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4.6 AVERAGE
4.6 AVERAGE
challenging
emotional
informative
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:
No
I was intimidated to start this book given its page count, but I whole heartedly agree with another reviewer that there was not a single page I would have omitted. Jeffers is from Durham, which is how it landed on my to read list, and I’m excited to read some of her other works!
challenging
emotional
informative
slow-paced
Easily one of the best books I ever read! If you have this on your list, read it immediately!!! It’s long, but stay committed and finish the whole thing. You will be rewarded with such an amazing story. I am in absolute awe 10/10
One of the most immersive books I have ever read. I'm in awe of what Jeffers manages to do here; it's both expansive and intimate, and the narrative voice is pitch-perfect through every moment, every historical shift. I let this sit on myself for a few months before I picked it up; at nearly 800 pages, I felt I had to read it at "the perfect time." That time, for me, fell over Spring Break and COVID in my house, but I was hooked from the first page, and I think it would have kept its hold on me in any season.
" 'Olivia told me, it was one thing for her to carry her father's last name, because he was partly responsible for her being alive. But she wasn't about to carry some other man's load.' "
" 'Olivia told me, it was one thing for her to carry her father's last name, because he was partly responsible for her being alive. But she wasn't about to carry some other man's load.' "
Took a lot of deep breaths and sighs, but very much worth it
This novel both captivated and haunted me. It will be a long time before I lose the feeling of being surrounded by Ailey and her family.
Finally giving up on The Love Songs of W.E.B. DuBois by Honorée Fanonne Jeffers. It's an 800 page, multi-generational family saga set in the U.S. The extended family is black and mixed race.
I got to the 50% point where they are talking about sororities and fraternities, which are a quintessentially U.S. phenomena. Yes, we have them in Canada, but they don't play nearly as significant a role in society.
And it was at that point that I gave up. I looked at the fact that I still had another 50% to go and realized I just didn't care. I was tired of reading about all of them.
I got to the 50% point where they are talking about sororities and fraternities, which are a quintessentially U.S. phenomena. Yes, we have them in Canada, but they don't play nearly as significant a role in society.
And it was at that point that I gave up. I looked at the fact that I still had another 50% to go and realized I just didn't care. I was tired of reading about all of them.