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3.94 AVERAGE
3.94 AVERAGE
adventurous
challenging
emotional
informative
sad
Not my usual fare, but I was very glad to have read it. I haven’t watched awards ceremonies or Gone With the Wind. It was really interesting to learn about this time period as it pertained to Blacks, actors, travel, etc. And to join the author in trying to get inside Hattie’s head.
emotional
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
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:
Complicated
Though this was a fictionalized autobiography of Hattie McDaniel's adult life after her Academy Award, I felt I learned a lot about her and the 1940s environment for Black actors. I thought the author gave Hattie McDaniel her due dignity. The book was well thought out, heartrending, and interesting.
inspiring
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
informative
inspiring
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
This book will, hopefully, remind you how much times have changed, but also that the times when we wouldn't let a black woman go into the same nightclub as her castmates were not so long ago. I was struck so many times while reading this that the racism and hatred featured in this book took place 80 years ago. And while it is historical fiction, the racism is not fictional. I know people who were alive then and are alive now. This isn't ancient history, it's still relevant in so many ways.
It also is such a poignant story; well written and makes you feel so intensely for Hattie.
It also is such a poignant story; well written and makes you feel so intensely for Hattie.
This was such a good book. A librarian brought this historical fiction account of Hattie McDaniel, the actress who portrayed Mammy in Gone With The Wind, to my attention earlier this month. And I'm very glad I picked it up. I had no idea she was so close to Clark Gable, and I would love to read more about their lives during this period of time.
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:
Complicated
4.25 ⭐️
Debut novelist ReShonda Tate delivers Hattie McDaniel’s story after she won the Oscar.
➕ Hattie McDaniel is a nuanced and fascinating individual, and that comes through in this novel. The author doesn’t paint her as perfect, which I really appreciated.
➕ If you love old Hollywood, this is the book for you! I learned so much. Granted, I had heard most of the names dropped, but I didn’t know their stories before reading this: Clark Gable, Lena Horne, Carole Lombard, Dorothy Dandridge, and more!
➕ I loved how this historical fiction novel took on the heat McDaniel received from her detractors, most notably the NAACP. It fully explored the issue. McDaniel desperately wanted to work as an actress, and she took on many roles in movies as a servant. Her detractors did not like that she took these roles because they felt she kept Black people down. This novel’s point is that the real enemy was the white studio system, but this fighting between the factions kept them from seeing the real enemy. It very much relates to issues we see today.
➕ This was excellent on audio. The narrator performed this novel perfectly.
➖ I think this related to the information the author could find, but I felt like so many HUGE things were covered in such few pages, and we learned so little about McDaniel that took place BEFORE 1940 (when she was already in her 40s). The title and cover relate to a landmark lawsuit she was involved in, and it was blink-and-you-miss-it in the book. I would have loved for that to have taken more prominence with less prominence given to the crappy men in her life.
All in all, if you want an accessible book about 1940s Hollywood and civil rights, this will be right up your alley!
emotional
informative
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
challenging
emotional
inspiring
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:
Yes
The Queen of Sugar Hill;
A Novel of Hattie McDaniel
A Novel of Hattie McDaniel
by ReShonda Tate
The Queen of Sugar Hill is a compelling historical fiction that delves into the life of Hattie McDaniel, the first African American woman to win an Academy Award for her role in “Gone With The Wind”. The novel spans from McDaniel’s Oscar win in 1940 to her death in 1952, offering a nuanced portrayal of her resilience and complexity.
The story captures McDaniel’s struggle and triumphs in a Hollywood that often marginalized her. Despite her groundbreaking achievements, she faced criticism from both the Black community, which viewed her roles as perpetuating stereotypes and from white audiences who saw her only as the “Mammy” character. It also highlights the challenges she faced while trying to create more opportunities for black actors and fighting against housing discrimination.
We also get glimpses into Hattie’s personal life including her friendship with Hollywood royalty Clark Gable and her 4 marriages to men who wanted to use her fame and money for their own good or either to just control her. I have to say, she and I have something in common. In the words of my sister, we both have “poor, picker genes”.
Even though she was considered wealthy for the times, she died penniless.
This book had such a profound effect on me. It’s so sad that even in this day and age, there is still so much inequality.
Genre/Type: Historical Fiction
Format: Audiobook- Hoopla
Pages: 432
Audio length: 15 hours, 28 minutes
Narrator(s): Lynnette Freeman
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Series or Standalone: Standalone
Characters: Hattie McDaniel, Louise Beavers, Clark Gable
Troupes or Themes:
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