Reviews

Praisesong for the Widow by Paule Marshall

bp_43's review

emotional fast-paced

5.0

lachellerising's review

4.0

Was recommended this book by a friend and then again by bell hooks in her book “Sister of The Yams: Black women and self-recovery” (a must-read), she mentions this book often. This was a lovely story about overcoming grief, rediscovery of self, the interconnectedness of the Black diaspora and healing.

snowmaiden's review

5.0

I found the first part of this book intriguing but rather prosaic. Avey Johnson, the main character who suddenly abandons her long-awaited Caribbean cruise on a whim, struck me as so staid, so prim, and so proper. I couldn't identify much with her at all. But then the second section, which flashes back to all the events in Avey's life that have made her so timid and so conservative, brought her to life for me. What middle-aged woman hasn't come to the realization that somewhere along the way, she took a wrong turn and has become something less than she might have been? And after she comes to this realization, there is nothing for her to do but search for a new path. I ended up loving this book, and I'm very glad to hear that it's about to be reprinted this year by McSweeney's. Maybe you'll love it, too!

geezuscanread's review

5.0

i liked it

jlyngalvin's review

1.0

I was forced to read this as part of my Women's Lit. class. It destroyed a piece of my soul.

aartireadsalot's review against another edition

challenging emotional reflective slow-paced

4.25

dinahrachel's review

hopeful informative inspiring reflective medium-paced

4.0

laneamagya's review

5.0

This is another one of those books I allowed to languish on my to-read shelf for far too long. I found Paule Marshall's books thanks to Virginia Fowler, with whom my big brother and I both studied in college. If you haven't run into Fowler's work, well, run into it soon. She's one of the most fascinating people I've ever met, and she taught me to really learn and study. Ginny would make strong students shine, drag scholarship out of the laziest of students, or she would fail them--those were the three options in her class. I think I value my As from Dr. Fowler more than I value being accepted to present papers at conferences. Any idiot can convince a conference organizer that their paper is worth hearing--only someone who really works hard can get an A from Dr. Fowler. I should send her a fruit basket.

Praisesong is the story of the cultural epiphany of a widow. Our hero, Avatara "Avey" Johnson, is a widow and mother. She has a complicated relationship with her activist daughter and mourns the degradation of her marriage, which suffered under financial strains and then withered as money replaced love and passion. Avey goes on a cruise with some friends and ends up ditching them to forge a connection to her culture.

There are some sections of the book that could be tightened up a tiny bit, but the close of the novel (novella?) is masterful. Avatara reconnects to West Indian culture in a gorgeous ancestor ceremony. Very few writers can write ritual well, but Marshall pulls it off. She takes us to a scene most of us will never see, she treats it with reverence, but she also reveals the humanity of it all. I won't say more--just go read it. Read it read it read it. It's a great book. Read it now. It's small--read it twice.

kstrange_'s review

hopeful inspiring medium-paced

4.5

Phenomenal book about self-identity and self-discovery. Classic piece of literature.

cmbohn's review

5.0

I'm not sure why I picked this one up, but something about it caught my eye. Maybe it was the unusual title. Mine had a different, less vibrant cover. The one I shared captures more about the story. So I don't think it was the cover. Or maybe it was the book description. I read some heavy books last year, and I think something about an "unexpected and beautiful adventure" sounded appealing to me.

At its heart, this is a book about a woman who should be at ease and enjoying this more relaxed, affluent stage of her life. She has no responsibilities, no stress. But as she sails on her big white ship across the Caribbean, she realizes that she has no roots anymore either. She feels adrift, no anchor, no ties, and no sense of who she is anymore.

She begins to remember how it all started, as a child with her great-aunt, as a newlywed couple with a dashing young husband, then as an overburdened young mother with a workaholic husband. And slowly, as her journey continues, she rediscovers who she was, and who she still is.

I loved this book. I typically struggle with too much metaphor and magical realism. I'm not even sure that's how I would describe this book. I see bits of stream of consciousness, which I thought I hated. But it reads more like a dream or a memory, then drops back into reality. Maybe it's because the entire book is so short, only 256 pages, but I just could not put it down. By the time Avey get to the end of her journey, my heart was so full. This is my first 5 star read of the year and I am already predicting it will be the most beautiful book of the year.