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laurazdavidson's review against another edition
4.0
"Jubillee" is based on the life of Margaret Walker's grandmother who was born a slave. It's like the flip-side of "Gone with the Wind." Brutal and heart-wrenching, but ultimately uplifting.
nearly_empty_nesting's review against another edition
5.0
Why had I not heard of this before? I found this on a "Read this- not that" list comparing it to Gone with the Wind.
Does this have the atmospheric grandiose that initially drew me to Gone with the Wind 20+ years ago? Eh. That is debatable. However, there is an authenticity that GWTW never achieved and this sweeping saga of families both during and post-war had me hooked and went straight to my favorites shelf.
Does this have the atmospheric grandiose that initially drew me to Gone with the Wind 20+ years ago? Eh. That is debatable. However, there is an authenticity that GWTW never achieved and this sweeping saga of families both during and post-war had me hooked and went straight to my favorites shelf.
bookshelfintheshire's review
4.0
I read this for a history class. It was heartbreaking, but it was an important viewpoint from the author’s grandmothers experience as a slave during the civil war and how her life was still difficult after emancipation.
rachelwalexander's review
4.0
I listened to this as an audiobook, which made some of the long descriptions about plantation life really interesting where they might have felt more tangential or distracting been if I'd been reading. But anyway, this was a really detailed story of a woman's entire life growing up a slave and living through the Civil War and Reconstruction. It's got a lovely amount of detail about what those times were like that should disabuse anyone with lingering notions about "slavery wasn't that bad."
ashleycornelius's review
5.0
Any book that involves so much research and truth told in a way that brings the people the life is going to win me over and this book was no exception. The main character is the daughter of a slave and master. It focuses on the pre civil war life, civil war, and then the first 5-10 years after. Every character/person is written in such a way that you can understand why they act in certain ways. The main person is not a perfect person but the way she holds on to certain truths just made me fall in love with her.
efmreads's review
5.0
Life-changing fiction. Such a deeply beautiful story with lessons that echo into even the present age. I will savor this one for years to come!
readingoverbreathing's review against another edition
4.0
". . . you can lick the whole whole world with a loving heart!"
What a journey this book was! I had not heard of this until coming across it on the ZORA canon list, and, honestly, I feel that as a whole it's truly proof of how the common canon continues to disregard works by Black women writers. This book reminded me so much of [b:Gone with the Wind|18405|Gone with the Wind|Margaret Mitchell|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1551144577l/18405._SY75_.jpg|3358283] in that it follows the cycle of a southern woman's life from the Antebellum period all the way through Restoration, but instead of documenting the woes of a white woman, you get the true grit of Vyry, who may in my mind now be one of the most memorable characters I've ever read.
I love a good sprawling southern read, and it's been so long since I've had one, so this truly was such a treat, and one I'm so glad I was able to discover. It's well-written, well-researched, and the characters are all just so vividly brilliant, from Big Missy to little Minna. Margaret Walker is a masterful novelist, and one who surely deserves more credit in mainstream literature. If you liked [b:Their Eyes Were Watching God|37415|Their Eyes Were Watching God|Zora Neale Hurston|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1368072803l/37415._SY75_.jpg|1643555] or have been searching for a less problematic Gone with the Wind, then this is surely it, although I hesitate to even make these kinds of comparisons because I want this to stand on its own as it so deserves. Cannot recommend to my southern lit-loving friends enough.
readcover2cover's review
4.0
This was a memorable book about a significant period in history. The protagonist is Vyry (short for Elvira) who was an incredibly strong woman who lived through slavery, the Civil War, emancipation from slavery, the terror of the KKK and more with grace and courage. What's more amazing is that she was based on a real woman - Margaret Walker's own great-grandmother. I listened to the audiobook and the narration was great. I highly recommend this thought-provoking book!
mizele20's review
3.0
I want to read several books about this time period so I can compare them. I would like to reread Roots. I have Cane River on my list, and I've read 12 Years a Slave.