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keely_fuller's review
2.0
good ideas, bad execution imo. the writing wasn’t good, the plot could’ve been much better had it been more fleshed out, lots of parts where it was super confusing what was going on.
sabsreadssometimes's review against another edition
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? It's complicated
4.25
ariel937's review
5.0
i went in expecting to really like this and i ended up really LOVING this. the writing is so perfect. it feels like someone is sitting down in front of you, telling you their story. each perspective was written so wonderfully, and so distinct. this was engrossing. it was heartbreaking. it had so much history and research and i KNOW things went over my head and i need to go back and reread it with a pen in hand. what a beautiful, beautiful book.
✔️my last book for the reading rush AND it’s 5 stars AND i completed my reading challenge for 2020!!!!!
✔️my last book for the reading rush AND it’s 5 stars AND i completed my reading challenge for 2020!!!!!
shytahura's review
4.0
Yet again I find myself disgusted reading through reviews from a certain subset of people who complain that they just didn’t understand, or didn’t enjoy, or didn’t care about certain aspects of a story that are so clearly resonant for someone else’s culture. It’s one thing to not like the writing, or the pacing, or the plot, but grading a book down because you personally think that victims of the Klan are overgeneralizing and paranoid? That elderly racists should be treated with kid gloves because they can be nice and also might have dementia? This book is above you.
jlightwells's review
4.0
This is a rich and often suspenseful novel that narrates the life of two women: Josephine, a freed slave who is navigating the 1920’s as a black farm owner, and her great-great-grandaughter Ava, a single mom who is living with her rich, elderly white grandmother until she can get back on her feet financially. Both women find themselves in uncomfortable and potentially dangerous situations with white women, and their stories begin to converge through the gift of mystical power that they share. This was the first book I read this year and it did not disappoint – I was enthralled by the back and forth story line and the strength and courage of the women of this novel.
kaceykiedis's review
3.0
Listened on Audio, which was a little harder to keep the stories straight since it was harder to remember which time frame you were in at a given time, especially if you paused and picked back up. Still enjoyed the story, but wasn't engaged in it consistently.
lindsay_nelson's review
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.0
tahirarani's review
3.0
More like 3.5 stars. In truth, it took me a while to understand what exactly was happening, and that’s entirely due to my lazy style of reading - I should have been paying closer attention. With that said, I did have this feeling when I reached the end of the book that there was not enough time spent in all the ‘places’ I wanted to linger in. There are scenes where I wanted less, and scenes where I wanted more. One thing is for certain, and that is that Wilkerson Sexton has a powerful way of connecting past to present, and telling it like it is in just a few concise, searing sentences.
endleslybooked's review
5.0
A beautiful story of strong Black women and the intrinsic connection they have to each other and their ancestry. I didn’t want the story to end, and my only slight critique of the book was that it so steadily rose towards a climax, but then the book ended rather abruptly. It could just be because I wanted more of Ava and Josephine and they’re beautiful mirrored lives.