families, resilient women and more await you in The Bondwoman's Narrative.

soupwitch86's review

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3.0

I was excited for this book because I know the manuscript was only found a few years ago. The novel touched on many important subjects like psychological damage on slaves versus physical damage. I am actually going to write a paper about the psychological effects of weddings and marriages in the novel. But back to the review. I wanted to like it more, but it just moved too slowly and was too dry much of the time. I would recommend it because it is the first piece of fiction written by a (former) slave and there is still much controversy regarding who Hannah Crafts (Bonds?) really is. However, I prefer real slave narratives, they've always engaged me more.

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