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3.79 AVERAGE
3.79 AVERAGE
These characters do not act as I would want anyone to in real life, and yet I felt compelled to like them and the book.
emotional
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
1.5 stars. Why in the hell would you spoil away 10 years of your life thinking you’d killed someone without verifying that information? How stupid can you possibly be?
dark
mysterious
reflective
I loved the expression in the voices of the audiobook, a quick read that will keep you interested without being too complicated.
This book has two timelines. There’s Lena, a graduate student who lives in Chicago and has a boyfriend named Burr. And there’s Arlene, the younger Lena, growing up in Alabama, deserted in plain sight by her mama and raised by her fierce Aunt Florence. Joshilyn Jackson gets so much of the dizzying awkwardness of being a teenager in the south exactly right, but the contemporary timeline didn’t work as well for me. Still a great read, though. I started it on audiobook and I think that helped— the narrator helped me “see” the older Lena when I was having a hard time figuring her out. Also, in the audiobook, the first chapter is hilarious.
This book deals with a lot of things--interracial marriage (and the white wife's family is racist), family secrets, murder, a deal with God--and it definitely held my interest and gave me a lot to think about. I liked the surprise ending, but there are some other twists and turns that seem, to me, to only be there for the sake of jerking the reader around. Overall, I enjoyed this one.
Audio book performed by Catherine Taber
3.5***
Arlene Fleet lived up to her name when she fled Possett Alabama for Chicago as soon as she graduated high school. She’s lived up to her bargain with God – she will not lie, fornicate or return to Alabama, as long as He keeps the body hidden. Now she’s being pressured by her African American tax attorney boyfriend to introduce him to the family. She loves Burr, but her family members are racist Southern Baptists, and of course there’s the issue of the missing high school quarterback - even after ten years, people still wonder. She’s avoided her family all this time, but when former high school nemesis, Rose Mae Lolley, shows up unexpectedly asking questions about Jim Beverly, Arlene and Burr have to return to Alabama so she can reinforce her alibi.
I have to admit I was engaged and fascinated by the thought processes of the teen-age (and “adult”) Arlene. Assumptions are flung around by everyone, leading even the principle players astray. I was sure I had it figured out, only to be surprised – not once, but twice.
This is a fun, quick Southern gothic read. Jackson doesn’t dwell for long on the dark side – thank God, because it is pretty dark. Instead she gives the reader plenty of diversions as Arlene and her cousin (practically sister) Clarice Lukey wend their way through high school and young adulthood.
Catherine Taber does a great job performing the audio book. Her southern accent is spot on perfect. Her pacing is brisk enough to maintain suspense and interest, but slow enough to allow the reader to absorb it all. My only quibble with the audio is the totally unnecessary use of background music to set the scene. I really do not need “spooky” music as a background to the darker scenes in order to understand the setting and importance of what is happening. Lost ½ star there.
3.5***
Arlene Fleet lived up to her name when she fled Possett Alabama for Chicago as soon as she graduated high school. She’s lived up to her bargain with God – she will not lie, fornicate or return to Alabama, as long as He keeps the body hidden. Now she’s being pressured by her African American tax attorney boyfriend to introduce him to the family. She loves Burr, but her family members are racist Southern Baptists, and of course there’s the issue of the missing high school quarterback - even after ten years, people still wonder. She’s avoided her family all this time, but when former high school nemesis, Rose Mae Lolley, shows up unexpectedly asking questions about Jim Beverly, Arlene and Burr have to return to Alabama so she can reinforce her alibi.
I have to admit I was engaged and fascinated by the thought processes of the teen-age (and “adult”) Arlene. Assumptions are flung around by everyone, leading even the principle players astray. I was sure I had it figured out, only to be surprised – not once, but twice.
This is a fun, quick Southern gothic read. Jackson doesn’t dwell for long on the dark side – thank God, because it is pretty dark. Instead she gives the reader plenty of diversions as Arlene and her cousin (practically sister) Clarice Lukey wend their way through high school and young adulthood.
Catherine Taber does a great job performing the audio book. Her southern accent is spot on perfect. Her pacing is brisk enough to maintain suspense and interest, but slow enough to allow the reader to absorb it all. My only quibble with the audio is the totally unnecessary use of background music to set the scene. I really do not need “spooky” music as a background to the darker scenes in order to understand the setting and importance of what is happening. Lost ½ star there.